Incredible Beistle Halloween Spooky Tree Wall Decoration

It is nice to see a truly rare item listed on eBay. This is a large and imposing diecut! Here is what I have to say about this superb diecut in my third edition, made at the zenith of Beistle's creative powers: “A touch of mystery swirls around this object. All the catalogs I have examined, Beistle publications and the many ones put out by wholesalers over the years, indicate this embossed diecut was sold as one of a set of four. There were five large diecuts with scalloped edges made beginning in the early 1930s. (The other four can be seen in Diecuts.) Some catalogs show that at times this skeleton in the graveyard was sold with the seated cat while others show it was at times sold with the arched-back cat. The others, owl and broomed witch, remain constants. The point is that the skeleton in the graveyard is itself a constant in these publications, so why doesn’t it ever turn up?” Look at how the branches of the Wizard of Oz-like trees end in creatures. Dark and creepy! 

09/21 Update: A long-time collector snatched this up for $2500. I think he did very well indeed.

Antique Halloween Beistle Arched Black Cat Die Cut

I sometimes shake my head at these results. What are people thinking? This diecut surfaces regularly and typically sells for about half of this ending price. Looking at the bidding history, as is almost always in such cases, the sky-high result is due to two determined bidders. Although I am VERY happy for the seller, one of the best on eBay, my counsel to collectors - especially newer ones - is to take a breather and use a service like eSnipe so as to guard against getting caught up in auction fever. Results like this heighten my fear that my long-time hobby is getting too expensive for the typical collector. 

rare vintage Beistle Halloween embossed skeleton diecut decoration

After several years, another of these most-elusive of diecuts surfaced. I awoke to a flurry of emails about this item, and encouraged everyone who wrote to jump on it. The seller, afflicted with a recent negative on eBay, offered it for $3000 or best offer. I don't know the seller, but felt the diecut looked right from the several photos, most of which were pretty low quality. There is a mystery about this diecut, first produced by Beistle in 1932. It was one of a set and was shown as part of that set for many seasons beginning in 1932. While all the others from this set surface with some regularity, this one doesn't. While I know one was sold for a pittance at a show in Ohio in 2017, when this diecut gets the proper exposure it has sold for as high as ~$3500. I'm glad to know that a friend of mine who has been searching for this diecut for many years was the buyer. I know it will have a treasured spot in his already impressive collection, which I am dazzled by annually when I get a chance to visit. I can't wait to see how this precious object is worked into his displays!  

Cardboard Halloween Black Cat Sitting

When I saw that a Canada-based dealer was listing 1930s Beistle diecuts from their set with saw-toothed or scalloped perimeters I was momentarily hopeful we'd see arguably the most elusive (and mysteriously so...) Beistle diecut of all - the skeleton in the graveyard. Alas, disappointment. (To see the diecut to which I refer, turn to page 137.) The last time one was listed was late September of 2014 - and it sold for an astonishing ~$3,350. I was down at Disneyland the evening it sold. Present in my party was someone who wanted it badly, and who had placed an aggressive bid. Not prevailing upon the lot made my friend disheartened, but one will surely show up again. Beistle is the benchmark for design and quality relative to American made diecuts. Their typical output had a gravitas to them that the Dennison and Gibson diecuts generally lack.