This result is a mystery. Two nut cups with this same design sold recently from this same fine seller: one on 8/2 for $158.50 and one on 8/13 for $139.50. Just a tad over one month later five nut cups plus the envelope sell for a song. (The set was incomplete, but still…) Can we chalk this up to the vagaries of eBay? The buyer of this lot received a true bargain.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
DEAD MINT Complete Set Vintage Halloween Table Decorations Favors Germany 1920s!
It is great seeing so many of these German table decorations, especially in such nice condition. A common error is to think ten comprise a full set. There are actually eleven designs comprising the full set. The standing arched-back cat has two variations: the one included in this offering with eyes looking away from the viewer and one with the cat looking directly at the viewer with a slightly different face and stance. (The latter is much harder to find.) There are also stand variations. Later in the run the wood red stands were deeper and slotted making the table decoration more functional as a place card holder.
08/17 Update: The result was surely a disappointment as these regularly bring over $100 (sometimes well over…) when listed individually.
AMAZING 1926 Halloween Pan Confection Co. Store Display 20 Pcs.
This listing was arguably one of the most important ones to see the light of day this year for us paper lovers. Over the many decades I’ve avidly collected vintage Halloween, I’ve seen the odd piece from what I know now is this set issued in 1926. I often wondered what they were and which firm made them. The devil with pitchfork and the owl atop rocks were the two I had seen on a handful of occasions. In fact, I had sold the former in this year’s May auction - inaccurately dating it to the 1930s. I saw this listing almost immediately. The seller had chosen a main photo that surely deterred many collectors from clicking on the listing. The seller listed it at $9.99 with an option to make an offer. I made an offer of $1900, but it was auto-declined when someone placed the minimum bid. I contacted the seller and made a private offer. He consulted with the consignor who decided to let the auction run its course, typically the smart decision. If you examine the original listing you’ll see the set is complete with the hanging witch, the illustration shown below and the original mailing envelope. This set was sent free to candy shops that ordered Pan’s 1926 Halloween case assortment. I think I am on safe ground to say that not many complete sets made it through nearly 100 years in this near-pristine condition. The pieces are quite large. The devil backdrop measures 26” across by 17”. I was the prevailing bidder at the bargain price of $832.99. My maximum bid was far higher. Considering that an incomplete box of Dennison seals sold for $900, this was a true bargain, made more true as this is a possibly one-of-a-kind set. It is now a jewel in my personal collection - one of the best acquisitions I have ever made.
Vtg 1920s 1930s Jolly Halloween Die Cut Party PLACE CARDS Bats Cats Cauldron
I'd not seen this awesome place card design prior to this listing. There doesn't appear to be a maker's mark. I know the manufacturer isn't Beistle, Dennison or Whitney and suspect that it isn't Gibson. Maybe Volland or Henderson Line? What I do know is that I like the design very much. If the buyer is a reader, know that I'd love to buy one!
03/08 Update: Thankfully, the buyer is a reader and will offer one to me once the lot is received. Thanks!
Group of 6 Different Antique Halloween Placards with Moon and Black Cat
This well-designed complete set of six place cards was made by Whitney during the 1930s. I have long appreciated the differences in each one of the six including the different expressions of the moon. In order to make it easy for each to stand on a table, the sides of each card bend inward - a nice touch. This set used to surface more regularly than now. It is a tough set to find with no extraneous markings or missing pieces. Sustainable guide value is $185 for the set.
01/17 Update: The set brought $227.50, a nearly 23% premium to SGV. One hasn't surfaced in some time, so if another were to come up for sale in the same condition, I would expect the price to normalize to the $185 SGV.
Vintage Halloween Party Hats Set Of 8
This was interesting in that I hadn't seen it before. I wonder what it would have fetched if the seller hadn't offered it up as a BIN? I agree with the seller that it looks to be from the 1950s. Beistle's artistry was by this time a pale shadow of what it had been in their Golden Age of the 1920s and 1930s. This set's designs aren't too memorable compared to the fantastic, wildly imaginative Beistle hats shown on pages 237-241. (For instance, look at the "New Moon" hats on page 239. Wow!)
