RARE Antique 1920/30s Halloween Gibson Die Cut Party Sign "Cold Facts" Skeleton

Even though the condition of this diecut is atrocious, this may be an instance where scarcity loosens the normal condition strictures many collectors impose. I purchased one of these diecuts several years back for ~$2,000, although the condition was FAR superior. From a design perspective, Gibson can be considered the rambunctious sibling at a family reunion, dominated by other, much more staid siblings named Beistle and Dennison. Gibson’s designs tended to be more unpredictable, right at the periphery of logic. Their output was much smaller than the other two, so finding their diecuts is quite a feat. It’ll be instructive to see what this fetches.

08/20 Update: This fetched $560.

HALLOWEEN Skeleton vtg die-cut 20" jointed decor 1920s figural Beistle import

Skeleton diecuts can be so boring, but this design has always made me smile. The figure may be waving while saying, “Welcome to your new home!” The seller states this may have been produced by Beistle. It wasn’t. This was produced in Germany for export along with a large number of other diecut designs, primarily pumped out from ~1920 through 1935. The waving skeleton was once seen more often - a statement that could be made for almost any vintage Halloween item. Prices are all over the board lately, so who knows what this will fetch.

Vintage Halloween Skeleton Paper and Wood Noisemaker Merri Lei NY Rare

These well-designed noisemakers once surfaced with some regularity. Seeing this listing caused me to realize that I hadn’t seen one for awhile. They used to trade for ~$35. A new level of ~$85 was established around 2017. Is this result an aberration or the establishment of a new level?

Vintage Halloween Skeleton Made in Germany Embossed Jointed Paper

Even with many condition issues, this ultra-rare German jointed skeleton diecut brought $450. What makes it so rare? The size is the rarity factor. These were made in several sizes. The smallest and most common measures 27”. The largest and rarest measures 50”. I’ve only seen this size a handful of times.

Vintage Dennison HalloweenDiecut, Running Skeleton with Toothy Grin, 1929

This is a fantastic and VERY LARGE diecut first produced by Dennison for the 1929 season. Their chief artistic designer at the time had an awesome Deco-ish aesthetic that permeated their products from seals to diecuts. Some argue this is the apotheosis of that aesthetic. This is an exceedingly rare diecut to acquire - especially in complete condition. It seems to be quite faded. The seller is a long-time, very knowledgeable and eminently honest person. She and I used to ferociously compete in the early eBay days! I am eager to see what this fetches!

09/13 Update: This fetched a strong $1,035.

Vintage German Halloween 1920's Large 37" Heavily Embossed Jointed Skeleton

Those industrious Germans produced jointed or articulated highly embossed skeleton diecuts in three sizes. The 27” version surfaces regularly. This seller auctioned one of these that brought $188.75. This 37” version is much less common - and the ending price reflects this fact. The largest one of all measures 50” and almost never comes up for sale. It would probably crest $1000.

Vintage halloween Sign Grim Reaper Skeleton Right this way and watch out RARE

Gibson produced this fantastic non-embossed diecut during the early 1930s. I’ve now seen this three times. Given that the hand is neither detached nor missing, the ending bid isn’t outlandish, especially given the visual statement this piece makes. Gibson differentiated itself from its better capitalized competitors, Beistle and Dennison, by bold designs that catch the eye even nearly a century later. Their output was far less than their named competitors, so it may be a while before another surfaces.

RARE 1930s Jitterbug Jones table decoration Great Halloween graphics!!!

Here is another seller I heartily endorse. He doesn’t sell much, but he is offering at least two desirable Halloween items right now, the other being a Beistle electrified cat band hat. Jitterbug Jones was produced by an unknown firm during the 1930s. It is an early example of a glow-in-the-dark party product. The placard the seller references is almost always missing. This item displays well given its color and energetic presentation. I’ve only seen it offered for sale a handful of times in 32 years of collecting.

04/28 Update: $512.98! Wow. Just imagine what is would have fetched had it the placard!

Vintage German HALLOWEEN Candy Container GHOST Grim Reaper on Log Composition

I don’t think this has much age to it. (I’d know for sure if I’d have the opportunity to examine it personally.) Little about the item is consistent with German candy containers I know to be genuine. The paint on the skeleton is mottled, the scythe is too glossy, the disk upon which the skeleton sits is too decorated and the ornateness of the tree stump base is inconsistent with truly old candy containers. The interior of the base is painted - another anomaly. I could see this being made anytime after the mid-1960s through yesterday. If you are interested in it, get the provenance from the seller and a money-back guarantee if your research indicates that it is a newer item.

Vintage German Embossed Halloween Decoration Die Cut 1930s SKELETON PLAYING TUBA

What a pleasant surprise to see this exceedingly rare German diecut listed on eBay. It is one of the designs sold to Canada in 1935, so it makes sense the seller is in Canada. There are four diecuts to this desirable set. The others show a skeleton playing a violin, an accordion and a drum. I know of only a handful of collectors who own one or more of this set. The pale blue background, present on all four designs, is very unusual and sets these heavily embossed diecuts apart from others. This listing has only been active for less than one hour and there are already multiple bids. I expect this to fetch serious dollars. It’ll be instructive to see the result.

09/08 Update: This sold for $2,025, about what I felt it should bring. Congrats to the prevailing bidder.

Creepy 1899 date Skeleton Skull Antikamnia Cure Medicine Pawn Star Calendar Card

Although these items do not fall within the category of a vintage Halloween collectible, I thought I’d comment on this sale nonetheless. I began seeking to buy complete Antikamnia Chemical Company calendar sets over twenty years ago, well before interest in them began to soar. The firm, long defunct, sent calendars to doctors gratis as an advertising gimmick. The first calendar was 1897. From that year through 1900 each complete calendar consisted of 6 hand-tinted cards showing two months each. These mischievous skeletons were drawn by Louis Crusius. Although he died at a young age in 1898, Antikamnia had purchased enough drawings to publish and distribute these calendars through 1901. (The last year’s calendar consists of only 4 hand-tinted cards showing three months each.) I now own near-mint or better examples of each calendar page, numbering 28 in total. They look awesome framed together. I’m glad to see they are finally getting the exposure in popular culture that I feel they deserve.

Vintage US Metal Toy Tin Litho Rattle Noisemaker Halloween Skeleton

This was priced incorrectly by the seller with a BIN of $35. The listing lasted less than 20 minutes. Using an auction format, it surely would have broken the $200 mark. Unless you know what you are doing, avoid placing a BIN on items. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN SPOOKY ARTICULATED PAPER MACHE SKELETON - RARE

This is representative of the kind of crap one commonly sees on eBay these days. What happened to this once-mighty sales forum? 

VINTAGE 1960 Beistle HALLOWEEN SKELETON Riding Horse Die-Cut Party Decoration

One of these in better condition sold in October 2014 for $294.50. At that time I commented that this diecut was a divisive one with collectors aligned pretty evenly along the hate/love continuum. This was issued by Beistle from 1960-1962 when they were nearly out of gas creatively. They soon after began their descent into the mire of mediocrity. This excellent eBay seller has three of the harder-to-find diecuts from this era up for auction now. Like comic books at the end of a run generally being hard to get as the production numbers dwindle, Beistle made relatively few of these diecuts, and on typically thinner stock than earlier designs. Stylistically, these are less interesting being more "cute" than memorable. That said, I have one in the collection. I applaud the unknown artist for his color choices - if nothing else! 

02/06 Update: This sold for $400, significantly higher than expected. 

RARE Vintage Halloween Wax Paper Envelope Cardboard Backing Card Beistle 1930's

It's great to see this Beistle backing card and glassine envelope. The card surfaces much less often than the ubiquitous Beistle skeleton. It looks to be in collectible condition and is offered at a fair starting price by a seller who knows what he's doing.