These bells surface with some regularity and typically have brought ~$300-325. However, there have been three sales in the last 30 days wherein the bells have brought comfortably in the $400s. Is this an indicator of a resurgence in interest for Halloween tin litho items or is it specific to this bell for some reason? The tin litho market segment has remained tepid for many years now except for most tambourines and the seldom-seen noisemakers. I hope this market segment is springing back to life.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
U.S. Metal Toy Mfg. Co. Tin Litho vintage Halloween noise maker
The prevailing bidder on this lot got a bargain, of which there seems to be plenty of these days. (My theory is that too many collectors have deprioritized eBay given how junky it has become. Why eBay doesn’t create more specific categories for holiday collectibles is beyond me.) Relative to this lot, the T. Cohn putty knife noisemaker on the left is worth the price of the entire lot by itself and then some. Cohn produced two putty knife designs that have been in-demand for years even whilst the non-tambourine tin litho market has been coolish.
SCARCE Vintage Halloween Tin Putty Knife Clanger Noisemaker Decoration, Cohn 30s
The overall market for tin litho has been the slowest to strengthen these last ten years, although with the famous Bernanke “green shoots” sprouting here and there, hope springs eternal that this market segment will finally get some momentum. One of the green shoots has been the two “putty knife” designs T. Cohn produced during the 1930s. (You can see the other on page 201.) When either of the designs come to market, they routinely bring strong results. With nearly five days left on this listing, the price is already at $217. What will be the ending price?
Vintage Halloween 1930's Tambourine - Kirschhof - NICE condition - RARE
This is an elusive tambourine with at least two variants. The version in the collection has a decorated rim that gives the piece a desirable finished look. This listed version that changed hands for $225 has an undecorated rim. It’s unknown whether the differing versions were made at the same time or even by the same manufacturer. I’d love to know, though!
HALLOWEEN TAMBOURINE, VINTAGE HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER
It’s great to see some surprising results in the tin litho segment. US Metal Toy recycled this graphic from several smaller form factor noisemakers they had produced. They s t r e t c h e d the graphic to “fit” the larger form factor called for with a tambourine, resulting in an item that isn’t too interesting. The stretching resulted in a 6” tambourine without a fixed appearance. (To see what I mean, check out page 216.) I think this was a short-lived product, produced in the early 1960s, accounting for its rarity today.
Early Vintage Witch & Bat T. Conn Inc. Wooden Ball / Tin Halloween Noisemaker
T. Cohn produced two designs of what I call putty knife clangers during the 1930s. Neither comes up for sale or auction often. (In fact, I can’t recall the last time I saw this one come available.) It looks to be in excellent condition. The tin litho market segment has been cold for many years, but there have been signs of thawing. The more unusual designs and pretty much any item in near-mint or better condition have been bringing solid dollars.
01/24 Update: This sold for $110.50, solid dollars, indeed.
3 VINTAGE HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKERS LOT # 4
The star of the lot is the pair of cymbals. They were made by the Gotham Stamping and Die Corporation of NYC. These rarely surface and typically fetch $450-600.
09/13 Update: This lot brought $810.51, a very strong result, indeed.
Vintage Haloween Tin Litho Kirchhof Metal Toy Party Horn Noisemaker
This seller, wildzombie, is far poorer than they could have been had they offered this very desirable tin litho horn produced by Kirchhof as an auction rather than the ill-advised BIN offering of $27.60. These have changed hands for upwards of $400. The colors and overall condition are exceptional with this example. Someone got a VERY good deal. I hope the seller realized their error when the listing concluded in 14 minutes.
Rare 1920's Chein Tin Lithographed Halloween Tambourine Black Cats Witch JOL
The seller states that this tin litho tambourine “needs” a new home. One way to hasten the finding of a new abode is to offer it at a reasonable price. It is being offered at $500 with an invitation to make an offer, a sure tip-off that a seller knows the asking price is ridiculous. I’d say a reasonable offer given the softness of the market segment is in the $250-275 range.
VINTAGE US METAL TOY TIN HALLOWEEN TAMBOURINE Winking Jack-O-Lantern & dancers
This is the most common Halloween tin tambourine out there. Made during the 1960s when cuteness reigned supreme, these don’t bring much especially when not in near-mint+ condition. Hence, this was a strong result for the seller.
Desirable Cat and Witch Fry Pan Halloween Noisemaker by Bugle Toy Company
I haven’t seen this design come up for sale too often lately. Bugle Toy of Providence, RI made some of the most avant-garde tin litho decorations of any of its competitors. The ending price seems strong.
Vintage Halloween Black Cat Noisemaker Ball Pan Clapper GERMANY
This tin litho pan clanger was produced in Germany during the late 1920s. It is quite rare, so even with its missing back clapper it is worth far more than the $35 the seller asked for in by listing it as a BIN.
Vintage Unusual Halloween Occult Party Dancers Round Ratchet Tin Noisemaker
Don’t overlook this little gem produced by Chein during the 1920s. The choice of colors is odd given that they don’t connote anything to indicate it is a Halloween scene, but if you look closely the conclusion is unavoidable.
VINTAGE KIRCHHOF TIN HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKER WITCH CATS Bats MOON
This listing lasted a scant few minutes as some savvy buyer saw the seller had made a major error in offering this desirable Kirchhof tin litho horn for about one-quarter of what it would have fetched had they just started it at $9.99 and let an auction run its course.
1920's -1930's Bundle of 5 Halloween Noisemakers--Collector Pieces, Hard to Find
This seller, who routinely vastly overprices her items, is asking $570 for this lot. This nosebleed price is significantly higher than the component parts would warrant. For the wish-upon-a-star price, you’d think the seller would provide a host of decent photos rather than making a potential buyer guess as to condition.
