Whomever was lucky enough to swoop in and acquire this lot for the laughably low price of $90 should be doing a happy dance for eternity. The Gibson tombstone diecut alone is one of the most highly coveted products made by that firm. Listed alone, it would have easily brought multiples of what the entire lot brought. The large piece to the left is part of Dennison’s Hobgoblinville set.
Blog
Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween Die Cut Place Card 1920s OWL Crescent MOON Grave Tombstone
I guess this has to be a Halloween item, but it sure doesn’t have the expected shades. It looks almost like a celebration of spring with its bright Easter colors. Whatever firm produced this seems to have walked their own creative path.
Vintage Halloween Deacon Thomas Cat Mechanical Tombstone Card, Cats
This awesome mechanical card made by Whitney rarely surfaces, especially in this condition. Given how they were designed to be used, most were long ago torn and ruined. I wish that I had seen this card with its rare motif, but take comfort from the fact that the buyers are great friends! Given just how cool this is, and considering that much more common plates and napkins are bringing head-shakingly high amounts of cash, I am shocked this didn't sell for a MUCH higher price.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN 3D TABLE DECORATION PRINTED CARDBOARD BEISTLE "HERE LIES"
Beistle made a trio of these ingeniously designed 3-D decorations in the mid-1950s, when their creative juices, by and large, were ebbing. Of the three (the others can be seen on page 231), this one is the best and typically the most expensive. These almost always have notable condition issues, which this particular example seems to have avoided. Sustainable guide value is $225.
