Admittedly, this trade card is exceedingly rare. This is only the second time I’ve seen it.) A few years ago I was invited to a collector’s home in southern California who had a few Halloween things amongst her main collecting area, advertising. She had a few Halloween things she was open to selling. Although the outside of the home looked normal, inside it was a dust bowl. A hoarder, the house was hard to maneuver through. Sadly, it was filthy, so I quickly exited as I didn’t have a respirator. She had great German candy containers that were so covered in dust it was difficult to see much of them. She had Christmas feather trees that were so laden with dust that the old ornaments hanging there so forlornly long ago had lost any shine. How does someone live like that? She had tossed some items she was open to selling on a bed that reminded me of the bed lived upon by Big Edie in the great film, Grey Gardens. Out of this pitiful dreck, I seized upon the McLaughlin Coffee trade card in surprisingly good condition - just before I could no longer hold my breath. It cleaned up well!) The condition of this example gives me pause. Someone wanted it badly enough to pay $72, making me wonder what the one in the collection is worth.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
