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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

EXCEEDINGLY RARE Vintage Halloween Skeleton with Sign Diecut Decoration Gibson!!

Amidst the too-many listings of new items on eBay since they took away the ability to differentiate vintage from new, it is a joy to view an exceedingly rare diecut. Paper is my province - I love small paper like invitations, tallies and place cards; I love larger paper like table decorations, games and diecuts. Although I collect many other market segments like lanterns and candy containers, what gets my Grinch-like heart to expand is good paper. This is good paper. Gibson’s design aesthetic was eccentric. They used a color palette significantly larger than their competitors like Beistle and to a lesser degree, Dennison. Their designs were more unusual - especially in that their diecuts were often a way to convey party messages. Gibson’s output overall, including for diecuts, was much smaller than their main competitors, which means that finding examples in collectible condition is tough. This same great seller had a Gibson “Cold Facts” diecut end this very morning. It was only the second time I had seen it available - and both times it was the actually the exact same diecut offered. (I was the prevailing bidder.) This “Right This Way” diecut with the green skeleton face and arm bone is a treasure. I’ve only seen it a few times and every time save for this listing, the hand was completely detached. Gibson wasn’t perfect - they should have a sturdier design. It’ll be fun to see what this brings. Gibson items have escalated sharply over these last few years, a market recognition of desirability and scarcity.

10-04 Update: I feel this somewhat underperformed at $1,009.