Last night, stnick22, a long-time and knowledgeable collecting couple, unveiled 166 auction listings with items spanning the gamut from many entry-level items to those that even the most advanced collectors would spill saliva over. It was fun and educational reading their well crafted descriptions that were devoid of the frivolousness that too many sellers think readers find entertaining. (I’m a just-the-facts type of collector.) Several personal highlights are the “cat and witch hugging” candy container, the Beistle fairy hat and the very large German diecut lantern. It’ll be fun to see what this fine assemblage fetches in a calendar year wherein a stunning quantity of higher-quality items have been offered.
10/10 Update: The devil lantern that was bid up to $7,100 was through error. Tom will be relisting the lantern at some point. Bottom line - the ending bid was unintentional on the part of the prevailing bidder.
10/04 Update: Tom and Deb did very well with a significant number of lots overperforming.
I’ve received a lot of email relating to the devil lantern selling for $7,100, all basically saying WTH? in different ways. I suspect the prevailing bidder was caught flat-footed by the underbidder setting a floor of $7,000, neither surely thinking the bidding would ever reach beyond the already incomprehensible ~$2,000.
Other surprisingly high results include the large German lantern selling for $2,356.91 and the pulp pumpkin dog with a replaced insert selling for $2,247.22. The Gilbert dexterity game sold for $202.50, probably a world record for that cool, common item.
Paper items didn’t seem that strong overall. The tiara seemed low at $401. The Beistle fairy hat was definitely low at $227.50. The mechanical owl, bat and envelope together brought only $647.25.
One of the many good things about stnick22’s auctions is their range of goods. There’s something for every level of collector. I enjoy reading their informative descriptions, browsing through the many quality photographs then sitting back and watching what everything brings.
More generally, I do wonder from where all the money sloshing around in the hobby comes. 2022 has been a year with many fine and rare items being made available, yet the money keeps being spent. I have long feared that collecting vintage Halloween may become the province of the well-heeled. Many of the results I’ve been seeing this year support this fear. I collect a range of different things and those other hobbies, even leaded shade lamps made by Duffner & Kimberly, Gorham and some lamps produced by Tiffany seem cheap in comparison. Prices for vintage Halloween items always seem to be going up, up, up. I wonder if that trend is truly sustainable.