I’ve only seen this seemingly semi-finished, oddly-constructed tin litho clapper a handful of times in 35 years of collecting. Each one has that same plain-Jane handle. I have not been able to pinpoint the manufacturer with high confidence, but am confident that this tin treasure was made for a single season in the late 1920s. I see that it has been bid up to $300 with nearly six days remaining. It will be fun to see what this fetches. Tin litho items in fine-plus or better condition are overdue for some market love.
08/15 Update: This fetched $407.51.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
RARE Vintage Halloween Tin Noisemaker Cat Witch Bats 1920's
Bugle Toy of Providence, Rhode Island produced some of the quirkiest and most memorable tin litho noisemaker designs, far eclipsing their contemporaries in pushing that mythical envelope. If I could only have one of their designs, I’d surely choose this one. This was produced during the 1930s.
04/07 Update: This great item sold for $185.
VINTAGE 1930's HALLOWEEN Noisemaker SCREECH OWL SIREN HORN With Metal Top
This horn has long been one of my favorites due to its strong graphics. It doesn’t come available much especially in this stellar condition. (The seller is stellar, too!) This was produced by an unknown firm during the 1930s. I’ve often wondered whether Marks Brothers of Boston was the producer, but they were so diligent about marking their output that the lack of any such mark accounts for my uncertainty. The Germans produced a tin horn around the same time that they called a Screech-Owl horn (notice the subtle distinction), but their graphics are nowhere near as memorable as this US design. (You can see the German horn on page 193.) I hope this brings strong dollars.
02/24 Update: This great horn fetched $270.51.
2 Vintage Halloween Tin Litho Tambourine Noisemakers with Horn, Kirchhof 1950s!
Is this an aberrant result or are values for tin litho tambourines solidifying?
Vintage Old Halloween Beistle Die Cut Shaker Whistle Noisemaker JOL Pumpkin
This noisemaker and the other two designs this seller is peddling are from the mid-to-late 1990s. They were imported new into the US by Blumchens. The seller uses the word “vintage” but doesn’t define it. I suppose in some universe an item that is at most 27 years old could be described as vintage, but I would use more specificity, like “newish” or “from the 1990s.”
Vintage Halloween Skeleton Paper and Wood Noisemaker Merri Lei NY Rare
These well-designed noisemakers once surfaced with some regularity. Seeing this listing caused me to realize that I hadn’t seen one for awhile. They used to trade for ~$35. A new level of ~$85 was established around 2017. Is this result an aberration or the establishment of a new level?
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 Kirchhof Halloween Witch/Bats/Black Cat/Pumpkin Drum Rattle Noisemaker
This seller has listed a large number of desirable tin litho noisemakers that are worth checking out.
SCARCE Vintage Halloween Horn Noisemaker Decoration, USA, Patented 1921, WORKS!!
I am certain that the seller, a true delight, is over the moon with this result. The buyer shouldn’t be in that celebratory of a mood, though, as they vastly overpaid. This horn surfaces frequently enough that I’m surprised there were 5 bidders who had a hand in driving the ending price up to such an unsustainable level. The one in the collection is in significantly better condition. Anyone who wants it for $450 plus shipping is welcome to it.
RARE EARLY VINTAGE HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER CHEIN PATENT 1906 TIN WITCH PAN CAT JOL
This seller is offering this pan noisemaker for $550. Although it is an early form, the price is about $350 too high. Chein used this same lithography on a more commonly seen tambourine. These large form factor pan noisemakers were produced during the very early 1920s, even though the patent date is 1906. It is quite nice but priced too high.
KIRCHHOF HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER WITCH BAT DRUM ORIGINAL VG COND
It is great to see a healthy selection of nicer items on eBay. This is a desirable tin litho noisemaker, made by Kirchhof during the 1930s. It is one of a set of two designs. Both can be seen on page 204. Both are exceedingly rare, with this one just a tad more commonly seen. The design is sometimes found in ratchet form, too. For some reason, the condition of the noisemakers with this lithography is typically poorer than with others. Overall, this example is in the upper third relative to condition.
09/22: Update: This sold for $283, slightly below what I would have expected at any other time of the year.
Vintage Kirchhof Metal Slide Whistle Halloween Noisemaker
When I was a new collector I saw these fairly regularly. Times sure have changed! I haven't seen one being offered for sale for some time. It’s great that some nice items finally are being listed on eBay after a dispiriting run where virtually all listings were forgettable. The RSIN for this slider noisemaker is 2 with a sustainable guide value of $150. Kirchhof made this nicely designed slider in the early 1930s. I can't think of similarly designed tin litho noisemakers, so if you don't have this yet in your collection, this item looks to be in very nice condition.
08/04 Update: This great item sold for $156.28.
Vintage Halloween 8 Tin Litho Noisemakers Witches Cats Bats JOLs Owls 1920s-50s
The star of this lot is the bell clanger at the lower left with the Deco cat faces encircled by bats and owls, certainly one of the most intricate designs in Halloween tin. The maker is unknown. Prior to this listing, which escaped my eye until just now, I haven’t seen that design in that form. Quite nice!
VNTG 1920s-50s LITHO TIN WOOD HANDLE HALLOWEEN BELL NOISEMAKER WITCH BLACK CAT +
This tin litho clanger has superb graphics and is bigger than most. This item is elusive. I looked for one in this kind of condition for nearly 30 years before acquiring one. Tin has been one of the cooler genres these last 10 years although there have been recent signs of re-invigoration. The rare tin items have routinely brought strong prices - as I expect this will do.
05/21 Update: This sold for $566.56. Naturally, two determined bidders escalated this well beyond the sustainable level of ~$350.
Halloween Noisemaker Litho Tin/Wood Black Cat JOL Witch Pumpkin Old Vtg
This Bugle imagery is typically seen on a rectangular shaker or a clicker, so this form, a clanger, is unusual. The form drove the price. Given how big the image actually is, this form suits it far better than either the shaker or clicker forms. I received a lot of email asking me about the item, so I wasn’t surprised at the ending value.
