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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

vintage Halloween early Dennison diecut Candle w/Cat face flame & spooky face

I may be exaggerating, but this has to be one of the finest single designs Dennison ever produced. The detail and the care with which this little gem was obviously endowed sets it apart from so many other things Dennison produced. As I point out on page 214, notice the cat face in the flames, the candle's expression and how the cats along the base skew to give the effect of a rounded base. These typically trade for strong dollars. Given the condition (There seems to be only two flakes of surface paper off of the flame section.), I suspect this will be also true with this particular listing. 

8/23 Update: This brought very strong dollars indeed: $193.51.  

Antique German Halloween Clown Jack O Lantern

For you newer collectors, this design, along with seven other designs, suddenly began appearing for sale at shows in the middle 1990s. Although possibly made in Germany, these otherwise have no history prior to that time and are known as fantasy items. They have no collectible value. Unfortunately, lots of collectors have bought these faux items. They have percolated into many collections throughout the country.  

VINTAGE DENNISON BEISTLE ? DIECUT CARDBOARD CUTOUT HALLOWEEN WITCH MINT

I don't agree with the seller that this diecut might very well have been made by Beistle. Although Beistle did produce a remarkably similar diecut in the 1960s, this one for sale has little of its predecessor's charm or detail. I suspect this diecut was made by a local manufacturer in the 1960s with little marketing or distribution muscle to widely disperse the design. 

09/04 Update: As I now know from a listing now active on Ebay, this rather plain diecut was produced in the early 1960s in Japan and packaged as an offering by Favorline, a small firm out of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  

UNIQUE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CUTOUTS

Although I've seen small diecuts surface quite often over the years, I have never seen them fetch such a high price. I would have thought they should have brought no more than about $40 each on a very good day. Congratulations to the seller! 

Vintage Halloween Ephemera Black Cat Place Cards Deco Lady Nut Cup Candy Holder

Note that the three black cat place cards (made by Gibson with a stock number of 1889) are all missing the small flower tassel at the end of the hat. Although this great seller most assuredly does not have a complete example to which to refer, keep these missing tassels in mind when deciding on the amount of your bid. A photo of a complete place card can be found on page 213.  

VINTAGE / ANTIQUE BEISTLE HALLOWEEN HAT W/ HONEYCOMB CREPE PAPER TOP - FAIRIES

It is heartening to see some rarer items popping up on Ebay of late. This hat with a fairy motif was made by Beistle in the 1920s. It is one of a set of 6 that were packaged together in a very colorful envelope. I have only seen the envelope surface twice and have never been able to obtain one for the collection. Others from the set can be found on page 203. The prices for these hats have increased fairly substantially since 2007. I would expect this hat, which appears to be in excellent condition, to fetch in excess of $200.  

08/14 Update: The hat brought a remarkably strong $260, showcasing just how hot early and rare Beistle items remain.  

Antique Halloween large Beistle lantern ICONIC!! 1930-31 STUNNING!

Wow, I love this listing for so many reasons! First off, this is an awesome piece. Second, the seller, someone who I am quite impressed with and whom I will add to my list of endorsed dealers tonight is selling this the right way - with an itty-bitty opening price, no reserve and with an auction format willing to entertain zero behind the curtain BIN offers. Third, this great seller details the imperfections minutely, even though the imperfections are, in fact, minute. (As an aside, this has to be one of the finest such examples of this lantern that has come up for sale in this venue in years. Oh if it was the smaller version!!) Lastly, I appreciate the care he is showing toward this piece in explaining that it will be shipped as is so as not to "...stress the old cardboard any more than I have to." Sir, you have provided me with quite a spark indeed. Collectors, if you don't have this item in your collection, now is the time to pony up. 

08/14 Update: The final gavel price for this simply superb lantern was $1,613.00, which according to my records is a record price with the next lower selling price significantly below this level. I think the lessons here are several: near-mint items carry a huge premium, the auction format works if engaged properly and being a seller with a good reputation is a strong factor. Congratulations!

German Composition Halloween goblin witch candy container

OK, the dearth of quality items on Ebay recently has been dispiriting, but does that explain this astounding result? Whomever the buyer was on this rather common German composition candy container will not soon be able to recoup the purchase price, which was about triple what this candy container typically brings. Another jaw-dropping aspect of this auction was that the condition of this diminutive witch was far from perfect given it was chipped and quite dirty. Who would actually drop that kind of money on this kind of item? 

1940's Beistle Co Die Cut Halloween Black Cat Mouse Swiss Cheese

This seller has been flogging this and other diecuts from this uninspired Beistle set for over a year with no takers for one primary reason - her BIN prices are insane. For instance, she has slapped a $449.00 BIN price on this particular one when its value is perhaps $50-60 on a very good day. She has done this for over a year. Get a clue that no one wants this at that price level and sell it using the auction format starting at $9.99. My repeated questions to her as to where she gets the idea that these diecuts are worth anywhere close to the laugh-inducing values she places on them have been answered with a deafening silence. 

Old Halloween Candy Container Scary Lamppost w/ Cotton Mouse

Although the bottom of the slide box where the stamped mark is typically found is missing, this candy container has all the characteristics of candy containers made in Japan in the early 1930s. The typical craftsmanship of Japanese candy containers from this period was quite poor relative to the those exported from Germany. The look is primitive, the materials typically low-grade (especially the "pebbled paper" the Japanese used - a strong indication of country of manufacture) and the overall impact, "meh." I have not made a point of collecting candy containers from Japan for these reasons, always shunting my dollars toward the finer, more interesting German wares. The marketplace agrees with me as the price differential between Japanese and German candy containers has always been great.