When I first began collecting in 1988, these were coveted items to have in a collection. Today - not so much. These would bring $75-125 every time they surfaced in antiques shops. With the advent of on-line venues, so much has changed for every hobby, including ours. I find it interesting to look back and see what has fallen in and out of favor. Out right now are lamps like these, most tin noisemakers, candles and many forms of German candy containers (Mainly, due, I think, to the rightful skittishness many collectors have so as not to get ripped off by things made to look old but aren't.). In are 1920s-1930s Dennison, Beistle and Gibson items, 1912-1919 Bogie Books, Dennison Price List pamphlets and Rosen Pops boxes. What other categories do you think are "in" and "out?"
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
German Jack O Lantern Betty Boop Diecut
I am glad to see Tony Doles is listing some nice German diecuts. He is a long-time collector, quite knowledgeable, honest and decent. I always do business with him with the utmost confidence!
Vintage Cat Light Cover Halloween Christmas Green Satin Glass Painted Features
This could only be considered vintage if your time frame extends back merely until the mid-to-late 1990s.
Halloween Vintage HTF Luhrs Witch Crystal Fortunes Cardboard Mechanical Game
This Crystal Fortunes game was released by Beistle in 1941. They are common and typically trade for around $45. This seller has long been wildly optimistic - offering common items in woefully decrepit condition for crazy dollars. It is a wonder anything they offer actually sells.
Rare Vintage Halloween Germany Horned Head Candy Container
The mark on this candy container is instructive. When you see the mark, "Container Made in Germany," you then know the item was made sometime between 1950 and 1955. Containers made during this time period command far fewer dollars than items made pre-WWII. I fear that the seller will not obtain even her opening bid of $200, as these typically trade in the $90-110 range.
Set of 4 Antique German Pumpkin Face Cups from a Child's Tea Set Jack O' Lantern
It is good to see this lot of wonderful porcelain cups sell for such a strong price. The Germans made pieces of this largish set from 1908-1932. These cups were made in three sizes, with the ones in the lot all being the smallest size made. The next size up (2" h x 2.25" w) is the most commonly seen size with the largest size (3" h x 4.5" w) being made only with handles. In both the small and medium-sized cups, it is harder to find the handled iterations. They tend to sell for more, all else being equal. Examples of other items of this set can be seen on page 117.
LOT OF 5 VINTAGE Halloween PAPER/CARDBOARD MASKS 1940's WITCH CAT SCARECROW PUMP
This lot of masks and one rare-ish diecut was produced by Beistle, with most having long runs from 1938-1954. The witch face diecut is hard-to-find, and was produced only from 1933-1938. Given that this seller has smartly started the entire lot at a very reasonable $9.99, someone may be able to score a bargain if this lot contains items that interest you.
St. Patrick's Day update: The lot sold for a very reasonable $65.00!
OLD ** BIG **GERMAN PAPER MACHE CANDY CONTAINER DEVIL HEAD , KRAMPUS, BAD SANTA
Unfortunately, here is another example of a collector, almost certainly one without much experience, wasting money on an item that isn't vintage. Always be wary of buying any Halloween items listed as being vintage from Germany-based sellers. The Germans made all of their Halloween items through the 1950s for export only, nothing was left in the country to sell. This devil head has none of the characteristics associated with truly vintage German candy containers.
VINTAGE WHITE / LIGHT GREEN 6" PAPER MACHE HALLOWEEN JACK 0 LANTERN
This isn't a vintage item. The best way to tell is its lack of indented rings on the bottom. The flat base is a dead give-away. Additionally, the bale is modern. This is merely an item made recently, probably off-shore, with zero collectible value.
VINTAGE DIE CUT CARDBOARD HALLOWEEN TABLE STAND UP GREETING PLACE CARD
Wow, the buyer got a real steal on this wonderfully detailed and rare Whitney place card. Whitney, out of business in 1942, made a broad line of these cleverly designed items, and this arguably is one of the very finest. I've only seen this a few times. Each time, save this one, it brought ~$60, so congratulations to the lucky buyer.
Antique Vintage A. MASTER Halloween Party Game Punch Hole Cards (J90)
Ebay is such an unpredictable marketplace. This is a very common punch game that surfaces regularly and typically fetches around $15. Why it brought $51 is a mystery.
FABULOUS LG MARKED GERMANY PAPER MACHE BLACK CAT ON PUMPKIN CANDY CONTAINER
This seller has listed a number of very dubious Halloween items recently. Here is another one. This is not an old item, but one that has been recently manufactured somewhere, probably off-shore. It has none of the detailing characteristic of an truly vintage item. Unfortunately for some bidder, it has already reached a price of nearly $160 with 5+ hours to go. It has zero collectible value.
03/08 Update: This ended with some poor schmuck forking over $355.00 for what is a $10 decorative item.
German papermache pickel halloween noise maker
I've never understood why this would be considered Halloween related.
21" ~ WITCH ~ Nodder ~ Candy Container ~ #1 ~ 2008 ~ Kathy Patterson
Admittedly, this is an awesome and seemingly meticulously crafted piece of Halloween folk art. However, the seller has listed and re-listed this item (among other pieces of folk art) for many months, perhaps for over a year. It illustrates that the holiday folk art field is still developing with a very limited clientele for such high-end pieces. If the seller is serious about wanting to move this out to a new home, she'll have to drop the price, perhaps substantially.
30 VERY EARLY DENNISON HALLOWEEN SEALS IN ORIG ENVELOPE - ARCHED BLACK CATS
These are not "very early" seals. Dennison's packaging became quite plain and much cheaper to produce during the 1950s. Out went the slide boxes and in came these minimally decorated envelopes with the silver back seals. This set is from the later 1950s and into the early 1960s. They have a value that in no way approaches what this seller has as a BIN price.
