One way to tell that this JOL was among the earliest ones the Germans produced is its rounded bottom. Slightly later iterations had a cardboard disc as a base. These early versions surface much less regularly, hence the strong price this super seller obtained.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage HALLOWEEN PARTY INVITATION 1916 Ghost Jack o Lantern trifold
Darn, I am really missing out on some Ebay bargains. This is a very rare Dennison invitation that first appeared in their 1916 Bogie Book sold with a stock number of H-27. I estimate its current value at $165. I've never been able to acquire one.
Vintage German Halloween Pumpkin Candle Holder
I understand that this incredibly rare candle holder was offered by the seller for a BIN of $70! How I wish I would have seen that. I would have pounced on it with nary a second thought as this item should fetch ~$525. This was made between 1908 and 1932 and was part of the adult-sized porcelain set, pieces of which are among the rarest of all such porcelain items. I have one in the collection, but would have loved to have had a matched set. I do not understand how someone seeing this offered at a fraction of its value would not have simply bought it, rather than bid the silly $25 opening price. Pretty short-sighted...
In any event, it is heartening to see such a high-quality item amidst all the dreck that has cluttered this category for too long.
04/16 Update: This ended even more strongly than expected, at nearly $610. Boy, The clueless seller must be wondering what happened.
4 HALLOWEEN STAND UP Vintage Jack O’Lantern Pumpkin Black Cat PLACE CARDS
I feel these were an exceptional buy for $169.49. Any one of them represent the smallest of the Johnny Pumpkins family issued by Beistle in 1920. There are a number of these well-designed stand-ups, ranging in size from ~5.25" high through ~20" high. The largest of these is quite rare - I have only seen it once, offered through Bertoia's in a double lot. I bought this lot for roughly $900 each, so they were quite costly. Whereas the rest of the family was issued only in 1920, these smallest members were sold in envelopes of differing quantities for perhaps five years. They come in two different iterations: the one represented in this lot and another with an attached curved easel. These latter are otherwise identical and significantly more rare. Others in this family can be found on page 249.
Antique Celluloid Girl Holding Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Toy!
I never began collecting celluloid in earnest mainly because it is such a delicate medium that discourages much handling. Nonetheless, I certainly appreciate the art form. I have some good friends who live about 2 hours away who have one of the best celluloid collections I've ever seen, spanning several holidays. I don't recall seeing this one in their collection, nor have I seen this one before, so it must be rare.
Rare Vintage Halloween Empress Makers Rattler Noise Maker Cats Bat Witch Pumpkin
The lucky buyer acquired a truly rare item. I've been collecting and researching vintage Halloween for 25 years folks, and I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE or heard of the manufacturer. I love the graphics along the rim and the way the designer crammed in the word "noise" in the center of the top piece - very snazzy. The imagery looks Germanic to me. I think this went for a pittance. Kudos to whomever scooped this up!
Vintage Halloween PAPER Candle SHADE Witch Bats Cat Owl Great CONDITION EARLY
This is a German shade made in the 1920s. Typically, the panels consist of faded, punctured paper, so it is great to see an example with complete, bright inserts. The starting price is not unreasonable, although as the seller intimates, the brace that would fit in the slots toward the top is missing. Take that into account when considering whether to place a bid.
VTG HALLOWEEN GERMANY 20's-30's, BOX WITH 10 DIECUT DECORATIONS
Although it is nice to see an unusual set of items amidst the Ebay dreck, given the condition of the box and the incomplete number of diecuts in decidedly less than perfect condition, the seller is asking for a very aggressive price. Naturally, I wish her well, but I think a more realistic number is in the $500-550 range.
VINTAGE WHIRL-O HALLOWEEN FORTUNE AND STUNT GAME & FORTUNE VERSES
The gem of the lot is the "24 Fortune Verses" envelope. The set was made by Whitney, a company that went out of business in 1943. This is a desirable set in that the simple fortune verses were often cut up and discarded. You see the envelope now and again but to find a completely extant example is a fun challenge.
04/06 Update: I am not surprised that this lot brought $214.37.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN BLACK CAT BOX, with doll inside
The box with an image of a common Beistle diecut is definitely not vintage. The POS doll contained within may or may not be - it is outside of my area of expertise.
Original Early 1930's Halloween Composition Veggie Man Figural - Scarce NM Cond
These diminutive figurals (sometimes they were made as candy containers as they would stand atop a small box) came in a wide variety of forms. I have an entire crew of these cavorting in my vintage Halloween house shown in one of my videos. (Check them all out right here on this site...) This particular figural looks to be in great shape. It is also offered by a friend of mine who is on my trusted sellers list. You can't go wrong doing business with Keith!
Vintage 1950s HALLOWEEN SCARECROW CREPE Honeycomb art tissue ARMS SEALED
The original designer and manufacturer of this bizarre winged scarecrow was Beistle. This version, made in Japan, is of a lesser-quality and is worth about half of the original's value. To ensure you are getting a truly old version, look for the "Made in USA" mark printed directly on the decoration. Originals should sell for $20.
Vintage Halloween Decoration~ Witch On Broom Stick w/ Green Face & Bat
Whomever bought this got a true bargain. (Darn it, I wish I had seen it!) I don't know if I have ever even seen this particular diecut before, although it obviously is from the same set Beistle issued in the late 1950s. Another from this set is shown on page 138. The seller was the big loser here as he/she should have gotten $100-125 for it.
Halloween Flying Witch Noisemaker Rachet Germany German
Please read my post on this German tin litho ratchet from February 6th. The seller wised up and simply allowed an auction to take place, beginning the item at a very low price. Success was achieved in that she thereby received $200 for it, what I consider to be near the top of the value range.
Halloween Witch Tindeco Candy Tin
The condition of the paint on this common tin litho candy container is quite good! I've seen many, many examples of these over the 25 years I've been collecting, but the condition of this one seems to be near the top of all of them. This was made in or prior to 1935, as the Tin Decorating Company of Baltimore, MD (TINDECO) was purchased in that year by the Illinois Glass Company, which discontinued that mark right away. All of this is explained on page 58 of the book.
