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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

German Cardboard Die-cut Moon and Pumpkin Man Guaranteed Old 5" Diameter

This is a great example of this diecut in an unglazed state. As you know, many German diecuts were released after an additional "manufacturing" step of an application of a glaze coating. (Now, whether or not a diecut is glazed doesn't necessarily impact value - all else being equal.) An effect that glazing has is to better preserve the diecuts' original brighter colors. Glazed diecuts also have a sheen that tends to give them a sense of a greater depth. 

Vintage Halloween Easel Back Die-Cut JOL Pirate Germany

I am just shaking my head in wonder at those who have enough money to throw around in driving this somewhat common German diecut up to a laughable $521.87. Newer collectors - don't despair at this madness. Once this small handful of must-have-it-at-all-costs collectors obtain an item, their absence from the market will enable items to be purchased for sustainable prices. 

Vintage Halloween Mini Cat's Face With Hat German Die-Cut

This is only the second time I have seen this iteration of a black cat face German diecut. The other time was just a few days ago on Ebay. (That listing consisted of two diecuts. Considering it was snapped up for only $181, I feel collectors simply overlooked it.)  The eyes on this iteration look down whereas the eyes on the most common of the three designs look straight at the viewer and the eyes on the second-most common look to the right. Each iteration has a different design on the hat. Given how rare this diecut is, it should fetch no less than $225. 

Early German Embossed Halloween Stand-Up Die-Cut Skull & Crossbones

Who is azpaperlady and where is she getting such rare, wonderful paper items? Will she adopt me? The Germans manufactured these fancy hat skull and crossbones diecuts in at least two variations toward the middle thirties. As with so much of their output at that time, these diecuts primarily headed to Canada. The variant shown in my second edition on page 164 is valued at $400. Given the splendid condition of the diecut being offered for sale (Who cares about the easel?), I feel it should end right around there. 

10/01 Update: The ending price blew right past the forecasted $400 ending price settling at $967.77. This result is one I don't understand since several of these in similar condition have sold over the past year in a narrow range of $375-475. Perhaps it is the excitement engendered by the onset of the season!  

Vintage Black Crow German Embossed Paper Die Cut Halloween Decoration

This is one you don't see too often. Crow imagery is, as expected, unusual. As far as I know, the Germans made only two embossed crow diecut iterations. Of the two, this is the more common, although both are hard to come by. The other is shown on page 152. The condition of this particular example is quite good. My opinion is that if a prior owner has written their name on the reverse, even in ink, it makes no difference to assessing condition if that name is otherwise invisible. 

08/30 Update: I wasn't surprised that this superb diecut fetched $253. Congrats!  

RARE, LARGE Vintage Halloween Cat with Trombone Diecut Decoration, Germany 1930s

This is, indeed, an extraordinarily difficult diecut to find in this condition. This is one of the larger diecuts of this ilk that the Germans made - although not the largest. It has long been one of my favorites for the energy it exudes and for being representative of the riotous party fun that once was had by Halloween party-going adults in the 1920s. The seller, an esteemed colleague and riotously fun herself, is correct in pointing out that the simple solution to this diecut's "restless leg" syndrome would not impact the value in any appreciable way. 

What this seller does is trust in Ebay's auction system. She lists things with a low starting price and almost always realizes very strong results. This approach, in my view, is much more preferable to those sellers who slap a "fully valued" starting or BIN price on an item while at the same time extolling the virtues of Ebay in a saccharine way. Don't you agree? Comments welcome...