The good news is that the workmanship of this black cat lantern is SO bad that no one should be fooled for even one moment that it is a genuinely vintage lantern. I wish all of the fakes were so amateurishly rendered.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Halloween Shaker Noisemaker Medcin Germany
This is a recently made item with only the most modest of decorative values.
Antique 1920-30s German Painted Paper Mache DEVIL Head Halloween Candy Container
This is one of the better known fantasy pieces out there. The poor seller, in his description, sounds so excited to have found FOUR ALL AT ONCE! The person who sold them to him was probably happy to unload them. These began appearing in about 1995 and have wormed their way into many, many collections. (I see it taking up space in a distressingly high percentage of collections to which I am lucky to have access.) I, myself was fooled. A holiday dealer in business back then was Jenny Tarrant. She sold me one then refused to refund my money. That was a valuable lesson on several levels. Deal only with sellers who will guarantee authenticity forever. In any event, this is a purely decorative item with zero collectible value. Don't be fooled.
Antique Vtg Paper Mache Jack o' Lantern Evil Face Original Eyes and Mouth
This is a crude reproduction, probably made yesterday. It is neither antique nor vintage, contrary to the auction heading and verbiage. This abomination has zero collectible value. Don't be fooled.
Pair Vintage Halloween Paper Bats Decor Diecuts Ephemera
Unfortunately, whomever the buyer was bought newly made items with no collectible value. The sad thing is that this seller was informed by a long-time collector in Pennsylvania that she was selling newly made items and mightily resisted this information. (I experience this phenomenon all the time, sadly...) Be sure to do your research before buying vintage Halloween memorabilia. Prices are high enough across the board that a little bit of time invested in education in our fun hobby will surely prevent you from buying such things.
Great candy container with glass eyes papermaché Halloween
I see a Germany-based seller is trying to off-load this fantasy piece. (Regular readers know never to buy any Halloween item from a Germany-based seller who claims the item is vintage. German artisans pre-1950 sold everything they made for export. Know your history.) This seller has the unimaginative Ebay handle of candycontainer. Why not change it to buymyfakecandycontainers?
Vintage German Halloween Veggie Man Candy Container - Marked
Alas, yet another fantasy piece in Ebay's vintage category. This ugly little number first began appearing in the mid-1990s. If you are out and about at an antiques show, this will be the container you'll most often find. They were made in high numbers, surprising since it has nothing going for it. Naturally, it has zero collectible value.
Vintage Antique Cast Iron Metal Bobble Head Bat HALLOWEEN Black & Orange Spooky!
The seller describes this in his header as "vintage" but then doesn't define the term. Let me help: this is only vintage if you consider something made as long as 5-7 years ago and possibly as recently as yesterday vintage. This fantasy piece has zero collectible value and quite a modest decorative value, facts surely to cause disappointment to the seller who lists this at $542.50 or BO. Keep dreaming!
GERMAN PAPER MACHE CANDY CONTAINER ......... DEVIL HEAD , BAD SANT
Here is yet another fake coming out of Germany. This is a newly made item with zero collectible value.
HALLOWEEN Early COMPOSITION - RED DEVIL NOISEMAKER
This poor seller must not handle many Halloween items. She gushes in the listing, "Here is the best vintage Halloween item I've handled in a long time." Unfortunately for her, or anyone who might buy this POS, this is a newly made item with no vintage counterpart - a fantasy item, made in many circumstances to deceive the new collector. It has zero collectible value. Don't be fooled!
