I'm surprised this seller hasn't modified his listing to acknowledge this is not a diecut that is in "marvelous condition." I've sent him at least two emails since he began trying to sell this diecut over a year ago. So, what's wrong with it? It has been trimmed to give the JOL a Jay Leno-like chin. It wasn't sold this way. Given its damage, the price is decidedly south of $20, nowhere near the $85 BIN price.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DIE CUT WITCH SPINNER PARTY GAME FORTUNE TELLER
I believe this is a poorly made reproduction. This seller's former Ebay handle was shadowtown. I placed this seller on my list of those with whom I choose not to do business as I felt they sold reproductions of vintage Halloween items. This game, which sold for $305, is definitely not the real deal. An authentic version has directions and 24 fortunes printed on the reverse. The reverse of the offered game is blank, even though the verbiage on the front's bottom states, "The numbers refer to fortunes on the back of card." Additionally, authentic items are not made from heavy paper stock, but are made from a light-to-medium stock. If whomever bought this abomination reads this blog, return it for a full refund right away.
02/11 Update: Happily, the buyer read my post and wisely decided not to consummate the transaction. The seller, by way of some explanation, burbled that she herself would be seeking a refund from the person she obtained it from. Uh huh....
Vintage 1940s Halloween Witch Lantern & One Paper mache Witch On A J-O-L Pumpkin
The buyer of this lot didn't do well for $97. Not only is the witch lantern in the middling stage of decrepitude but the witch sitting atop a pumpkin is not a vintage item. Its level of detailing is quite poor, the paint is wrong and the pumpkin seems smaller than it should be. Also, one of the photos shows the bottom. The ring around the opening is too pristine and the white of the inner wall is far too bright. Unfortunately, this design has been heavily reproduced beginning in the 1990s, a problem with many pulp-based items.
Demon Red she Devil
This is obviously an escapee from a junior high art class. Send her back to the depths of hell!
5 Paper Mache Halloween Lanterns German Jack-o-Lantern Clown Devils Skeleton
With the possible exception of the leftward-most JOL, these are all fantasy items, made beginning in the middle 1990s and exported from Germany. They have deceived many collectors. Don't be one of them!
Rare German Vintage Composition Halloween Devil in a Pumpkin Candy Container 5"
I don't feel that any of the Halloween items this seller has listed currently are truly vintage items. All of them seem to be of the ilk of items made in Germany but imported to the USA in the last 20 years. I would approach purchasing these items with great caution. I appreciate the fact that the seller has a 14 day return policy.
LARGE EARLY 1900S HALLOWEEN GERMAN CANDY CONTAINER NODDER IN BOX MINT NOS
The seller writes that this "Looks like this just came off the country store shelf." The reason it does is because it could very well have been made yesterday. Such questionable items are being seen in greater and greater numbers as the seasons pass. Bear in mind that such items, with few, if any, advanced collectors considering them truly vintage, have zero collectible value, merely scant decorative value.
Vintage Halloween Paper Mache BLACK FACE Jack O Lantern RARE & UNUSUAL!
The seller will have to channel his/her enthusiasm somewhere else as this is nothing but a newly made lantern amateurishly fashioned after a hard-to-find German diecut. This is a soulless item with zero vintage value.
Vintage 1930`s Halloween Paper Mache Witch`s Head Blow Noisemaker, Near Mint
This was made during the 1990s - or later - and has zero vintage value. Don't be fooled!
KITTY KITTY BANG BANG VINTAGE BLACK CAT HALLOWEEN CANDY BOX
This is not a vintage item. This appears to be a clumsily made fake that has none of the charm or whimsy of a truly authentic item. A good rule of thumb to bear in mind is the fancier the lithoed paper base, the higher the chance of the overall item being suspect.
Vtg old paper mache halloween lantern black cat
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.
Rare Cardboard "Goblo" Pumpkin Face Bag Toss Game Vintage Halloween
This game began to be reproduced about 3 years ago, so view them with suspicion. Although I cannot say definitively that this particular game is one of the reproductions, the last photo shows a metal back and prop, definitely inconsistent with the genuine article.
Vintage Halloween Noise Maker
This tin litho noisemaker is not a vintage item. They were sold for 1-2 seasons through Restoration Hardware about 5 years ago. They have zero collectible value. Don't be fooled.
09/22 Update: Unfortunately, somebody was fooled to the tune of $28.50.
Halloween Shaker Noisemaker Medcin Germany
This is a recently made item with only the most modest of decorative values.
Vintage Round Crank Metal Halloween Noisemaker~Flying Witch Paper Face Cover
This is not a vintage item. It appears to me that someone made a color copy of the graphics on a well-known tambourine (probably made by Kirchhof), shrunk them, distressed the paper to make it appear old and glued it on to a non-Halloween ratchet with a plastic handle. The presence of a plastic handle indicates the ratchet was produced in the 1960s. The tambourine from which the image was copied was made in the 1930s. It's too bad that this sold for $35 when it has decorative value - at best.
