This small box of seals was produced by Whitney during the 1920s. The market leader for such boxed seals was Dennison by a wide margin, followed by Gibson and their simpler yet somewhat quirkier designs. Whitney was definitely out of their element in making these sets. The art is flat and uninteresting. They rarely marked these boxes, whether out of shame or expediency I cannot say. Dennison boxed sets were produced in relatively high numbers and had a national distribution. Gibson less so and Whitney even less so. Although hard to find, especially complete, these typically change hands for around $100 per box, so the buyer paid a premium here.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vary Rare 1930-40s Dennison's Halloween Witch Set of 5 Die Cuts in Original Box
Someone got a really nice bargain here. They scooped up a rarely seen set of 5 broomed witch cut-outs that Dennison first issued in 1926. Sustainable guide value is $300, so picking up this compete set at a more-than-50% discount has to feel great.
Halloween Tin Tambourine Noisemaker: Witch with Cat & Bats on Paper Face 1930s
This fetched strong dollars over sustainable guide price of $195, especially considering the blob of discoloration on the face. I've heard from several collectors that this unmarked tambourine was sold as part of a "Gypsy Woman" costume boxed set issued by Collegeville during the 1930s.
Vintage Halloween 1930s Beistle Broomed Witch and Cat Cutout Diecut Good Cond
Beistle produced this broomed witch diecut in the early 1920s. These were sold in assorted enveloped sets similar to the ones shown on page 147. The diecut is made from a light construction paper stock and is non-embossed. This is a classic Beistle design and I am not surprised that even with the flaws, this item brought a respectable price.
One Vintage Halloween ROSEN 50s TRIX OR TREATS sucker card MINT unused condition
Rosen made three distinct sets of their Trix or Treats cards. Set A consists of six cards, while Sets B and C consist of five cards. This is a card from Set B, the best of the three sets, produced during the late 1940s into the early 1950s. The RSIN for any one from this set is 3 and guide value is $70. Turn to pages 90-91 to see all cards from all sets.
VERY RARE Vintage Halloween Witch on a Broom Diecut Decoration Germany 1920s-30s
The seller describes this broomed witch diecut as having some light fading, but the fade is intentional. There were a number of diecut designs produced for a season or two that had this color finish to them. Collectors sometimes pass these by thinking they don't want something so faded by the sun, but this is a mistake. I know collectors who seek these "faux faded" diecuts out specifically for their collections. This diecut is hard-to-find in any finish: faux-faded, regular matte or regular glazed.
08/07 Update: This brought $141.89, very close to guide value, $135, so I'm glad the bidders weren't mistakenly thinking it was faded.
RARE LARGE 10" 1920's GERMANY HALLOWEEN WITCH CRESCENT MOON EMBOSSED DIECUT MINT
What?? I understand the concept of a "mint premium" but this result is stupefying. These routinely surface and typically fetch about $100.
Vintage German Die Cut Halloween Decoration Witch Germany Hallowe'en Embossed
I wanted to point out that the dark-to-light shading on this desirable German diecut is the way it is meant to look. The Germans experimented with this shading technique on a solid number of their diecuts. The diecuts with this shading represent ~20% of any one design except the perched owl you can see on page 180. In that case, the percentages are reversed.
VINTAGE GIBSON HALLOWEEN STICKERS/SEALS FLYING WITCH RIDING BROOM
I regret losing out on acquiring this great set. Gibson made far fewer boxed sets than their main rival, Dennison. Gibson's sets tend to consist of simple designs, with an occasional masterpiece produced. I hadn't seen this set before and had placed it on my Watch List. However, I've been so busy this season that I've been forgetting to bid or set up esnipe bids. Congrats to the prevailing bidder who obtained a rare set for a good price.
Vintage Halloween Witch Party Pin The Tail Style Game w/ Envelope 1913 RARE!
I've seen this game several times in nearly 30 years of collecting and each and every time the envelope is barely holding together. The manufacturer must have used the cheapest, least durable paper stock possible. The contents of the game typically are fine, but the envelope is always chipping and separating. I swear even looking at one causes it to degrade.
Vintage Halloween American Merri-Lei Witch Diecut Decoration USA Circa 1940s-50s
I enjoyed learning more about the company that manufactured this fierce diecut. Look at the verbiage about halfway through. I wish listins would more regularly include such educational tidbits.
Old Tin Halloween Witch Noise Maker Vintage Antique NR
As we went deeper into the 1960s, Halloween designs typically became more forgettable compared to those from the Golden Age. (This is one of the main reasons my collection is so light on items made after 1960.) Some manufacturers kept chugging along putting out solid designs. This is an example. U.S. Metal Toy issued three designs at this time that are, arguably, the best tin litho noisemaker designs from this period. The others are the full skeleton and the witch with an owl on her shoulder. All will only have plastic handles. The color of the handle is immaterial to value. See these other designs on pages 204 and 207.
Vtg Lg Halloween Die Cut Paper Decoration Flying Witch Moon Beistle Dennison ?
This was made by Beistle in the mid-1960s. The earlier ones are printed on one side only. This design was reprinted in the very late 1960s. These reprints are double-sided and typically are valued at a 50% discount to sustainable guide value of $50. This listing is for a reprint.
Antique 1920s Dennison's Broomed Witch Silhouettes / Seals (12) No. H-641 Rare
This boxed set of Dennison broomed witch illuminated silhouettes first appeared in their 1922 Bogie Book. Its RSIN is 4, so it isn't correct to refer to it as rare. I love collecting Dennison boxed goods, and would call the sub-genre one of my top 5 to collect. Dennison made some designs for many years and others for a single season. This is an example of the former. The sustainable guide value is $55, so the seller's opening bid of $154.99 will probably never be met.
2 Vintage Halloween Decorations Witch & Bat Made in Germany Cardboard Die Cut
This was a solid score. Happily, good friends of mine snagged this pair of German diecuts. The sustainable guide value for the bat alone is $150. It always amazes me when sellers list something as a BIN without any knowledge of what they are selling. It reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: "The sum of the intelligence of the planet is a constant. The population is growing."
