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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Lot of 6 Halloween Die Cut & paper Hat, lanternd & blowers-USA/Germany

The star of this lot, by far, is the triangular hat. Made before WWI by a German firm, their output is maddeningly elusive. The hats were made from very thin paper stock, so they are nearly always thrashed when they surface. This hat was in the finest condition I've seen in years. I was tempted by it, but the condition still falls short of the mark for acquisition. If you turn to page 137, you can see four treat satchels that were produced by the same firm. 

RARE EARLY BEISTLE BLACK CAT HONEYCOMB HALLOWEEN HAT~DESIGN ON BOTH SIDES~

Beistle made two designs of what they called continental hats with plumes. The mate is a JOL with better artwork on either side of the central figure. (You can see it on page 238.) The vertical stripes flanking the cat face do grab the eye, but there is no doubt that it seems Beistle rather shorted this particular design. Made from 1925-1931 only, sustainable guide value is $195. 

10/07 Update: This hat brought $197.50. 

Antique 1920s Halloween Witch Moon Costume Decorations Crepe Paper Vintage Hat

Considering the relatively poor condition of this hat, it still managed to bring a strong $90.99. This hat, one of only four designs that Beistle issued as "New Moon Hats" from 1933-1937, is exceedingly rare. Two of the designs in the collection are shown on page 239. The other two, although described in my text, I've never been able to purchase. I feel this set is the hardest of the great hat sets to complete. 

Vintage Jack-O-Lantern cardboard Hat

This very desirable continental hat with plume was made by Beistle from 1925-1931. The condition of this particular example seems to be superb! Typically, one or both of the extreme ends is missing, but not with this one. The color seems bright, another plus. On my Relative Scarcity Index, I give this a "2," which means rare. If you'd like to see its companion, please turn to page 238. Beistle has been red-hot on Ebay this season, so it would not surprise me if this great hat ends at a price significantly above the guide value of $200. 

09/01 Update: I expected this fantastic hat to go high but never dreamed that it fetch $510. Maybe it is time to sell mine! 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN HONEYCOMB HAT BLACK OWL MOON JACK O LANTERNS WITCH ESTATE FIND

This is an odd item. The imagery sure looks to be Beistle but there is no evidence they ever designed a band hat with that imagery. (Now, records from that time, early 1920s, are not as complete as they could be, but in consulting the many sources that do exist, I've never seen one with that design.) Interestingly, Beistle at that time took pains to mark everything with at least a Made in U.S.A. mark, but this item does not appear to have even that kind of minimal marking. The grade of the cardboard and the way the honeycomb is designed look absolutely "right" for the assumed time period. I feel this is likely an example of a rogue firm simply exploiting Beistle's artwork and putting out an unlicensed item. Although I don't know that for sure, what I do know is that the design of the item is quite cool. I like how the JOLs pop against the white background. 

07/23 Update: This sold for a very respectable $100.99!

Original-vintage ANTIQUE (Germany-?) PAPER ~"HALLOWEEN~Party HAT"!

This result is somewhat surprising. The Germans produced scads of these thin-tissue hats, so many that large quantities survived their journey through nearly 100 years of time. Although this particular design is arguably their best, these typically trade for far less, generally in the $25-35 range. If you look at the bidding history, it may be that the prevailing bidder never expected someone else to bid nearly that high. In fact, if the underbidder hadn't been active, the prevailing bid would have been ~$38, a tad over the high end of the expected price bracket. 

VINTAGE / ANTIQUE BEISTLE HALLOWEEN HAT W/ HONEYCOMB CREPE PAPER TOP - FAIRIES

It is heartening to see some rarer items popping up on Ebay of late. This hat with a fairy motif was made by Beistle in the 1920s. It is one of a set of 6 that were packaged together in a very colorful envelope. I have only seen the envelope surface twice and have never been able to obtain one for the collection. Others from the set can be found on page 203. The prices for these hats have increased fairly substantially since 2007. I would expect this hat, which appears to be in excellent condition, to fetch in excess of $200.  

08/14 Update: The hat brought a remarkably strong $260, showcasing just how hot early and rare Beistle items remain.  

Halloween Cardboard Party Hat, 1950s

I think this exceptionally rare Beistle hat slipped under the radar of many ​advanced collectors. Contrary to the seller's assertion that this hat is from the 1950s, it was manufactured by Beistle for a single season only, in 1933. Prior to this listing, I had NEVER seen this hat before in person, not in any of the many collections I have had the privilege of perusing, not in any auction catalog, not anywhere. The lone reference to this astoundingly rare hat is from Lavin's 2005 compilation on page 112. Arguably, I think this is the most interesting and involved design Beistle ever issued. Just look at it, look at the many design elements, the action, the color. It is superb! I suspect the same artist responsible for their nearly-as-awesome fairy hats from 1923 was responsible for this masterpiece. I feel that this hat could have easily fetched at least double if more collectors were paying attention.