antique Witch Halloween candy container

The workmanship of this container is so poor that I feel this is something made in Japan not Germany. The hands, rather than being composition, are merely clumps of spun cotton. The drab swaddling of crepe paper throughout also denotes a lack of finishing skill so unlike most German-made items. Being an item made in Japan, the overall value doesn't approach this seller's opening price of $300. 

04/16 Update: The market is typically uninterested in such items, shown by the seller has relisted this with an opening price of $150 or a BIN of $200. I feel fair market value is $80. 

(2) Early Halloween 7 3/4" Jointed Crepe Figures WITCH & SCARECROW. c1930s NR

The seller is off by up to three decades as to when these were made. Both the scarecrow and witch "whimsies" were made by Beistle during the 1950s. (An owl was the third design of the set.) Only later, almost certainly under license, were these designs made in Japan. The designs marked as being made in the United States have sustained collector interest. When the ones marked "Japan" do sell, they bring half or less of what the older ones made in the USA bring. 

1920s Rare German Porcelain Children's Lidded Sugar Bowl & Creamer Set

The moment I saw this listing I knew both pieces would not have maker's marks to them. Why? These two items were both made in Japan and have perhaps half the value of their German counterparts, shown on page 120 of my third edition. (This seller, one of the collecting pioneers in this field, has not been an active buyer for many years. She references the now-outdated first edition from 2003.) Japanese porcelain tea set pieces were never marked. They have none of the grace and fine styling of their German brethren. The Japanese copied these designs, but turned out rather clunky versions that compare quite unfavorably to the German items. The asking price is far too high. 

10/04 Update: I was sorry to see that some buyer paid $395 for these Japanese made items. I contacted the seller to have her correct the listing, but as is so often the case she resisted, boldly saying that the Japanese never manufactured such items. Given that she hasn't invested in a decent reference in over ten years, she is content to remain ignorant. I think fair market value is in the $175 to $200 range. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CELLULOID WITCH PULLING PUMPKIN

Halloween celluloid in good condition, like this item, has been on a tear these last few months. This piece was made in Japan during the 1920s and rarely surfaces. The seller is a long-time collector who is knowledgeable and honest. Know that you can conduct business with her with absolute confidence. If you wish to see one of the best visual displays of Halloween celluloid, turn to pages 110-115 and feast your eyes. 

09/09 Update: This great item sold for $542.89! 

Pre-War Japan Old Fashioned Telephone Candy Container

The seller should have a hard time moving this for his BIN price of $625. These kinds of Japanese items were cheaply made and look cheap. The Japanese tried to emulate the German designs and utterly failed. These sorts of vintage items have not developed strong values in the resale market for as long as I've collected. I don't expect this to change. 

Antique German Porcelain Halloween Jackolantern Sugar Bowl

This is not a German-made porcelain item. It was made in Japan and has significantly less value than its corresponding German counterpart. This is an atypical Japan porcelain example as some of its characteristics are opposite of what is normally seen. Although the item appears to be overly knobby, and does looks disproportionate to the more elegant German design, this example looks heavy and clunky, cheap-seeming in that way, rather than the feather-light cheapness you would normally expect to see in a Japanese-made porcelain item. For a solid tutorial on how to tell German porcelain items from Japanese porcelain items, see page 119. 

5 New Old Stock Bagged Vintage Halloween Decorations. Cats, Witch and Scarecrow!

This assortment consists of designs originally conceived by Beistle but later copied by the Japanese. Whether this copying was done with Beistle's cooperation, or even knowledge, is not known. These copies were done in the latter half of the 1960s and have very modest value as the ending price for this lot was $49.95. The older originals, clearly marked "Made in USA," have greater value. 

Rare Unsigned German Halloween Pumpkin Face Childs' 1 cup china Teapot

Admittedly, it is difficult to make a definitive judgment from the photos associated with this listing, but I suspect that this teapot is of Japanese origin rather than German origin. The dimensions seem a little off, the coloration is quite dark, the knobby surface is typically not as prominent on German items and the expression seems rather flat to me. From my experience, such Japanese pieces are never marked, whereas most German teapots are marked. There is a significant difference in price between German (higher) and Japanese (lower) porcelain pieces from this set. The BIN price of $500 is reasonable if this is a German item, but much too high if it is, in fact, Japanese. 

Old Halloween Candy Container Scary Lamppost w/ Cotton Mouse

Although the bottom of the slide box where the stamped mark is typically found is missing, this candy container has all the characteristics of candy containers made in Japan in the early 1930s. The typical craftsmanship of Japanese candy containers from this period was quite poor relative to the those exported from Germany. The look is primitive, the materials typically low-grade (especially the "pebbled paper" the Japanese used - a strong indication of country of manufacture) and the overall impact, "meh." I have not made a point of collecting candy containers from Japan for these reasons, always shunting my dollars toward the finer, more interesting German wares. The marketplace agrees with me as the price differential between Japanese and German candy containers has always been great. 

RARE 1930s VINTAGE HALLOWEEN TIN NOISEMAKER CLICKER PUMPKIN JOL WORKS GREAT !!

Although the condition on this isn't mint, it is one of the more elusive of the clickers made in the 1930s in Japan. Although much of the Japanese output from this time is derivative of better US and German designs, this particular item doesn't have a counterpart from those countries that has the zest and ability to bring a smile to one's face as this item certainly does. The bidding is already at ~$25.50 with more than 7 days to go. I wonder if it will break through my guesstimate of $45 given its condition once the auction is over? 
UPDATED 01/18: It sure did - breaking through all the way to a very respectable $67!