As regular readers know, the Halloween decorations and related ephemera I collect tend to be from the 1920s and 1930s rather than from anytime in the 1960s, as I prefer the design aesthetics then in vogue. However, this 1960 Butterfinger's candy box is compelling. I like the graphics, especially the way the wrapped candy bars appear to be so readily grabbable! I can see that these commercially manufactured candy boxes could become a hot sub-genre. This great box sold for only $65 plus shipping, so this sub-genre right now seems to be an inexpensive toehold into the wider, more expensive world of vintage Halloween collectibles.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
VERY RARE VINTAGE LOT 6 1950'S CARDBOARD HALLOWEEN CANDY FAVOR BOXES CONTAINERS
When I saw this listing's ending price, I thought it was too high. Interestingly, one of the underbidders let me know that she had received an email from the seller stating that the high bidder had walked away from his bid. I opined that a more sustainable price was around $400, so she offered that and it was accepted. I've seen the market value these candy boxes a bit more dearly than in the recent past.
VTG 1920'S 30'S HALLOWEEN SMALL OWL IN MOON CANDY CONTAINER BOX
This is a rare enough Rosen candy box that I've never seen one before. Rosen made exquisite candy boxes as well as point-of-sale containers that are quite sought after. Even though the condition of this compelling box is somewhat problematic, it reached a solid price of nearly $200. I wonder what other Rosen treasures remain undiscovered?
Vtg Mavrakos Candy HALLOWEEN CARDBOARD BOX,Witch,Black Cat,Pumpkin,St Louis RARE
This listing is full of wonderful detail that adds to the knowledge base for vintage Halloween memorabilia. It is unusual to find the inner waxed paper still extant with these often unmarked candy boxes. So, to find that it was issued by Mavrakos Candies of St. Louis, and then to have the seller provide the kind of operational detail that I love, this listing has hit a home run. It seems that the buyer of this rare box - I hadn't seen it before - got a solid bargain at $79.95.
SCARCE Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Candy Container Purse, USA, E. Rosen Co., 1930s
These cleverly designed candy purses made by Rosen during the 1930s used to pop up more often than I've been seeing them do so lately. Rosen made a small variety of point-of-sale displays that I avidly collect. (Please refer to pages 116-118 to see those in the collection.) Although this isn't one of those, it exemplifies the attention to detail that characterizes Rosen output during this period. Of course, another positive of this listing is the seller, long on my list of those with whom I eagerly do business.
ESTATE #312 - ANTIQUE HALLOWEEN PRINTED PAPER COVERED CANDY / GIFT BOX GRAPHIC
The solid price this candy box brought surprised me. I may have undervalued it in my new edition at $25. I'll chart other prices as these surface to arrive at a possibly new sustainable guide value. It is an item with pleasing graphics.
Brach's halloween HAUNTED HOUSE 1950s monster playset store display candy box
I was able to purchase a mint example of this box about 6 months ago on Ebay for ~$90, so this seller is dreaming if he thinks anyone would fork over $249.99 for something that needs such top-to-bottom restoration.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CANDY CONTAINER 1940S
This listing sheds some light on this unmarked item. The photos show that printed on the top flap is the exhortation to "Buy Bonds." This drives the seller's date attribution to the 1940s, something with which I do not disagree. The one in the collection does not have the reference to bonds, affirming my attribution to the 1950s. Interestingly, both variants have "Patent Pending" printed on the bottom.
1950s Halloween 6 1/2" Pumpkin Pulling Cart Cardboard Table Decoration w/ Candy!
This is one of the best candy holders Fibro designed - in my opinion. Given the length of its production run, 1934-1953, relatively few of these surface compared to the witch pulling the hay cart and the black cat pulling a JOL cart. (All can be seen on pages 52-53.) Unlike the other two, this one hasn't been reproduced to my knowledge. Interestingly, a marked example has never surfaced. Sustainable guide value is $250.
Halloween Cardboard Witch And Black Cat Candy Container
This 1950s cardboard candy holder was made by Alberts Display and Novelty Company of New York. As I write on page 58, "This is made from heavy cardboard. Although having the chimney as the repository for candy is a pretty cool concept, the remaining graphics are decidedly ho-hum. These surface fairly regularly and typically trade for ~$50 in perfect condition.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CARDBOARD MECHANICAL OWL DIECUT
Although this could absolutely be displayed like a diecut, it isn't actually a diecut. This is a remnant cut away from one of the exceedingly rare mechanical Rosen counter-top display sucker boxes. This was once part of a Rosen Owl Pops box. A complete example can be seen on page 116 of my newly published third edition.
~Rare? Vintage Halloween Candy Hand Outs Box~
This is an example of how uninspired the majority of Halloween commercial artwork was in the 1950s. This box doesn't have anything memorable to offer. Compare this to the candy box pictured on page 92 of my new third edition, which shows an atypically inspired Jamboree Candy box from this same decade.
Vintage Brach's Trick or Treat Candy Halloween Haunted House Display Box
Until now I didn't know that Brach's made this cleverly designed candy box in a different iteration. The one in my collection holds 55 "paks" with a net weight of 21 ounces. This variant holds 70 "paks" with a net weight of 22.5 ounces. The graphics are otherwise identical. Since the indicated measurements for the box up for auction are identical to the one in my collection, I suspect Brach's had made each "pak" smaller so that more could fit into the same box space. I think it is reasonable to conclude this variant is a season or two later than the 55 "pak" example.
06/16 Update: This rare and very cool candy box brought $84 even with the slight damage.
Scarce early Halloween candy box. NEVER before seen by me!
This small form factor box is quite interesting. I concur with the seller that this box is early, somewhere prior to 1930. I really enjoy this great seller's descriptions. They are no nonsense and to the point. That's why he is listed as one of my trusted sellers.
05/16 Update: I would have not expected this cool Halloween box to fetch anywhere near what it brought - $305.77. As with all such results, it was due solely to two bidders going to the mat. Look at the bidding history. If you remove the two tenacious bidders, the box would have ended at $50. Congratulations to the seller!
1950'S BRACH'S FINE CANDIES TRICK OR TREAT UNUSED CANDY BOX
This is one of the most detailed and interesting candy boxes around. I've been trying to land one in collectible condition for years and was happy to have finally done so. The final price of $89 was quite reasonable given the richness of the graphics, its overall size and just how cool this will look in one of my display cabinets. I have concluded that the much smaller Boogie House shown on page 54 was also made by Brach's.
