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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Halloween Dennison Invitation, THE CALL, 1929, JOL Reads Book, Rare

I've come to the opinion that some of Dennison's finest work can be found in the small paper they produced from 1928-1932. Given the greater economic forces at work during much of that interval, production was sharply curtailed, making items made at this time largely hard to find. This invitation, The Call, was sold singly in shops with an inventory number of H580. It first appeared in Dennison's 1928 Price List pamphlet. During the last few years, small paper has been a hot segment of the market. This seller is a long-timer collector with an exceptional eye for good design. I have long enjoyed doing business with her and give her my highest recommendation. 

1930s HALLOWEEN Dual Sided JOL LANTERN w Yellow Cardboard SIDES w Inserts

This lantern was produced by Beistle for the 1933-1935 seasons. It rarely surfaces. The seller measurements are a bit off since the lantern was made in two sizes: 11.5" x 4.75" x 12.5" and 10.5" x 4.25" x 10". The inserts were made with either green or orange paper. I found the one in the collection early on, probably around 1990. I didn't realize how lucky I was to find one. I've seen only a handful since. SGV is $300. Given this lantern's condition issues, it'll be instructive to see the ending price. 

Vintage WITCH Black Cat Flying Broomstick Diecut MADE IN USA HALLOWEEN DIE CUT

By the late 1950s Beistle was riding on fumes creatively. Before they slid into a stylistic abyss for the next few decades, they managed to produce three pretty awesome diecuts, albeit with what I'm sure was great weariness. This is one of the three very odd witch designs Beistle produced at the time. The non-embossed diecuts rarely surface in collectible condition. Given where Beistle was at that time, I don't think they produced very many of any of the three designs. Check out page 159 for the other two from the set. My favorite is the witch looking behind her with very worn shoe bottoms. Also, each of the designs has the artist's initials cleverly woven into the design. Can you see them? 

07/12 Update: This sold for $169.10. 

NICE Vintage Foil Jointed HALLOWEEN EVIL DEVIL Skull Crossbones RARE

This was a high price to pay for this fairly common foil diecut. They surface regularly. This devil was produced by Happy Holiday of Battleboro, Massachusetts during the late 1950s and into the early 1960s. They typically change hands for $30-40. Foil items have not been a strong market segment for many years - if ever. Is that changing? More selling data points will tell the story. At this point, I feel this result is an outlier. 

Vintage Halloween DEVIL 30" jointed Die Cut ? Beistle Electric Man

Here's a great Beistle item you don't often see. This was issued for the 1931 season only and marketed as a Lightning Wumpus, one of four large jointed designs Beistle issued. They issued two in 1929 and two in 1931. (You can see them all on page 146.) This is one of their two best, the other being the scowling Skairo. This one appears to be in remarkable condition given how much can go wrong with this large item with its wholly irregular edges. SGV is $525. 

06/24 Update: This seems to be a slow time for quality listings - and when they do surface, the results, at least in this case, have to be disappointing. This stellar item sold for well below SGV. It brought $407. The buyer must be on cloud nine. 

VINTAGE 1960's HALLOWEEN Flying WITCH, Surprised MOON Die-Cut Party Decoration

Eureka produced a small number of Halloween diecuts in the early 1960s. They were produced on thin paper stock, so most are in poor condition when found. I’ve noticed that prices for Eureka diecuts have increased sharply over the last five years. This is a diecut of a broomed witch racing against a large moon with a surprised look on its face. The trees at the bottom are a bit spookier than one finds in the typical Eureka diecut. I sold a duplicate of this diecut in my recent vintage Halloween auction extravaganza. Unlike this one, it didn't have a specific date printed on the front, so Eureka definitely made at least two iterations of this diecut. (I feel this is the most interesting of their Halloween diecuts.) 

06/24 Update: This seems to be the most coveted Eureka diecut design. It brought a strong $152.50. 

Vintage RARE Halloween Carboard I'm A Dumbskull Stunt Game Original USA

This is the rarer of the two versions of this game produced by Beistle in 1930 and 1931. The other has a hat-wearing cat at the top, no clock dial or metal spinner and an easel. Although it is easier to display than the version up for auction, the auction version is visually more interesting and typically commands a 30-50% premium to the other version. Interestingly, this particular item was a salesman sample. I have other Beistle items in the collection with the same handwriting. 

VINTAGE 1930's The Abingdon Party Book By Ethel Owen HALLOWEEN & Other Holidays

I purchased this for the collection. I was surprised to see so many Gibson items so prominently featured in the pages shown. Gibson reference material is scarce. I've only ever seen one catalog issued by Gibson. Undated, it is chock-full of their products - invaluable when I was doing research for the third edition. It will be fun to discover the commercial connection between The Abingdon Press and Gibson. 

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