I haven't seen this interesting tally before. I agree with the seller that the irregular borders are compelling. This seller is a long-time collector - quite knowledgeable and nice. You can't go wrong in dealing with Sandy!
08/10 Update: I was happy to see this item sold for $39.
This exceedingly rare German mini-diecut brought strong dollars even though significant condition issues and fading ruled. Still, I can count on one hand when I've seen this out in the wild with fingers left over. It is likely part of the set shown at the middle right of page 185.
This is a coveted waste bowl from the German porcelain Halloween set produced from 1908-1932. The seller was a true oaf to offer it as a BIN with scant knowledge of what they were offering. This reminds me of a favorite quote: "The sum of the intelligence of the planet is a constant. The population is growing." Instead of netting out $15-16 for this, if run as an auction it surely would have fetched four to five times as much. People - use the auction format!
This is merely a remnant of the Beistle centerpiece discussed directly below. It should have no real collectible value. If you look closely, you can see where someone with scissors cut along the bottom and both haunches. Unless you don't mind having a remnant, I wouldn't be a bidder.
07/31 Update: I was sad to see someone waste $86.75 on this remnant.
This exceedingly rare festive centerpiece was produced by Beistle for one season only in 1955. They issued two designs. (The other is shown on page 233.) In my view, this is the stronger of the two designs. SGV is $375, but these come up so rarely that who knows what it may bring. As of this writing, the item, in solid collectible condition, has already been bid up to $315. Good luck to the pursuers!
07/31 Update: This sold for a startling - and surely never to be repeated - $909. I've had conversations with close collecting friends since this auction's end wondering if there is a bubble firmly forming in the vintage Halloween market. Is this the time for me to begin selling my collection in earnest?
I had to chuckle when this seller states with bravado that this crow diecut "is unmistakably an H E Luhrs creation." Not only has the possessive gone missing, but the assertion is, in fact, mistakenly made. As you, my faithful readers know, this is a heavily embossed diecut made in Germany during the 1920s. It has nothing to do with Beistle or Luhrs.
This fairy honeycomb band hat was produced by Beistle from 1933-1941. Although the design existed prior to 1933, it wasn't released as a hat until 1933. This stylistically goes very well with their 1923 party set. SGV is $95.
Nothing pictured is truly vintage. The three members of the cat band were made during or after 2003. As I write on page 154, "Reproductions are easily discerned by the white accents, two bottom slots on each for a folded cardboard stand and their heavy paper stock with their orange/brown backsides." The cat atop a JOL was made a bit later. The give-away on that items is the glossy paper stock.
This is one of the exceedingly rare Dennison small paper items produced in the golden window of 1928-1932. The other thematically similar item in the collection first appeared in Dennison's 1930 Price List pamphlet, so I suspect this is from the same year. (You can see it on page 260.) This has that kooky design aesthetic so coveted by Dennison collectors. I had to pay a princely sum to acquire this, but I have no regrets.
This stunt game was produced by Beistle during the 1930s. Like this particular example, when these surface they typically have one or more of the perforated areas disturbed. This sold for $125. A pristine example would go for much more. Pre-1950s Beistle items have been a hot market segment for many years.
Beistle produced this line of at least four different designs during the mid-1950s to wide yawns from the marketplace. They didn't catch fire then and haven't to date. The 3-D effect is rudimentary and the differently lidded JOLs are forgettable. Beistle was largely empty of creative juice by this time - and this line clearly shows it.
This is a doubly great item. The diminutive cup has a handle and the saucer is exceedingly rare. Although unmarked, these items are German-made. The Japanese made rather crude reproductions of only the basic items like the teapot, sugar and creamer. The Germans produced a wildly inventive range of these porcelain wares from 1908 through 1932. If I had to pick my top three segments of the vintage market, this segment would be amongst them. SGV for the handled cup is $125. SGV for the saucer is $175. The saucer was also produced with an orange and burnt orange finish.
07/19 Update: This super combo sold for $344.
Here is an excellent example of a rookie seller leaving quite a bit of money on the proverbial table. This exceedingly rare German diecut was offered for the pittance of $98. SGV is $525. The Germans made a common skull and crossbones diecut without a hat, and at least two variants with hats. (The other can be seen on page 178.) Both of the hatted skulls are really tough to find, especially in the decent shape this offering appears to be in. Why wouldn't the seller have simply listed this in the auction format?
This is almost surely the only legitimate German Halloween mechanical I've seen on this forum in years. True vintage mechanicals are rare and should be well-worn. There are a few dealers who routinely offer this genre of items on eBay. Their offerings are dubious - outright fakes or mash-ups. If you are inclined to buy these kinds of things, be VERY cautious.
This Beistle band hat is so rare that I didn't know it even existed. The other designs were all made for the 1930-1931 seasons, so I suspect that is the case here. The design is stunning. I wish I would have acquired it. I placed a bid of ~$1030, but was far short of the final result of $1412.87.
