These shades are early and rare. (I’ve never seen any of these before.) Looking at the tops gives one the first clue as to just how early these are. The simplicity of the designs is the second clue. The metal rivets used is the third. These are pretty darn sweet!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
DENNISON IMPRESSIVE “HALLOWE‘EN CENTERPIECE FOR YOUR TABLE” COMPLETE SET OF VINT
Dennison issued this Hallowe’en Centerpiece boxed set in 1933. I’ve seen this several times and haven’t ever been able to get excited about it. In 1933, the Great Depression was strangling many businesses to death, and those that wanted to make it had to be creative. Unfortunately, sometimes being creative meant creative economically, not artistically. The contents of this set are uninspired and forgettable. The best thing about it is the box. This excellent seller has over 140 listings right now - many of which are pretty amazing! This set is for the Dennison completist only.
10/03 Update: This sold for about what I expected - $159.50.
Vintage Small German Composition Devil Halloween Candy Container!
These two diminutive German composition candy containers were originally sold as a set so it good to see them being listed at the same time. The ones in the collection can be seen on page 66.
09/22 Update: These brought strong prices: witch $511.05, devil $616.88.
Rare Antique Gibson Party Sign with JOL Man - " Step Lively This Way...."
It’s interesting to see this variant Gibson party sign. The fact that the head is severed from the main body and then so amateurishly repaired is unfortunate. Who would have guessed that Gibson made at least two versions of this cool diecut?
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN HONEYCOMB HAT- OWL, CAT, BAT, & JOL
This band hat was produced by Beistle during 1930-1931. It looks to be in remarkable condition, although jamming it onto a styrofoam head makes me wince. The imagery is compelling. I consider it to be one of their best hats!
09/224 Update: This sold for $321.
RARE EARLY VINTAGE HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER CHEIN PATENT 1906 TIN WITCH PAN CAT JOL
This seller is offering this pan noisemaker for $550. Although it is an early form, the price is about $350 too high. Chein used this same lithography on a more commonly seen tambourine. These large form factor pan noisemakers were produced during the very early 1920s, even though the patent date is 1906. It is quite nice but priced too high.
1940`s Unused Hoo`s Next Halloween Party Game Board
I wonder if the color register of this seller’s camera is off. This great game, copyrighted by Beistle in 1940 and released in 1941, looks much too red rather than the light orange typically associated with this game.
Vintage German Halloween Devil Candy Container
There are a few high quality candy containers listed right now. This is a superior German composition candy container produced during the 1920s. Just look at that molding! The expression is captivating and the paint near-perfect. It’ll be instructive to see what this fetches.
early vintage Die Cut OWL 9"x14" mechanical USA
These were originally sold in one envelope as “Mechanical Hallowe’en Silhouettes” by Beistle. They were produced in the early 1920s. The owl is in rough condition yet still brought an unsustainably high price. The bat seems to be in significantly better condition yet brought a bit less. These results are a result of two apparently deep-pocketed collectors escalating the price beyond reason.
ANTIQUE GERMAN HALLOWEEN DIE CUT- BLACK CAT PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE
This is a hard-to-find diecut in quite nice condition - but the ending price still surprised me. I worry that our hobby is largely becoming the province of deep-pocketed collectors. When two diecuts from the set of three sell for close to $1,000, I have to question if this is sustainable.
Rare Die Cut-pre 1920's marked made in Saxony Black Cat- 4.5" Vintage Halloween
This seller offered two unusual small diecuts that were both marked Made in Saxony. (Saxony once had a monarchy but adopted a constitution under the Weimar Republic from 1919-1933, when these were produced.) Saxony Halloween items are typically visually arresting. They also use more gray than other diecuts produced at the time. Evidenced by the three complete sets in the collection shown at the top of page 170, I assume these were sold in sets of four in glassine envelopes. Prior to these listings, I had not seen either design before.
VINTAGE DENNISON HALLOWEEN CARDBOARD DOOR HANGER DECORATION HALLO-INN MINT !!!
This is another example of a seller foolishly listing a rare item with a BIN not reflective of what the item would have brought if offered in an auction format. This item is Dennison door hanger from 1930. Given the minty condition, I’m certain this would have fetched no less than $350.
Antique, Vintage 1930’s -1940’s Lot of Holiday Halloween Decorations, Mask Games
This seller seemingly put a jumble of items in poor condition together and hoped for the best. Sharp-eyed collectors would have noticed the glint of true gold amidst the mica flakes. Lurking at the very top unheralded is a rare Beistle band hat. It is rare enough that I don’t recall seeing the design before. Whomever bought the lot could burn everything but the band hat and still make out just fine.
KIRCHHOF HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER WITCH BAT DRUM ORIGINAL VG COND
It is great to see a healthy selection of nicer items on eBay. This is a desirable tin litho noisemaker, made by Kirchhof during the 1930s. It is one of a set of two designs. Both can be seen on page 204. Both are exceedingly rare, with this one just a tad more commonly seen. The design is sometimes found in ratchet form, too. For some reason, the condition of the noisemakers with this lithography is typically poorer than with others. Overall, this example is in the upper third relative to condition.
09/22: Update: This sold for $283, slightly below what I would have expected at any other time of the year.
Halloween Handled Small Tea Cup with Saucer Germany 1908-1932 JOL Face
Over the three decades I’ve been collecting vintage Halloween, various market segments have waxed and waned. Prices for tin have decreased with occasional signs of life. Germany candy containers still bring strong dollars but nothing like they used to bring. ( I suspect this downtrend for such items will continue.) Lanterns by and large have also lost luster. On the other side of the ledger, early Beistle, Dennison and Gibson products have sizzled. Small paper (invitations, place cards and tally cards) has had a phenomenal rise as have German porcelain items. This cup and saucer result is the latest indicator of the health of this market segment. The realized price is near 100% more than it would have been 2-3 years ago. I suspect these same segments will continue to weaken and strengthen as the first generation of collectors, who specialized in what are now the weaker segments, ride off into the sunset.
