There are several Dennison boxed seals sets that have a black background and that aren’t found in any Dennison references. Admittedly, I’ve been too busy lately to do an exhaustive search, but I haven’t found this design referenced in any of my Dennison Bogies, Price List pamphlets, etc. The design is interesting but not as intricate as their earlier ones, so the ending price was quite the surprise - probably for the prevailing bidder, too.
Blog
Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage 1920-30S Gibson 3-Piece Diecut Halloween Table Decoration JOL Fence
One of these sold just two months ago for ~$302, so this ending price represents a serious escalation in perceived value by at least two bidders. These surface enough that I feel the prevailing bidder vastly overpaid.
Vintage Cardboard Orange and Black Halloween Bat, 14" Wide Wing Span
This fearsome bat decoration was produced by Gibson during the 1930s. It is an odd amalgamation of expertly designed bat body with such forgettable, plain wings they seem almost an afterthought. That mismatch has caused prices for this design to be modest, especially compared to Gibson’s winged owl decorations.
ANTIQUE HALL-O-WEEN PARTY FOR ONE,12 PARTY AIDS COMPLETE MADE IN USA, MINT NR
This is an interesting item. I think it shows how much leeway Beistle gave their wholesaling partners - allowing them to adopt Beistle’s graphical style while placing an assortment of thematically unrelated items together in what is essentially a grab bag. If you look at any of the many wholesalers’ catalogs from the 1930s through the 1950s, the main provider of goods is Beistle. The ending price seems reasonable. The header card is the rarest element.
Small Vintage Halloween Jack O Lantern JOL Candy Container Pumpkin hj6020
I’ve received lots of questions as to my opinion on this lantern. Given that I owned the larger and one-of-a-kind parade lantern made by the same artist or artist’s collective from 1997 through 2017, I am confident that it is genuine, dating from 1908-1912. (However, short of personally examining it, this is only an opinion. Don’t rely on it for anything.) I feel that the mouth insert is not original. Please refer to page 129 for more on the parade lantern.
10/04 Update: This lantern brought $5600, significantly in excess of the $2500-3000 they’ve brought over the last 5 years.
Rare 1930’s Beistle Children’s Hallowe’en Party Book- Vintage! Complete!
I chuckle when I read things like this. The seller claims in the header that the common booklet is complete, but in the fine print states that there might be a piece missing. Oh, and then they are asking TOP dollar of $500.
10/04 Update: Someone actually paid $500 for this. That represents top top dollar.
New Lantern Design from Tim Ramzyk of Pulp Novelties!
Tim Ramzyk is nearing release of his latest fantastic creation, The Mystic! Just look at the craftsmanship! Where does he get his inspiration? This lantern proudly joins my collection of Tim’s limited edition releases he has been creating for the last several years. The eyes and jewel on this chilling lantern are a 3-D colored resin. I put it at eye level so visitors will be a bit unsettled!
Tim is a Wisconsin-based artist who meticulously and painstakingly hand molds his own designs from a heavy, durable material. I am in awe at the workmanship and the true craft Tim brings to pulp design. I proudly have six of his treasures now on exhibit in my main display room. (For those who I've been lucky to host at my home, you know that in order for something to be placed in that room, it has to carry its own weight.)
Tim is offering The Mystic for $132 plus shipping, way too cheap for an item of this quality! He’ll begin selling them on Etsy on September 29th. The name of his Etsy shop is PulpNovelties. You can also contact him directly at pulpnovelties@aol.com.
For those who know me, you know that I rarely buy anything Halloween unless it is vintage. I've made an exception - and you should too. Snap this wonderful design up before they are ALL GONE.
Pre-1960s Halloween Die Cut Lot of 4
Whomever was lucky enough to swoop in and acquire this lot for the laughably low price of $90 should be doing a happy dance for eternity. The Gibson tombstone diecut alone is one of the most highly coveted products made by that firm. Listed alone, it would have easily brought multiples of what the entire lot brought. The large piece to the left is part of Dennison’s Hobgoblinville set.
RARE Vtg 20s EMBOSSED German HALLOWEEN Decoration CRAWLING Baby PUMPKIN Die Cut
Here is a German diecut you don’t see often. This crawling baby boy hinged diecut was produced in Germany during the late 1920s. (There is a chance that it was made during the mid-1930s. Other hinged products were made then.) The Germans made two different crawling babies. The girl shows up a tad more often than the boy, but both are rare. You can see both on page 169. With over 5 days to go, the bidding has already reached $431. It will be instructive to see what price it reaches.
10/03 Update: This brought $770.
Vintage Halloween Large Walking Witch Diecut Decoration Standup, Germany 1940s!!
The Queen of the Golden Doily is offering a very nice example of a German diecut that, although common, isn’t commonly seen in this great condition. Ziz is one of my favorite dealers. She typically offers a wide variety of vintage goods that appeal to both new and experienced collectors. She firmly believes in the auction format, beginning her listings at $9.99. You would do well to watch her listings!
Halloween Pressed Paper Hanging Decorations Large OWL, small cat & small bat
It’s pretty rare that I am able to get a bargain on eBay outside of the mispriced BIN listings. This auction-format listing actually ran for a full week. I put in a bid significantly higher than what I ended up paying for this lot - a relative pittance of about $110 with shipping. Lots of collectors were asleep at the switch or were inundated with the avalanche of listings that materialize at this time of the year. Although the owl is quite nice, it was far eclipsed by my interest in the two mini-diecuts - both rare enough that I’ve never seen them. Although the bat is not in the condition normally required to become part of the collection, it is energetic and full of personality. I have a similar cat with the tail demurely by its side, but not this great design. For once - an auction bargain!
Later Update: Well, not so fast. A good friend pointed out to me that the mini-diecuts I was so excited about look to be cut-outs from two of the set of six German diecuts of characters with crescent moons that you can see on page 184. I don’t know how I didn’t see that before. So, the only person asleep at the switch was me. The lesson here is that even someone who has been collecting for 31 years can be dumb enough to waste money on remnants! Very good catch, CR. How I wish I would have had your wise counsel before bidding on the lot!
Halloween Vintage Tally, 2 Arched Black Cat Tallies, Heavy Silvery Highlighting
These cute tallies were produced by Hallmark. The seller is a long-time collector, both knowledgeable and honest! Don’t hesitate doing business with her.
1920s Halloween JOL SATCHEL Candy Box Squeaker RARE!
Two examples of this squeaking satchel have sold in the last ~18 months, one in the low $200s and the other in the low $300s. Like this one, they were made in Japan. This is not a German-made item.
09/26 Update: This sold for $399.99, a significantly higher price than the other two. I wonder if the buyer thought they were buying an item made in Germany?
Vintage Halloween EMBOSSED CARDBOARD DIE CUT DEVIL GERMANY 10 x 9.5"
This was a surprising ending price. These German devil head diecuts are arguably among the most common. They surface regularly and typically sell for well below $200. So, not only were the bidders overly frenzied, but this is the time of the year when so many solid vintage Halloween items are listed that bargains are to be had. Why overpay? My contention is that NOW is the very best time to be a buyer. There are so many listings with collectors having only so many dollars to spend, that lots tend to go cheaper now than at any other time of the year. I have many items on my watch list and expect to buy several nice items for much less than one would expect to pay at other times of the year. Aberrant results like this one should lessen between now and middle of November.
Vtg HALLOWEEN Dennison Howling Cat on Crescent Moon Diecut Circa 1920s
Dennison diecuts have increased mightily in price these last couple of years as collectors realize that few survived, especially given the thin paper stock they used. This howling cat with crescent moon diecut first appeared in their 1929 Price List pamphlet. Although it has a crease where the tail protrudes beyond the moon, the color is fantastic. It seems to have no other flaws. The seller sold this too cheap with a BIN of $144.49. These typically fetch $225 and up. The buyer got a bargain.
