Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Happy New Year!

Hello Readers,

Happy New Year to you!

I appreciate you taking the time to read what I post here. Looking at the site’s analytics, the reading audience has greatly expanded over the last several years, with a notable spike in 2019. I’d like to think it’s because of my witty prose, but the reality is almost certainly not that. The hobby remains expensive with more fakes, fantasy and “Frankensteined” pieces coming to market than ever before. Vigilance remains the watchword when buying vintage Halloween items. Know the sellers. Conduct business only with those who’ll stand behind their attribution forever. If you buy at shows, always get a receipt detailing the item and the seller’s contact information.

As so many of you do already, feel free to ask my opinion of any particular item you see on any forum. I’ll give you the straight skinny as I am beholden to no one.

Stay tuned for my May 3rd auction. I’ll have at least 100 lots of nothing but authentic, vintage items on offer. This go-round the range of goods is broad: German diecuts, German candy containers/figurals/lanterns, hard plastic, post cards, games and game pieces, US pulp, tin noisemakers, Dennison goods, Beistle treasures, small paper items and other rare miscellany.

As always, the auction is open only to those who care enough about the hobby to have invested in the best and most complete reference available, my 3rd edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles, by buying a copy from me. Ordering information is on this site.

Be safe, be well and be kind in this New Year!

MBL

Antique 1929 Fortune Telling Game, The Witch of Endor, Naumkeag Games, Salem, MA

This game surfaces enough that I feel $200 was an aggressive price to pay. A loyal reader asked my opinion of the listing. I said that although the overall condition was good, the BIN price was too high, given that several have sold for about half that in the last year on eBay and other forums. (The listing shows the game sold for $225, but the actual selling price was $200 according to the seller. )

RARE Antique Witch Cauldron 1925 Beistle collapsible paper Vintage Halloween

It was great to see this listing for the iconic Beistle honeycomb cauldron. This design came in three sizes, with this one appearing to be the largest. The arch, normally the scene of the crime with these delicate objects, is intact. I suspect the seller might have gotten more for this given its size and overall condition if it had been offered through an auction format.

Very fine near mint 1920 Vintage Halloween German Black Cat & JOLs Tiara Diadem

This has to be one of the finest German tiaras I’ve seen. Can you imagine how rare it is for something to go through nearly 100 years and still look like this with its bright color and intact highlighting? Discerning collectors know what a treasure this is as it has been bid up to $510 as of this writing. It’ll be fun to see what this fetches!

12/17 Update: The ending price was shockingly low - $787 - surely a disappointment to the seller.

Contact Page Problems

Hello Readers,
I discovered this morning that the Contact page wasn’t working, in that if you sent me an email through the site I wasn’t receiving it. I don’t know how long that was the case, but I’m guessing several weeks. I worked with my site’s host’s customer support unit this morning and the issue was solved. So, if you sent a message and were left wondering why I hadn’t responded, that was the reason. Happy Thanksgiving!

BEISTLE HONEYCOMB CAT FACE CONTINENTAL HAT WITH PLUME RARE 1925-31 WITH STRAP

This desirable Beistle continental hat was produced from 1925-1931. Although these surface from time to time, seldom do they do so in such awesome condition. The companion hat to it is shown on page 238. Although the seller may have started it too high, you will rarely have an opportunity to do business with such a seller: knowledgeable and eminently trustworthy.

Vintage Gibson Halloween Black Cat Tally Cards

The buyer of this lot of two Gibson tallies got a bargain. Both are visually appealing, colorful and large. The full-bodied cat looking back is the better of the two. It is rarely seen, especially in collectible condition. That tally alone should have brought $60. This is another example of the perils of using the Buy-It-Now feature when not specializing in what is being sold.

Large HALLOWEEN FLYING WITCH W BIRD STARS Germany Embossed Paper Diecut H10

Even given the fair amount of surface paper missing this German windowpane diecut brought less than I would have expected. This design is one of four comprising a full set, all being roughly the same size. (Some of the cottage industries producing these windowpanes trimmed the borders some. As long as the trimming doesn’t touch the central image, there is generally no diminution of value.)

Happy Halloween!

Well, another Halloween season has nearly concluded. What a wild ride it has been with record prices for paper - small paper, German diecuts, USA diecuts, table decorations, games, etc.. The prices have been high enough that I do worry about the average collector - the life blood of all hobbies - being priced out.

Other segments like hard plastic and blow molds have stayed strong, whereas I’ve seen softening with lanterns and candy containers. Tin overall has strengthened some.

I expect to see many more lanterns and candy containers come to market as the first generation of collectors, who typically specialized in these genres, die off.

I expect to see continued strengthening in the paper segments as there is just not much of this in collectible condition to be found.

I’ll have a great array of vintage Halloween lots for my annual May auction - open only to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition directly from me.

Have a Happy Halloween!

MBL