I would classify this game as having only the most tangential of connections to Halloween. Except for the broomed witch, there really is none. Some collectors specialize in collecting fortune telling games, and a precious few are truly Halloween related, but the vast majority either have no connection or the slimmest of connections to Halloween. Just as a nice piece of colorful art, I can see the modest value this item fetched - but that price is also a judgement from the market that classifying this item as a Halloween game is incorrect. The Fortune Crystal Game is another example of an item often wrongly classified as having a Halloween connection.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
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. )
1928 Fortunes Party Halloween Game Past Present & Future Punch Board Unused
This is a punch game I don’t recall seeing before. The graphics are both minimalist and check most of the boxes for iconic imagery. Unusually, it seems to be wholly intact. I wonder if the seller has started it too high at a $49.99 opening price?
01/02 Update: This sold for $62.99.
Vintage Fortune Telling Game In Sealed Package
No matter how much some collectors might want this to be considered a Halloween item, it isn’t.
HALLOWEEN BEISTLE FLAMING HALLOWE'EN FORTUNE GAME EARLY READ RARE $379.99
This is the first time I’ve seen a cardboard envelope associated with this classic Beistle game. Whenever I’ve seen this game’s envelope, it is made from glassine. As with so many of Beistle’s envelopes, it is beautifully rendered and functional. The game itself was produced no later than 1931 and had two variants - one with six flaming fortunes and the other with twelve flaming fortunes.
SCARCE 1931-1932 WITCH-EE ANIMATED FORTUNE TELLER GAME. VERY GOOD CONDITION
The lid graphics on this game are outstanding - and it is for those that the Halloween collector would want to add this game to their display. The witch was not attached to the game board. A player would rub the chamois across the plastic atop the game board causing static electricity that would lift the witch silhouette. Once the rubbing stops, the witch would fall on a particular spoke of the game announcing the player’s fortune.
10/21 Update: This sold for $259.97.
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 RARE HALLOWEEN MYSTERY ANSWER BOARD GAME ~ PRECURSOR TO OUIJA BOARD -HTF
I haven’t seen one of these being offered for some time. Beistle produced two variants of this item’s sibling that were both marketed as Witch’s Mystery Answer Games. The much rarer one of these was produced in 1931 and has a white background. (I have yet to find one to add to the collection.) The more common version was produced beginning in 1933 and has an orange background. (Except for a very slight size difference, these two are otherwise identical.) As an interim item, this noticeably smaller Mystery Answer Board was produced only in 1932. They are rare. The condition of the one offered for auction seems to be quite good, although I wish the seller would have included a full picture of the item’s reverse. This is such an eye-catching and desirable item that I expect bidding to be fierce. If you don’t have this and collect Beistle, this is a “must have” item.
Rare Antique Beistle “Spook’s Trip” Halloween Party Game
This result is surprising. This Spook’s Trip game, produced by Beistle during the 1950s, is shabby and incomplete, as it is missing the six markers from the lower right corner. These surface from time to time, generally in better condition. A complete example can be found on page 20. I would have expected this to fetch $30.
HALLOWEEN DIE CUT PUMPKIN GAME
These are remnants from the Pick-A-Pumpkin game that was printed in both Germany and the USA around 1920. You can see the complete game on page 125. As remnants, these would have decorative value only.
03/26 Update: These remnants sold for $52.49.
THE WITCH OF ENDOR Fortune Telling Game 1929 Salem Mass HALLOWEEN Rare
Over the years, this 1929 game hasn’t gotten the collector love it deserves. With now two major exceptions, the price has hovered around $100. This ending price of $299.95 was almost certainly driven by its extremely nice condition. This game’s lid is almost always concave with significant chipping. Not this one. Even so, a very high price indeed. (In June 2016, an example in slightly lesser condition sold for a record price of $316.99.)
Vintage Halloween Wheel Witch Fortune Game For Kids
Beistle trademarked this mechanical fortune game in 1936 and released it for sale in 1938. The seller states that it is in excellent condition. There are a few bends scattered throughout, the most serious of which seems to be at the end of the broom. More problematic for those understandably concerned with condition is the missing point at the front of the JOL. I would say the condition is at best “very good.” The header card, something often missing, is a nice supplement to this listing.
10/13 Update: Condition aside, this item sold for a VERY bubbly price of $338.33.
MILTON BRADLEY CO. JACK O’ LANTERN GAME “COMPLETE”
This great seller, stnick22, realized generally very bubblicious prices for their many listings. This game is one that has eluded my grasp for decades. It still eludes my grasp. The cover is where all the value resides as the game’s pieces and interior are ho-hum. I made a valiant effort to acquire it, but the ending price was simply too high. I am a patient man.
Vintage Beistle Halloween Witch Mystery Answer Board Game 1920's/30's
Beistle produced this rare Mystery Answer Board for a single season - 1932. I feel this version is more aesthetically pleasing than the larger white-backed Witch’s Mystery Answer Game they produced the year before. I can’t remember when I last saw this for sale. Even so, paying $400 for this item when it is in such poor condition is hard to understand.
Vintage Halloween WITCH PARTY GAME - 1965 - HARD TO FIND!
This is a rare game indeed. I've never seen it before. I'm typically not much interested in items manufactured after ~1955, but the imagery caught my eye. It is unusually detailed and not-too-friendly considering it was issued in 1965. Given the compelling graphics and the overall super condition, I'm surprised it didn't realize more than $212.50.
