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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Labels Witch Design Original Box

The seller left a tidy sum on the proverbial table by offering this rare boxed set of Whitney seals as a BIN for $32. Surprisingly, the listing lasted ~2.5 hours before some knowledgeable soul snapped the set up. These green-boxed Whitney seal sets have become quite desirable.

Vintage Gibson Embossed Halloween Seals Jack-O-Lantern IOB Germany

As I write on page 264, “These may be among the first boxed sets of seals Gibson issued. Unlike all other Gibson seals I have seen, each of the seals…is marked on the reverse, “Gibson Line Made in Germany.” I assume this was a very short-lived association …. “ The example in the collection doesn’t have a quantity sticker, so the fact that this listing shows the box held 35 seals is good information.

VINTAGE DENNISON'S HALLOWEEN DECORATION SEALS ART DECO BOY WITCH HAT DOG RUN

This box of seals seems pristine. Given that the seller didn’t state otherwise, I assume all 20 seals were extant. Although the selling price is excessive, Dennison products from this period are truly scarce. Beginning around 1928 and continuing through the early 1930s, Dennison’s design aesthetic took a sharp turn away from what it had been. Instead, a playful, Art Deco vibe was adopted along with vibrant colors. Products from this period are among the best things Dennison produced. This box was sold with stock number H921.

VINTAGE DENNISON HALLOWEEN PARTY DECORATION STICKERS SEALS SKELETON BLACK CAT

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.

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN GIBSON FULL BOX 12 WINKING OWL CRESCENT MOON SEALS MINT! 1920

Some boxed Gibson seals have recently sold for significantly more than SGV. Owls have never commanded the highest prices in seemingly any of the vintage Halloween genres, and this was no exception. The hammer came down almost precisely at the SGV. Although complete Gibson boxed sets are significantly harder to find than many of the Dennison boxed sets, the latter typically command high dollars. Gibson's production was more limited as was their distribution. Not helping the secondary market for Gibson's boxed sets is that their art was, by and large, pedestrian and uninspired. 

Antique Vintage Halloween Black Cat Seals in Box Gibson Art Company c1920s

This beautiful box of seals was produced by Gibson during the 1920s. Gibson's output was significantly less than their arch-competitor, Dennison, and, sadly, their distribution network was similarly circumscribed. Hence, today it is difficult to find Gibson boxed sets - and even more difficult to find such a clean and nearly complete box. My operating theory is that vintage Halloween paper (aside from napkins, table cloths and the like) will continue its rapid ascent, so if you like this genre, snap this one up. If you wish to see an extensive array of Gibson boxed sets, please refer to pages 264-265. 

10/22 Update: This fetched a strong $150.50. 

Rare SET Of 1920'S 7 Vintage BEISTLE Halloween BROOMED WITCH Gummed SEALS

This seller has flooded eBay with listings these last few days. Although I love seeing new items, rather than the high percentage of retreads choking eBay, I wish this seller could get a handle on how to properly load photos. Only a small percentage of her items have photos that show as thumbnails when searching by category. This will surely hurt the overall returns expected from the listings. 

Vtg Halloween Flying Witch Seals Stickers In Tiny Box Like Dennison Fabulous!

This small box of seals was produced by Whitney during the 1920s. The market leader for such boxed seals was Dennison by a wide margin, followed by Gibson and their simpler yet somewhat quirkier designs. Whitney was definitely out of their element in making these sets. The art is flat and uninteresting. They rarely marked these boxes, whether out of shame or expediency I cannot say. Dennison boxed sets were produced in relatively high numbers and had a national distribution. Gibson less so and Whitney even less so. Although hard to find, especially complete, these typically change hands for around $100 per box, so the buyer paid a premium here.