To emphasize the point made in the post immediately below, this 12” version of a Johnny Pumpkin brought $365 even in the poorish condition so common with things offered by this seller.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
beistle Johnny pumpkin head
As a long-time collector it is fun and informative to see what genres wax and wane over the years. These Johnny Pumpkin table top decorations produced by Beistle with few exceptions from 1919-1921 have been enjoying a good waxing for several years now. The most common ones are 5” tall and sell for $70-100 most days. The 8” versions, like the two in this listing, have been very strong sellers for several years. Whereas they used to fetch $100, they sometimes now bring $200+ each. (Of the two in this lot, the one staring straight forward is marginally harder to find.) The 16” designs are nearly impossible to find. The single 20” design is so rare that I’ve only seen it three times in over 30 years of very active collecting. All designs above 8” bring nearly unfathomable prices.
Vintage Unusual Halloween Occult Party Dancers Round Ratchet Tin Noisemaker
Don’t overlook this little gem produced by Chein during the 1920s. The choice of colors is odd given that they don’t connote anything to indicate it is a Halloween scene, but if you look closely the conclusion is unavoidable.
RARE Vintage Halloween Beistle Horrible Witch Articulated Bat Winged Witch
I feel there are at least two problems with this example of Beistle’s Horrible Witch, which were produced in some abundance during the 1920s. The seller, a long-time collector, should know that the toning on the skirt is not original to the piece but an imperfection, probably due to poor storage. Also, the one arm segment seems oddly pale compared to the others. I suspect this segment is not original to the item. Since eBay allows at least 12 photos per listing, I don’t understand why the seller includes only 4 photos.
Antique German Halloween Candy Container Box Suitcase Train Case Saxony
It is a rush to see such a high quality item on a forum that has fallen so far since its heyday. This confection was made sometime between 1910-1914. The measurements the seller has provided would indicate this is larger than others I’ve seen. The condition is nice, but nowhere near perfect. Given what the seller is asking, I would have hoped the condition would have been far better.
GREAT ANTIQUE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN WITCH, BLACK CAT, & OWL CANDLES NEVER BEEN USED
This lot consisting of three candles is unusual in that I’ve not seen any of these designs before. I wonder if the witch could be by Gurley? I don’t think the other two are. I feel the owl is the star of the lot.
Vintage Halloween Rosbro Snowman Hard Plastic Candy Container 1950s Great Cond.
You can’t go wrong with this fine seller. This jaunty Halloween snowman rarely is offered with a fully intact pipe. It’s nice to see a smattering of worthwhile items on eBay.
Die-Cut Buzza Co Bridge Tally Jester Clown Swinging Crescent Moon Jack-O-Lantern
I’ve never seen this cool design before. Given the crispness of the crescent moon’s tip, it’s doubtful one in better condition will ever surface. I like the blue background and the jester’s costume. What a wonderful tally by one of the regional masters, Buzza.
VINTAGE KIRCHHOF TIN HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKER WITCH CATS Bats MOON
This listing lasted a scant few minutes as some savvy buyer saw the seller had made a major error in offering this desirable Kirchhof tin litho horn for about one-quarter of what it would have fetched had they just started it at $9.99 and let an auction run its course.
Antique/Vtg BIG Die Cut Cardboard Halloween Cat Double Face Lantern Orig Insert
Beistle produced this lantern in the very early 1940s, along with an owl face design they often sold then as a set. Neither lantern has ever garnered much enthusiasm on the secondary market, for reasons that escape me. Is the item too large? Is the design unappealing?
1920's -1930's Bundle of 5 Halloween Noisemakers--Collector Pieces, Hard to Find
This seller, who routinely vastly overprices her items, is asking $570 for this lot. This nosebleed price is significantly higher than the component parts would warrant. For the wish-upon-a-star price, you’d think the seller would provide a host of decent photos rather than making a potential buyer guess as to condition.
Rare 2 Sided Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Candle Lantern Honeycome Sides Fold out
It’s hard to tell from the poor photos provided with this listing the precise condition of this lantern, produced by Beistle during the early 1930s. Is it slanted so that it won’t stand properly? The description is almost indecipherable, almost as if the seller was trying to write a haiku. In any event, if the lantern isn’t slanted from poor storage, this is a hard one to find and would be a good one to acquire for a collection. Dimensions aren’t provided by our very poor poet, but if it like the one in the collection it measures 9.25” high by 10.25” across.
05/02 Update: The seller stopped the listing and relisted the lantern due to an accident involving the lantern wherein it was further damaged.
HALLOWEEN POSTCARD - H.B.G. - Postcard # 1 of 12 LISTED TODAY
Isn’t it odd that someone trying to sell as many postcards as this seller doesn’t provide scans of the reverse?
1919 Dennisons Bogie Book Vtg Antique Halloween Party Decoration Catalog Costume
This hard-to-find copy of the 1919 edition of Dennison’s Bogie Book brought about what I expected given its condition. Most of the editions from the teens are tough to score in decent condition. Given current knowledge, the 1913 edition is near impossible to find, with the 1912, 1914 and 1916 editions only slightly easier to procure. (Dennison’s first Bogie Book was issued in 1909. There is only one copy known to be in private hands. There was nothing published for 1910 and 1911. There was then a run from 1912 through 1917. Nothing was published in 1918 due to WWI.) The next tier of availability from the teens would be 1915, 1919 then 1917.
I am missing the 1913 issue. I began seeking out the original Bogie Book mailing envelopes - talk about a masochist - years ago and have been lucky to find many, all of which can be seen on pages 100-104. At some point Dennison ceased designing a specific envelope for the annual Bogie Books. Although I think this ceasing began before 1926, it certainly began by 1926 when Dennison began packaging their Bogie Books in envelopes marked as “Dennison Instruction Books.”
Another level of masochism involving Bogie Books is to collect trade editions, or non-library editions, in hardback.
2 USA Pumpkin Halloween Decorations
When I saw that eBay reported these as being sold for $1200 I knew something was amiss. These two vented lanterns were produced by Beistle during the mid-1950s. They surface frequently enough that given this pair’s condition, the selling price should have been less than $100. Sure enough, they actually sold for $76.
