If you’ve been waiting to get a nearly complete early Beistle Complete Party Outfit - this is your chance. As this wonderful seller says in the listing, I personally examined this. I was blown away by the condition. It seems that the original buyer used and discarded the lampshades then stored everything else away not to see the light of day for 100 years. This is a notoriously difficult set to complete. Interestingly, the shades are perhaps the easiest elements to find. The seller is a personal friend. She’s been in the vintage Halloween collecting field nearly as long as I have and is quite knowledgeable. She is eminently trustworthy. As I type this, the price is already at $1500. Given the quality and rarity - there is plenty of room to run!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
VINTAGE US METAL TOY TIN HALLOWEEN TAMBOURINE Winking Jack-O-Lantern & dancers
This is the most common Halloween tin tambourine out there. Made during the 1960s when cuteness reigned supreme, these don’t bring much especially when not in near-mint+ condition. Hence, this was a strong result for the seller.
Halloween RUST CO. Tally, Witch and Pumpkin Girl Dance Before Gilt Moon
Here’s another result I’m having trouble understanding. Small paper has been red-hot, but it cannot be sustainable. Prices have gotten pretty far ahead of scarcity.
Vintage Halloween Black Owl Seals Gibson Great Condition
I’m glad that boxes of Gibson seals are getting the market attention they deserve. (In fact, a box alone sold for $79!) Gibson was always the also-ran to Dennison in terms of seals - certainly both in artistry and quantity/distribution. Box for box, Gibson seals are much harder to find than Dennison. I began collecting them in earnest 20+ years ago and still only have maybe 30 boxes.
Vintage Halloween Dennison Party Invitation Witches JOL Black Cat
There doesn’t seem to be evidence of a recession in the prices some small paper is commanding. I better understand this result as this invitation was produced by Dennison. It is rare enough that I’d never seen it before this listing. The artwork isn’t up to Dennison’s highest standards. The mark is unusual, too. However, that said, I’d have been happy to have it become part of the collection - but not at that price.
Rust Craft Art Deco Halloween Bridge Tally Witch Broom Full Moon Black Bow 3HT7
I’m having trouble making sense of this result.
Rare Antique Halloween Party Outfit Game Beistle Die Cut Decorations Witches
This sure is a rare set of early Beistle items. This was the first Complete Party Outfit Beistle produced. The year was 1918. There are a few scattered items that don’t belong to the set: the skeleton and the small orange and black diecuts produced by Hallmark. The large JOLs are especially hard-to-find components of this earliest of sets. It is too bad the box is so thrashed. It’ll be fun to see where this set ends in this era of WTF prices for paper items.
06/23 Update: This brought $1,025!
Art Deco Bridge Place Card Halloween Witch Black Cats on Skirt Jack-O-Lantern
This seller has been offering a stunning array of small paper featuring an elegant lady motif. It is interesting to see the exceptionally strong prices most of this seller’s wares have been receiving. I forecast that small paper would be the next hot market segment some time ago, but I never thought it would get this hot and stay that way.
Desirable Cat and Witch Fry Pan Halloween Noisemaker by Bugle Toy Company
I haven’t seen this design come up for sale too often lately. Bugle Toy of Providence, RI made some of the most avant-garde tin litho decorations of any of its competitors. The ending price seems strong.
Die-Cut Halloween Art Deco Bridge Tally Witch at Cauldron Goblins Black Cat Bats
This seller has been selling exceptional examples of small paper. Many of the items they are offering are new to me, so I look very much forward to checking out the listings of the seller, onestellarseller.
Vtg Antique Copies Of 3 Halloween Diecuts
Is this a new eBay low? This enterprising/desperate/pitiable seller is offering “antique copies” of these diecuts for an opening price of $22. Really? Are they antique copies or copies of antiques? What a crock.
VINTAGE GERMAN DIE-CUT EMBOSSED HALLOWEEN CAT WITH VIOLIN DECORATION Near Mint!
The Germans produced the complete set of six of these black cat band members during the 1920s. They comprise one of the most popular diecut sets collected. I’ve found that the cymbals and guitar diecuts are harder to find in acceptable condition, but this one closely follows. The newish seller does everything right - a solid number of quality photos with a no-nonsense description. The glazed diecut looks great and is worth your consideration.
Vintage Halloween Tambourine Rattle & Whistle Jack O Lantern - Germany
This German shaker was produced during the early 1930s. This well-made item consists of reinforced fibered paper pulled taut over a cardboard frame with encircling thin wood borders. Most of the time there would have been small bells attached to the front and back, but when the handle doubles as a whistle, as in this case, these bells were not originally included. I’ve seen a lot of these and this is in much better-than-average condition. This seller has begun with a reasonable opening price.
06/04 Update: This sold for a strong $179.50.
Interesting German Diadem or Tiara Variant
I was chatting with one of my favorite fellow collectors, Cindy Vogel, yesterday. She pointed out that there is a variant to one of the twelve diadem or tiara designs the Germans produced during the 1920s. I found this information startling and very interesting as I’ve seen several examples of the envelope that once contained these. It is clear from those envelopes that there were twelve designs. Why there would have been a variant is a mystery. Except for the eyes, they seem to be otherwise identical.
Vintage Halloween Black Cat Noisemaker Ball Pan Clapper GERMANY
This tin litho pan clanger was produced in Germany during the late 1920s. It is quite rare, so even with its missing back clapper it is worth far more than the $35 the seller asked for in by listing it as a BIN.
