One of my wishes relative to eBay is that they would choose to become more transparent about what items fetch when a “Best Offer” is involved. This listing shows a celluloid piece in less than pristine condition with what I thought was an offer price that would never be attained. Although the asking price of $2999.99 wasn’t gotten, what was the actual price at which the witch changed hands?
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween Embossed Flying Witch Die Cut Germany 1920s/30s
This is one large diecut, measuring ~16” high by ~14.5” across. The comment I want to make is about condition. This large highly embossed decoration is in what I would consider “normal” condition. I’ve been a collector since 1988 with a penchant for condition, but sometimes it is too easy to forget that such examples in near mint or better condition are truly rare, and a pleasant surprise when you see one. I sold the example in my book on page 178 in May 2020 for $302 when I judged the condition as not being high enough for it to remain part of the collection. Was that dumb? No. Condition is key for me, perhaps more so than with many other collectors. Each of our condition thresholds differ. I try not to lose sight of the fact that vintage Halloween items were generally not viewed as things to be saved/preserved, hence the rarity of near mint or better pieces. When I first looked at this listing I thought that the condition was only “good,” but that was a reflex based on my threshold. The reality is that virtually all collectors would find this example a totally acceptable candidate for their collections - and that is the way it should be.
I spent last weekend in the greater Los Angeles region attending a toy and advertising show in Glendale, with fun forays to visit collectors in La Verne and Whittier. There was virtually no Halloween at the show except those items you’d fully expect to see at a show. That really underscored how rare items are for our fun hobby. I look around at my collection and am thankful I’ve been able to find what I’ve found. I hope you do the same for your collections.
vintage Halloween plastic PUMPKIN JOL WITCH CAT CANDY HOLDER container
It seems that hard plastic has been on a bit of a tear of late, but even so, this result is surprising. (Values for blow molds from the 1960s have moved sharply upward during the last ~2 years - a related market segment.) There are a handful of hard plastic items that are nearly ubiquitous - and this is one of them. Seeing this fetch $50 is startling. Typical pricing is $20-30.
I’ve never collected hard plastic, as the market segment generally doesn’t appeal to me. However, I have grown fond of most of the Kokomold line from Elkhart, Indiana.
RARE antique German Halloween die cut windowpane with witch vintage GREAT!
I’ve seen many examples of this diecut over the years. The condition of this one being sold by a knowledgeable and honest seller is in the top five of all those I have seen. Because these are so large they are prone to lots of surface paper cracking and typically have suffered the indignities of tape and multiple punctures. The description indicates this example has largely escaped those problems. The way the colors have mellowed on this one is pleasing. I hope this does well. It is heartening to see such a quality item amidst all the crapola that one has to wade through now since eBay changed their holiday categorization system.
Vintage Halloween Beistle Witch Near Mint 1950’s Large 18"
I’d say that when you look at the totality of Beistle’s Halloween output during the late 1950s, there are few stand-out items. Their creative gas tank was nearly on E. The trio of oddly captivating witches that this diecut belongs to is the definite exception to the lethargy Beistle brought to the marketplace back then. All are large, printed on slightly thinner stock and have irregular borders. (All can be seen on page 159.) Any of the trio is frustratingly difficult to find in near-mint or better condition. It took me nearly 30 years to get such examples, so these in that condition surface rarely. If you love quirky Beistle designs, don’t let this diecut escape. This fine seller has one more from the trio listed at this time, too.
Rare Vintage Halloween Dennison Witch Diecut "Eats"
Dennison diecuts from this time period, 1928-1932, are exceedingly hard-to-find in collectible condition. Even this one with its flaws has already garnered bids to $787 with 5 days to go! Dennison adopted a very specific design aesthetic during these years that differentiated their printed paper wares from all other major competitors. As the Halloween season of 1929 was wrapping up the stock market crashed. Within a year the icy tendrils of the Great Depression were crushing the vitality out of the general US economy. Dennison wasn’t spared. The overall number of their designs, and the number of each design made, atrophied. The general population was more concerned about buying food than decorations. So, at this remove of ~90 years, Dennison Halloween products from this time period are rarely seen but avidly pursued. This particularly charming non-embossed diecut first appeared in their 1930 Price List pamphlet.
08/31 Update: This ended up selling for the long-time high bid of $787, a strong price.
Vintage Halloween Diecut Full Moon Witch on Broom USA 12" tall cardboad
After wading through several screens of eBay garbage, I was stopped short by this great design. Although this example seems to be in poor condition, I haven’t seen this Beistle creation offered for sale for a long while. It was issued in the very early 1960s. Later in that decade, Beistle reissued a double-sided version. I would change its RSIN from “3” to “2.” Given its condition, a bid at the opening price of $35 surprised me some.
07/27 Update: This sold for $51.
Vintage Halloween Nut Cup Unused Condition Witch Cauldron JOL Cat
This rare, large, ornately designed nut cup would have brought far more had the seller simply listed it in an auction format at an opening price of $9.99. I didn’t find one to add to the collection until October 2015, so these don’t often surface. I feel the seller left at least $100 on the table.
Vintage Mechanical Halloween Witch & Pumpkin Q&A Die-Cut Card
Gibson produced a line of these witch fortune place cards during the mid-1920s. There are two designs. One shows a witch standing holding a pumpkin, like this one, while the other design shows a witch stirring a cauldron. The latter is more involved and harder to find. The buyer got a bargain on this, as they typically change hands in the $65-85 range.
Vintage Halloween Witch Cardboard Candy Container by G.M. Co.
This candy box, produced during the middle-late 1940s by G.M. Company, is in rough condition. Not only are tabs missing, as pointed out by the seller, but it is quite faded. The greens and blues have faded away to yellow.
12/13 Update: This brought $67, a good deal for the seller.
LARGE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN WITCH ON BROOM BLACK CAT DIE CUT USA
This great seller often has wonderful items up for auction. This very hard-to-find diecut of a grimly determined broomed witch is one of a set of three large witch diecuts Beistle issued in the late 1950s. In my view, the set represents the last gasp of Beistle’s creativity for many years. These diecuts are often found in poor condition given their size and the thin paper stock Beistle used.
LARGE vintage Dennison's "Singing Cat & Witch" diecut! Rare & near mint. 1928!
This fantastic diecut is in remarkable condition. In fact, it may be in the best condition I’ve seen. It seems as if Dennison printed this in 1928, a buyer came along then tucked it gently into a drawer never opening it again until it was liberated for this listing. I think the buyer is right - the songbook being held was almost certainly meant to serve another purpose. I can imagine this hung on a wall at a long-ago party with “FOOD” and an arrow contained within the perimeter of the songbook. Awesome! It will be fun to see what this brings.
Vintage Halloween Cardboard Tab & Slot Candy Container Nut Cup Witch Cat Gibson
What a magnificent item! I had never seen this Gibson nut cup design before seeing this listing. I appreciate the detailed rendering of the scene and the colors chosen by the designer. Gibson produced some of the most interesting and avant-garde products. I’ve collected their output (small paper, seals and diecuts) many years. The seller is a long-time, knowledgeable member of the Halloween collecting community. I love doing business with her!
Vintage Paper/Papier Mache Rare Halloween Orange WITCH Candy Container EDC
I wonder if the black highlights were added by an end-user after purchase? They look amateurish. If so, their addition diminishes the value of this elusive item.
Vintage Witch Halloween Die Cut Paper Seasonal Decorations
The seller, unclebooboo7, made a big boo boo indeed, listing this desirable Beistle Horrible Witch jointed decoration for a BIN of $35. It lasted all of 5 minutes before some lucky collector got a fantastic deal at the expense of a clueless seller. The decoration seems to be in quite nice condition. If the seller had let it run at auction, they would have surely received no less than 10 times what they did get.
