I was surprised to see this diecut garner so many bids and dollars. Both ears should have sharp points. The ear on the left as you look at the diecut seems blunted. In any event, the Germans produced at least three versions of this diecut. The hats on each differ. One looks at you (this one…), one looks down and one looks to one side. The one looking down is exceedingly rare. I’ve only seen it once - when I purchased it.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween die cut Black cats Germany
This seller states that they have been a collector for over 40 years. I wonder, then, why they have such an exalted view of value. The lot is being offered for a BIN of $575, with an option to make an offer. These are quite common. A fair offer would be in the $200 range.
EXCEEDINGLY RARE Vintage Halloween Skeleton with Sign Diecut Decoration Gibson!!
Amidst the too-many listings of new items on eBay since they took away the ability to differentiate vintage from new, it is a joy to view an exceedingly rare diecut. Paper is my province - I love small paper like invitations, tallies and place cards; I love larger paper like table decorations, games and diecuts. Although I collect many other market segments like lanterns and candy containers, what gets my Grinch-like heart to expand is good paper. This is good paper. Gibson’s design aesthetic was eccentric. They used a color palette significantly larger than their competitors like Beistle and to a lesser degree, Dennison. Their designs were more unusual - especially in that their diecuts were often a way to convey party messages. Gibson’s output overall, including for diecuts, was much smaller than their main competitors, which means that finding examples in collectible condition is tough. This same great seller had a Gibson “Cold Facts” diecut end this very morning. It was only the second time I had seen it available - and both times it was the actually the exact same diecut offered. (I was the prevailing bidder.) This “Right This Way” diecut with the green skeleton face and arm bone is a treasure. I’ve only seen it a few times and every time save for this listing, the hand was completely detached. Gibson wasn’t perfect - they should have a sturdier design. It’ll be fun to see what this brings. Gibson items have escalated sharply over these last few years, a market recognition of desirability and scarcity.
10-04 Update: I feel this somewhat underperformed at $1,009.
Original Vintage 1930s BEISTLE Halloween YELLOW DOG Ghost JOL Fence diecut GOOD
This Beistle diecut eluded my grasp for too long. I finally found one that met my condition threshold in late 2018. Beistle wasn’t the design powerhouse it once was at the time this design was released, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at this great item. There is a lot going on. Along with the busy, compact design the color choices were inspired. It’ll be fun to see what this fetches. Check out the other items this seller has listed.
1929 Vintage Halloween DENNISON Diecut SKULL & CROSSBONES w/ *Blue* Eyes 9"
I’ve really come to appreciate this wonderful seller’s descriptions. They are typically jammed with helpful information presented in an orderly, clear manner. Other sellers should take notice. The extreme description sparsity on one end and the froufrou encrusted descriptions on the other end should give way to more of a no-nonsense presentation of the item, when it was produced, by which firm when known, dimensions and finally a detailed account of description.
1940s Vintage Halloween BEISTLE Diecut Two CATS w/ Anthropomorphic Moon EMBOSSED
This design belongs to a set of twelve that Beistle produced for a long time beginning in 1932. All are common enough that you’ll see each design multiple times every year. The trick in collecting diecuts from this set is to get the earliest pressing you can. (Admittedly, many collectors couldn’t care less about this distinction. I get this. However, for those kindred spirits, read on.) I arbitrarily divide the pressing history for these diecuts into three phases. The three embossing levels can be generally described as heavy, moderate and light with the production dates roughly corresponding to 1932-1941, 1946-1949 and 1950-1954 respectively. When the stamping plates were new, the embossing was deep and rich. As they became worn, the embossing became shallower. The example this fine seller is offering is from the third embossing phase. The value delta between phase one and phase three is about 20%.
RAREST Vintage Halloween Fence Diecut Decoration JOLs Black Cats, Germany 1935!!
This is considered by many collectors to be THE German diecut to own. Its length, complexity of design and overall scarcity are three of the more important factors making this statement a true one. These don’t surface often. The last one was on eBay in late October 2021 and it sold for $5,000. That example was in significantly better condition than this one, so this one’s condition may act as an upper limit gate on the valuation, although with prices unsustainably frothy, who’s to say?
This diecut is rare enough that I wasn’t able to locate one good enough for the collection until just ~3 years ago. A couple of notes: This diecut design was factory folded at the center then shipped. The fold line is between the second and third figures. Although I haven’t seen more than a dozen of these in 34+ years of collecting, a majority of the ones I’ve seen have separated at this fold line. Several were missing the left-most figure for some reason.
I chatted with the great seller this morning. She stated that sometimes great rarity trumps minor-to-moderate condition issues. I agree with the sentiment. It’ll be fun to watch this auction!
08/07 Update: The result was shockingly low given the rarity of this diecut. Yes, $2551 is a lot of money but considering an example in somewhat better condition sold just nine months ago for almost double tells me too many high-end items are hitting the market within too short of a time frame. Whomever the buyer was should pat themselves on the back for such an unbelievable score.
Vintage Halloween Orange Skeleton Die Cut, Gibson Art Skull Diecut Face, 1930's
Gibson produced a solid array of diecut designs that cede little to nothing in creativity to either Dennison or Beistle. This simple yet compelling design is a great example. Produced during the 1930s, Gibson issued identical designs in white and orange. I sold the white version in March’s auction. It fetched $305. (The auction, an anticipated event by collectors, happens in March and is open only to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition from me.) This is a nice example. It’ll be fun to see what it brings.
NMINT SCARCE Vintage Halloween JOL & Crescent Moon Diecut Decoration Germany 20s
With an imminent birthday, I’m feeling my advanced age! I remember when I could pick all items from this set of six all day every day for $45. How do newer collectors afford such things today? This item with nearly eight days left is already bid up to $255. I’m so glad I began collecting in earnest in 1988.
07/24 Update: This common diecut sold for $285.
SUPER RARE Vintage Halloween Large Jointed Devil Diecut Decoration Beistle 1920s
Beistle released this suggestive devil design during the mid-1920s. They then released one without the tail, possibly due to feedback from their more prudish retailers, which is more commonly seen. The designs have never done much for me even though I generally appreciate the grimmer designs. The three-legged version and the more modest version both lack the charm of most of Beistle’s output at this time. I feel the designs lack inspiration. That said, this version typically brings strong dollars. Given the wealth of upscale listings from this fine seller, it’ll be informative to see if the number of listings impact the overall prices fetched.
07/24 Update: This sold for $555.
RARE Vintage Antique Halloween Black Broomed Witch Diecut Decoration Germany 20s
The Germans produced quite a few broomed witch diecuts, not surprising given the iconic nature of the image. Most of these diecuts are seen often, but this is an exception. The coloration with a touch of gray by the eye is appealing. The condition is outstanding, as is the seller, although her penchant for naming diecuts isn’t something I’m fond of. I’ve heard from a number of readers that this seller’s descriptions are much too wordy. Although I definitely agree, and feel reasonable yet substantial edits can be made, one cannot deny that zizsdream typically receives strong results. I know that the hobby will be pleased with a plethora of high quality listings she’ll be offering over these next few months, so I will be mentioning many more of her listings than normal. My typical practice is not to mention a seller too often as I’ve been told that a positive mention on my site tends to goose ending prices upward, and I don’t want to have any perceived favoritism, but the reality is that eBay has largely become a “quality vintage Halloween desert,” so when good things are listed I’m going to be inclined to mention them regardless of seller.
antique halloween decorations
This seller is squandering chances for a sale by having perhaps the most anodyne header she could devise, poor photos that don’t give any hint of the state of the embossing and by having an opening bid that is much too high. Sigh….
RARE Original Vintage Halloween Decorations Box for Set of German Diecuts, 1920s
Here’s a true piece of ephemera - a box from the 1920s that originally held a dozen of the detailed, heavily embossed diecuts that Germany produced from ~1920 through 1935, pre-WWII. These boxes seldom come available, especially in this bright, intact condition. I think the average retailer would not sell the boxed sets but only the contents, separately. Perhaps a few retailers did, but I think these boxed sets were sent by the Germans or the host of wholesalers used at that time to the retailer, which would then discard the box and sell the innards. I’m speculating here, but feel this is likely considering how few such boxes surface. This is a high-end item that collectors, and especially advanced collectors should covet.
06/30 Update: Although the final price was $770, which is a lot of cash, I was surprised that this didn’t bring more.
Vintage Halloween Embossed Cardboard Black Cat Face German Germany 1920's 1930's
I’m impressed with the condition of the highlights on this cat head diecut. The green, red and white highlights were applied by hand. These highlights are often degraded over time with use and light exposure, so it is a treat to see one with near-perfect highlights. Rolled-ear aside, I hope it brings strong dollars.
06/07 Update: This brought $129.02.
Vintage 1930s Embossed BEISTLE Die Cut HALLOWEEN Silver Foil PUMPKIN Rats Mice
I love these silvered diecut variants from the long-produced complete set of twelve diecuts from Beistle. They began production in 1932 and continued with some interruptions through the early 1950s. (The variants were made for only a season or two very early in the total run.) When these hard-to-find variants surface, they typically are in poor condition. The ones being offered by this fine seller are in better-than-average condition. It’ll be fun to see what they bring.
