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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Antique Halloween BEISTLE - "HALLOWE'EN COMPLETE PARTY OUTFIT" Games & Dances

It’s great to see how the various pieces to this hard-to-find Beistle Complete Party Outfit were laid out on their original cards. This appears to be the set issued in 1922. Beistle began issuing Complete Party Outfits in 1918 and tweaked contents somewhat as each season passed. In 1923 Beistle issued their fairy-themed set and didn’t vary from that imagery for the remainder of that decade.

1920's / PAIR HALLOWEEN TIN CYMBALS NOISEMAKER / GREAT GRAPHICS / NO RERSERVE

These are so beautiful! I’ve only seen this set of cymbals a handful of times. They surely were produced for a single season. I’ve never been able to acquire a set. I estimated for a good friend of mine who also happens to collect vintage Halloween that I feel they are worth every bit of $1,500. I’ll be watching to see what they fetch.

09/24 Update: This awesome set fetched $2,050. The best thing about it is they went to a great home - a good friend who lives in southern California.

Super Rare 1915 Antique VINTAGE DENNISON’S HALLOWEEN BOGIE BOOK With Envelope

Wow! The paper segment is my favorite, so seeing a listing with the truly rare envelope for the 1915 Dennison Bogie Book is bracing! I have only seen this three times in 35+ years of collecting. It appears to be in stellar condition. I’ve seen virtually all of the envelopes Dennison created for their Bogies. Some are duplicates, indicating Dennison began to lose interest in creating a new envelope every year. I can say that of all the envelopes, this is hands-down the very best one. I am eager to see what this fetches.

Vintage Halloween Place Cards Four Cats On Fences - Rare Great Condition

This set of place cards was produced by Whitney during the 1930s. The full set of six is shown on page 273. This seller shows the rare glassine envelope. The information from the envelope indicates that Whitney sold two sets of these place cards in one envelope. They probably sold these as one set in one envelope early one, then switched to greater quantities per envelope as the design aged. I’m speculating but that would be consistent with practices by other producers.

RARE Antique Vintage Halloween Mini Witch Diecut Decoration, Germany Early 1930s

This mini-diecut, produced in Germany both before and for a few years after WWII, is part of a set of at least five designs - all shown on page 185. What I’ve discovered after seeing so many of these min-diecuts over the years is that there are quite a few variants with subtle differences. For instance, on page 185 I show two broomed witch mini-diecuts. Look at the subtle difference at her cape’s edge. My advice is to do what I do - when I see any of the minis I closely examine it for subtle differences rather than assuming I have it already. Who knows how many variants have escaped my grasp!

VTG Early ROSBRO Pirate's Auto Plastic Halloween Candy Container 5.25"L x 4.5"H

Another market segment that has remained strong for decades is the hard plastic segment. Hard plastic, most from the 1950s, didn’t appeal to me when I began collecting in 1988 as I felt it was too new. Anything I acquired I sold off. I have a much greater appreciation for 1950s hard plastic now. Sadly, the prices are high and never seem to decrease. My favorite producer was Kokomold. Their design aesthetic was so different from other producers at the time, setting them apart then and now. Today, their output commands the highest prices. This unusual piece from the prolific Rosbro has already garnered bids up to $192.50 with over one day left.

GERMAN WITCH IN JOL CANDY CONTAINER HEAVY COMPOSITION VINTAGE HALLOWEEN ANTIQUE

The smaller form factor German compo candy containers seem to have the best molding detail. Just look at the contours of the JOL. This is truly a small work of art. There is at least one other design that comprises the set. You can see the devil next to the witch on page 65. The lister, stnick22, has listed ~150 lots, many quite good. There has been a fair amount of higher-quality items this calendar year. Has this unusual abundance pulled too many dollars out of wallets/purses, limiting the chances for things to bring gasp-inducing prices? (I have remarked to several collectors that prices seem soft overall.) I projected that the hobby would see several years of unusual abundance as the first generation of serious collectors dies off. This first generation focused almost exclusively on German lanterns and candy containers, so it follows that is what we’ll be seeing more of. This now-dying or already gone first generation didn’t pay much attention to paper, so we won’t be seeing much of this. I project that paper, especially small paper, has much room to run.

VINTAGE SNICKERS HALLOWEEN CANDY BAR BOX

I enjoy watching the vintage Halloween market percolate as it matures into middle age. Certain market segments cool while others heat. One that has been heating rapidly over the last year has been for candy boxes basically sent to retailers. Butterfinger seems to be the most common box with other candy bars not as well represented. The graphics are simple yet denote so well the era of their creation. Prices have been escalating. It’ll be instructive to see what this one fetches.

Jack-O-Lantern Double Sided Pumpkin Table Lantern Halloween Decor Vintage?

About 15 years ago, a folk artist made replicas of the iconic Beistle lantern from 1930-1931. These replicas were high-end and a credit to that person’s folk art roots. I believe this is one of those well-made replicas. The connecting slot at the bottom is the tell. You can also be confident that something isn’t actually a vintage item when the seller states such things as “Possibly vintage? unsure of age or maker”.

32 Pieces Vintage Halloween Decorations Posters Embossed Pieces

This lot achieved a lofty ending price even though the condition of most of the lot’s elements was only fair. The key driver was almost certainly the Dennison JOL-headed traffic officer. First produced in 1930 right when the first effects of what would become The Great Depression were being felt, relatively few were produced. (I have a good friend who has been searching for one in collectible condition for years.) The dancing witch poster is a mystery. I’ve never seen it before.

Vintage Halloween SCARCE DUAL SIDED PUMPKIN HEAD GARLAND BANNER 24" EARLY

Dennison produced small garlands for two seasons starting in 1926. They were sold as enveloped sets called String-Em-Outs. I know of only two designs. This listing shows 6 JOLs. A complete string consists of 27 identically dual-sided connected JOLs. The real treasure with the String-Em-Outs are the envelopes. Feast your eyes on the two in the collection on page 263.

VINTAGE 1950's HALLOWEEN Party Invitation Card BOY, GIRL, BLACK CAT, BAT, OWL

A new market segment is developing in our fun hobby. I’ve noticed real energy in the unused greeting card market segment with only slightly less energy in the used greeting card market segment. (The amount of use is key.) Some of the imagery ranges from sweet, like with this listing, to scary. There are cards with elaborate pop-ups and with moving parts. In short, it is fun to watch this segment gain currency. This long-time and very fine seller seems to have a deep inventory of unused greeting cards, so be sure to watch her listings.