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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Owl Cat Bat Jack O Lantern Honeycomb Band Hat Beistle # 1

I’ve always liked this great Beistle band hat design. They released it as a stand-alone hat in 1933 and discontinued doing so in 1941. Beistle entered into what I call their fairy mania phase in 1923, so this hat was released well after that mania had ended. In the year this hat was released the country was ensnared in the icy grip of the Great Depression. This is a good example of how companies with a reservoir of designs to call upon used already completed work to try to make some money when the retail markets were oh-so-tight. Production was ceased as WWII began for the USA in December 1941.

Vintage German Halloween Die Cut Paper 3 Owls Pirate Tiara

It’s great to see a few nice things amongst all the off-season garbage strewn along eBay’s alleys. I’ve said it often, but why can’t eBay offer more defined holiday categories so that lookers don’t have to wade hip-deep in garbage? There are work-arounds, but why should we be put in a position to devise work-arounds when the solution is simply that eBay should better respect their users? Stepping off the soapbox, these German tiaras have had quite a run these last 2-3 years. For a short time they were bringing very strong dollars - primarily due to one determined buyer who simply didn’t care what she paid. Knowing that the tiara market was being driven skyward by one person, and more importantly, that market values would plummet once she was sated, I hurried to sell a few for $2,000 each to finance the acquisition of two truly rare German porcelain pieces. Since then, values have been reasonable - in the $400-750 range. Although there have been blips up with a few listings, I wonder if those heady days when any tiara in decent shape would fetch $2,000 aren’t permanently behind us.

12/25 Update: This tiara sold for $639.

Vintage Halloween Party Invitation Opens Up Grandfather Clock USA

I was initially excited when I saw this listing, then I realized that it is missing the mechanical piece that should be present between the front and back. This piece was meant to move both to the left and to the right sides revealing spooky imagery. (See page 124…) One complete example sold in my March auction for a record $3,600, so the missing component has a major bearing on value. Even though the remaining invitation looks great - what is missing is important.

For Sale Page Deactivated For The Holidays

Hi Everyone,
Thanks to all of those who have purchased my vintage Halloween offerings throughout the year. I mightily avoid going to the Post Office during the holidays, so have now deactivated my For Sale page through December 31st. The page will reappear with new offerings in January for a few weeks until I pull it again to make way for my annual auction, on which I’ve been toiling away. I’ll have somewhere north of 100 lots of great items for the March 2024 auction. Additional details will be released in early February. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
MBL

Happy Halloween!

Hi Readers!
Happy Halloween! This season sure has gone by too quickly. I hope you all enjoy the day.
I’ve already started photographing items for my March auction. I’m going to have many great items, so stay tuned.
MBL

Vintage Halloween JOL On Haystack Blow Mold Pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern

One vintage Halloween market segment that has strengthened considerably over the last five years is the blow mold segment. Even designs that seems to be omnipresent bring strong dollars. More unusual examples like this one bring strong dollars indeed, although I think this particular result was constrained by the high shipping charge.

VTG Halloween Japan Tin Siren Horn Noisemaker Dennison BLACK Cat Bats ART WITCH

Kirchhof first produced this tin litho horn in 1928 and continued production for a handful of years. This is the version produced in Japan. It is unclear whether the production was authorized by Kirchhof or if the Japanese simply copied the design. Whatever the case, this version typically brings ~50% less than the Kirchhof-produced design.

UNCOMMON Antique Vintage Halloween Cat Diecut Decoration Germany, 1920s!!

This is a rare and desirable diecut, indeed. Don’t confuse this with its smaller cousins. This is a honker of a diecut - measuring over 19” high! The immediate tip-off that this is a rare seated cat German diecut is the wide mouth full of what appears to be razor-sharp teeth. This design nearly always includes an easel. It makes an eye-catching display.

Vtg Boogie House Candy Box for Ghosts & Spooks TLC Condition VHTF

I love this little candy holder. I’d love to know for sure which firm produced this gem, although I suspect it may be Brach’s of Chicago. The artist surely had fun designing this structure. Take a close look to see how much was packed into the design. Made during the early 1950s, I hope this brings some strong dollars.

HALLOWEEN VINTAGE PAPER MACHE PULP WINKING WITCH CANDY CONTAINER 8" BROOM SACK

I’ve long noted how unusual it is to see this pulp candy container in near-perfect condition. I wonder if it stems from the quality or formulation of the pulp itself. Pulp is a hardy substance - just look at the many pulp JOLs that regularly pop up for sale. Many JOLs have emerged relatively unscathed through the decades. I speculate that whatever firm made this design used a different pulp formulation that simply doesn’t fare well over the years. Thoughts?

New Lantern Triumph from Tim Ramzyk!!

Feast your eyes on this fantastic work of art by the inestimably talented Tim Ramzyk, owner of Pulp Novelties. I received this lantern a few days ago after a jaunt to California Adventure for their annual Oogie Boogie Bash. What a fitting coda to a fun week!
Tim’s ability to generate fantastic lantern imagery astounds me. This dual-sided lantern is intricately molded and colored. It is a true eye-catcher, large and well-proportioned. Tim calls this latest masterwork Shock and Menace: Two-Faced Jack-O-Lantern. I find it hard to fathom that it is priced at only $230 plus postage!
Those of you who regularly read my blog know that I seldom buy new items, no matter how good, as space is at a premium. I prefer to decorate with old items. However, I long ago decided that Tim’s annual creations deserve a place in my home - a decision that certainly was better than my call decades ago to turn my nose up at Kokomold hard plastic! :)
If you like quality items made in limited quantities, I encourage you to snap up Tim’s output whenever you can.
He plans to release Shock and Menace in limited quantities through his Etsy shop on both Sunday, October 15th and Sunday, October 22nd at 4pm Central. After the latter date, Tim will switch from selling through Etsy to fulfilling orders for the lantern by request. To get on his request list, one need only send an email to pulpnovelties@aol.com and provide a zip code. There is no obligation to buy. Requests will be filled in the order in which they were received via a PayPal transaction. 
Don’t delay. Happy Halloween!

Vintage Acorn Halloween Jack O Lantern Candle German Pumpkin Candy Container

The moment I saw this listing I thought the seller is going to be shocked at the price it fetches. (Whether the seller was, in fact, shocked is something I don’t know for sure, but I suspect they were.) I have a fair number of lanterns in the collection but have never been all that partial to them as I am more of a paper guy - but I was transfixed by the sheer oddity of this masterpiece. It does take financial resources to be a collector of vintage Halloween items, a reality that I rail against, but unlike so many items I’ve seen change hands this year for prices I laughed at, this result is one I completely understand. Congrats to whomever acquired this singular object!

Antique Vtg 30s HALLOWEEN Tin LItho Clanger Noisemaker T. Cohn? Ghost Black Cat

The tin litho segment has been somnolent for many years, but lately there has been sharpened demand leading to much higher prices for many items. The tin tambourine sub-segment has largely retained its appeal over the years, but others have shown little signs of life until recently. I’m selling a large collection I acquired out of New York with a high percentage of the collection consisting of tin noisemakers and hard plastic. Basically, as fast as I can list items they quickly sell. In the tin segment, tambourines have gone for $375-475 and certain noisemakers like the Kirchhof slide whistle were snapped up for $425 within minutes of listing. If you haven’t been following my For Sale page, you may wish to do so. (I will be taking a break from listing for a short time to ensure I enjoy the season.)
This T. Cohn shaker has surged in value over the last few months with two examples bring close to $500. This one shown is in lesser condition so that should affect value.

Vintage Halloween German Die Cut

This is actually one of the hardest German diecuts to score - especially in this condition. The Germans produced a mate to this one, presenting a side view rather than this full-on view. (You can see both on page 172.) The other design surfaces far more frequently - but that might be overstating just how often that one actually surfaces. I see this full-on crow perhaps once a season, and typically not in this condition. I had a nice telephone conversation with the lister who told me that someone offered her a good sum for it. Although I said the offer seemed fair, I counseled her to “Let the Auction Run,” truly not thinking of Carly Simon and Working Girl until just now. I said letting the auction run to its natural conclusion is a risk, but that it simply seemed like much more fun to me. She agreed.

10/03 Update: This super item fetched $536.