These bells surface with some regularity and typically have brought ~$300-325. However, there have been three sales in the last 30 days wherein the bells have brought comfortably in the $400s. Is this an indicator of a resurgence in interest for Halloween tin litho items or is it specific to this bell for some reason? The tin litho market segment has remained tepid for many years now except for most tambourines and the seldom-seen noisemakers. I hope this market segment is springing back to life.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Very Rare Antique Vintage Unused Dennison Halloween Die cut Place Card
Even though I have a near-complete run of original Bogie Books and their brethren from 1909 through 1935 (I am missing the 1913 edition.), this place card being identified in a Bogie Book as being a Dennison item completely escaped my notice. It truly is a one-off from a Dennison design perspective. Who woulda thunk? Thanks so much to Anita R. for identifying it for me while she was visiting.
09/06 Update: This Dennison place card fetched a strong $224.50.
1920s Vintage Dennison Halloween JOL Pumpkin Gobblin Placecard
This nicely designed Dennison place card is surprisingly hard to find. It’s nice to see one for sale.
Antique Extremely Old German Halloween Pumpkin w/hiding place - 2" diameter
This German compo JOL candy container once had a heavy paper green leaf cut-out laid over the top of the JOL. It seems someone forcibly removed it leaving a scar. It would be an easy fix for a proper restorer.
Vintage Antique Halloween German Die Cut Embossed Cat
The Germans produced an enormous number of heavily embossed diecuts during the 1920s and early 1930s. (A few were produced from ~1949-1953 as well…) This waving cat draws you right in, so it makes for a strong display element. Pair this with the waving skeleton shown on page 179 and you’ll have a killer diecut display. The condition appears to be near-mint or better. It’ll be fun to see what this friendly feline fetches.
1932 Beistle Skeleton Die-cut Halloween Decor Saw Tooth Embossed 30s RARE
There have been a few tantalizing lots recently in the vast garbage heap that eBay has become. (The fix to make eBay a viable marketplace once again would be for them to simply and definitively define vintage holiday selling categories. Create and police a Vintage Halloween {1900-1960} category. C’mon guys…) We have been blessed with two truly stellar listings of late, the mint NOMA set referenced directly below and now this much desired Beistle “skeleton in the graveyard” diecut. I do wonder if the seller has overshot by having the opening bid be $4,499.99. Let me explain why. I sold one of these diecuts in my last annual auction in March 2024 for a record shattering price of $4,700. The condition of that record setting item was every bit as nice as this one, but prior to March 2024 the highest public price paid for the diecut was ~$3,500. (One actually sold at a show in Ohio a few years back for a scant $700.) I don’t know how many collectors are willing or able to add an item - even a great one like this - to their collection for a known minimum of $4,499.99. I think to stoke interest the seller should have started it at $199.99 and let the auction run. Will anyone bid at this opening level?
09/06 Update: The answer to the question is yes. Someone actually placed a bid at the opening price of $4,499.99 so now there are two recent selling price points averaging $4,600.00.
09/16 Update: The buyer of this diecut contacted me to say the diecut was damaged in transit. The buyer was able to return it for a full refund.
Vintage Halloween 1920s NOMA Celluloid JOL “Hollowe’en” Decorative Outfit - RARE
I followed this listing with great interest. It is a treat to see truly rare items on eBay, especially rare items in such unparalleled mint condition. I applaud the seller for their crisp and detailed description uncluttered by unnecessary cutesiness. The description put the set into a greater context, and the many great photos furthered that education. Although this NOMA celluloid set has little interest for me, I know there are many Halloween and vintage lighting collectors vying to have one. Therefore, I am not surprised at the selling price of $5,049.98. I wonder if this stellar set would have fetched even more at an auction house like either Bertoia or Morphy’s?
Vintage Halloween Embossed Die Cut Ornament Black Cat in the Moon
Collectors should be cautious about spending more-than-average sums on sub-par items that surface regularly. This cat and crescent moon diecut was produced by Beistle for many years. It is not at all rare or even scarce. Yet, someone offered the seller $90 for it, which that seller probably gleefully accepted. The average selling price for these in better condition is ~$40-50.
VERY RARE Antique Vintage Halloween Full Set 4 Flip-Out Placecards Beistle 31-32
After wading through the tiresome lingerie listings by the seller, iiniim, that eBay somehow allows to clutter up what should be a stand-alone Vintage Halloween category, it was oh-so-nice to see this listing for a set that is truly exceedingly rare. Beistle produced this lightly embossed complete set of four place card designs during the 1930 and 1931 seasons. I don’t think they actually produced many. Remember that the tentacles of the Great Depression were infiltrating all economic sections of the global economy at that time, so virtually all firms were under great pressure. I think Beistle took a flyer on these, as they differ so much from their usual fare. I haven’t seen a complete set offered publicly for many years. (I did hear of a private transaction where a collector shelled out $3,500 for a truly mint set maybe 2-4 years ago.) It will be instructive to see what this set fetches.
08/24 Update: This complete set of four fetched $2,650. I feel that’s the right price for a complete set these days. $3,500 should be considered the high-water mark, with waters that will almost surely not crest that high again. I expect to see more of these surface now.
Rare Vintage Diecut JOL Jack O Lantern Halloween Candy Container Beistle like
This 1950s candy box was wholly produced by Ann-Dee Specialties of Bayside, NY. They did not subcontract production of their candy boxes. (So, Japan had nothing to do with its creation.) This design was one of the first candy boxes I bought. I sold the Book Item in my March 2021 auction.
RARE Antique 1920/30s Halloween Gibson Die Cut Party Sign "Cold Facts" Skeleton
Even though the condition of this diecut is atrocious, this may be an instance where scarcity loosens the normal condition strictures many collectors impose. I purchased one of these diecuts several years back for ~$2,000, although the condition was FAR superior. From a design perspective, Gibson can be considered the rambunctious sibling at a family reunion, dominated by other, much more staid siblings named Beistle and Dennison. Gibson’s designs tended to be more unpredictable, right at the periphery of logic. Their output was much smaller than the other two, so finding their diecuts is quite a feat. It’ll be instructive to see what this fetches.
08/20 Update: This fetched $560.
EXCEEDINGLY RARE Antique Vintage Halloween Treat Satchel Hat, Germany 1910-1914!
This seller references that some collectors feel this type of item was a treat satchel while others feel they were meant to be worn as hats. I’ve seen quite a few of these over the last five years and have developed a theory based on this exposure. I feel both views are true. I’ve found that about half the time the decorative arch on either side of the item is glued to the crepe. In those cases they were meant to be worn as hats. When the arch isn’t glued to the crepe they were meant to be used as treat satchels. I strongly prefer when they can be used as treat satchels. The display “oomph” is so much greater than when the arch is lost amid the vast expanse of yawn-inducing crepe.
Vintage Halloween Bugle Lithograph Tin Toy Noise Marker Made In USA
Bugle Toy of Providence, RI produced some of the best tin litho designs out there. They generally ran circles around the all-too-staid Kirchhof, and were given an occasional run for the top prize by T. Cohn’s earliest designs. This shaker exemplifies my remarks. Every side shows something different with the litho being simple yet very effective at conveying the spirit of the holiday. I hope this brings strong dollars.
U.S. Metal Toy Mfg. Co. Tin Litho vintage Halloween noise maker
The prevailing bidder on this lot got a bargain, of which there seems to be plenty of these days. (My theory is that too many collectors have deprioritized eBay given how junky it has become. Why eBay doesn’t create more specific categories for holiday collectibles is beyond me.) Relative to this lot, the T. Cohn putty knife noisemaker on the left is worth the price of the entire lot by itself and then some. Cohn produced two putty knife designs that have been in-demand for years even whilst the non-tambourine tin litho market has been coolish.
2 Vintage Halloween Candy Box Lion Specialty Co
I have only seen this item once before. I bought one at the All American collectors’ show held twice annually in Glendale, CA several years back. (The show is nicely curated with items that would appeal to collectors of toys, advertising and holiday at all levels. It is a show I try not to miss. The show’s owner, Jim Maley, is a great guy with deep connections into the comic book and figural advertising markets.) Thankfully, the box at the show was near-mint. I feel this pair would have brought much stronger dollars if not for their condition. The same seller has another one up right now. Its condition is similar.
