Hi Faithful Readers,
Well, the 2016 holiday season has come to a close and we are on to the new year. I just trolled through the eBay listings and found almost nothing to comment upon - not uncommon during this time of the year.
As the most coveted vintage Halloween items continue their sustained price ascent, unscrupulous dealers are redoubling their efforts to peddle newly made crapola as old to fool trusting collectors. One troubling and accelerating trend is the marrying of old elements with new elements to create a "vintage" item. The genre most affected by this is anything having a mechanical/clockwork feature. If considering such a purchase, be sure the entire item is old and complete. So many, especially those being sold that look new, have been "Frankensteined" together. I don't know if I've seen a single example during 2016 that didn't raise at least one eyebrow.
Don't be an easy mark. Do your research and buy from dealers only after checking around with other collectors as to these dealers' reputations.
I am already busy preparing for my annual May auction, with all lots consisting of truly vintage Halloween items. The auction is open only to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles. If you haven't invested in a copy yet, consider doing so before long.
Look for more frequent updates to the blog now that the holidays are in the rear view mirror.