This listing was arguably one of the most important ones to see the light of day this year for us paper lovers. Over the many decades I’ve avidly collected vintage Halloween, I’ve seen the odd piece from what I know now is this set issued in 1926. I often wondered what they were and which firm made them. The devil with pitchfork and the owl atop rocks were the two I had seen on a handful of occasions. In fact, I had sold the former in this year’s May auction - inaccurately dating it to the 1930s. I saw this listing almost immediately. The seller had chosen a main photo that surely deterred many collectors from clicking on the listing. The seller listed it at $9.99 with an option to make an offer. I made an offer of $1900, but it was auto-declined when someone placed the minimum bid. I contacted the seller and made a private offer. He consulted with the consignor who decided to let the auction run its course, typically the smart decision. If you examine the original listing you’ll see the set is complete with the hanging witch, the illustration shown below and the original mailing envelope. This set was sent free to candy shops that ordered Pan’s 1926 Halloween case assortment. I think I am on safe ground to say that not many complete sets made it through nearly 100 years in this near-pristine condition. The pieces are quite large. The devil backdrop measures 26” across by 17”. I was the prevailing bidder at the bargain price of $832.99. My maximum bid was far higher. Considering that an incomplete box of Dennison seals sold for $900, this was a true bargain, made more true as this is a possibly one-of-a-kind set. It is now a jewel in my personal collection - one of the best acquisitions I have ever made.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
