This 1930s accordion item, from Japan, is a design I had never seen before. This narrow market segment seems to have at least four known designs, comprising the ones I’ve seen. Often the yellow bellows are compromised in some way, but not in this case, which makes the ending price all the more puzzling.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween PartiPuzzle
This 15-piece puzzle was produced by Gibson during the 1920s. There are two known designs, viewable on page 22. Neither surfaces often, so I was again struck at the relatively low selling price. There were no photos of the envelope’s reverse, so that may have depressed bidding.
RARE Dolly Toy Company Vintage Halloween Candy Container P-6
This Dolly Toy candy holder sold for $275, the best offer. The ending price seems to be somewhat of an anomaly in that given its condition, the candy holder brought fairly strong dollars. I’ve noticed a strong down trend in overall eBay results since early March, a welcome development for buyers. My conviction for many years is that prices have gone up too far, too fast - freezing out the new blood any hobby needs to thrive. It’d be nice to see a substantial reset of valuations across the board, enabling those with normal budgets to actively participate. Given some recent ending prices for items that would have brought significantly stronger dollars even just six months ago (the Beistle Rustic Fireplace, a Bogie Book retail display box, a Beistle Tickler and a Bogie Book envelope as examples), perhaps this is the beginning of a sustained down trend. It could also be nothing more than a reflection that this is a time of the year when interest is low after my annual auction and collectors are calculating their past year’s tax obligations. As with all things, time will tell. I, for one, am taking advantage of this short or long lull by looking for bargains.
Dennison, Vintage Halloween, 1920’s Boxed set of 6 Dazed Cat Halloween Cut-Outs
This seller has a nice assortment of Dennison boxed items up right now, a hotter market segment at the moment. I appreciate their straightforward and spare description verbiage.
04/18 Update: This sold for $123.50.
RARE! VINTAGE HALLOWEEN BEISTLE RUSTIC FIREPLACE & WITCHES’ CALDRON W/ENVELOPE!
It’s great to see such a nice Beistle item up on eBay. The Rustic Fireplace was almost certainly a marketplace misfire. Beistle was trying to achieve some economies by finding another purpose for one of their iconic honeycomb designs. They customized the cauldrons by attaching orange crepe streamers to the bottom to simulate flames. (If you see a cauldron without these streamers at the bottom paired with other elements of the Rustic Fireplace, it very well may be a marriage, so be mindful.) The props and crossbar are awkward and bulky, which I feel depressed sales. Offered for only a season or two, today finding one complete with an envelope is tough. I sold my complete set in my 2020 auction. It fetched $1,825, so it will be fun to see what this listing brings. The cauldron’s arch looks wholly intact, another big plus. The seller’s are knowledgeable and nice. I appreciate their concise, data-filled description.
04/11 Update: This brought only $1,113. I was surprised it didn’t bring more.
