I wanted to take a moment to honor a person who was instrumental in shaping my life. Barbara Smuts was the person who started me on my journey of collecting vintage Halloween memorabilia. She ran a one-person antiques shop in Fair Oaks, California, from 1982 until 2013. It was into her shop, Blue Eagle Antiques, that I wandered one day in early October of 1988, not knowing how that innocent browsing excursion would alter my wallet and sensibilities. Barbara, the epitome of midwestern kindness, had an encyclopedic knowledge of antiques. Her specialization was in American primitive furniture but she knew a lot on a lot of subjects, including holiday memorabilia. Well, that day she asked if I’d mind moving a few boxes from a back storeroom to a spot near the large front window. I did move them and asked what was in them. She said it was the vintage Halloween items that she saved all year to put out for sale a few weeks before Halloween. Well, I opened the boxes and was instantly hooked. (Truly, instantly hooked, buying much of the contents of those boxes that very day for $300.) From that day forward, I always considered Barbara to be the godmother of my collection. I dedicated all three editions of my book to her. We remained friends until her passing at nearly 91 on November 20th. I last spoke to her this past Halloween. Barbara was a truly remarkable person. She was funny, witty and canny - all wonderful qualities. Barbara was the mother to three lucky children and the wife of a very lucky guy, Jerry.
Below is a photo I snapped of Barbara, stalwart at her shop’s counter, on Halloween of 1992. She was in the spirit. Look at her scarf and its central JOL.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
RARE Vintage Halloween Moon & Cats Decoration Casting/Mold Plate
Here’s something I’ve not seen for decades - a seemingly actual pressing plate used to produce one of Beistle’s well-known diecuts. Diecuts from this set of twelve were made from 1932 through the early 1950s. Collectors can estimate when diecuts from this set were pressed based on the level of embossing present. (As the plate was used over time the level of detail from the plate would decrease.) This kind of artifact from the production process almost never surfaces. I saw a few back in the early 1990s, but none since. The price seems right as many collectors, like me, aren’t overly interested in such items.
Original Pack 6 Vintage Halloween Cardstock Owl Diecut Die Cuts Dennison 1920's
I am intrigued by the glassine envelope Dennison used to house this set of six owl cut-outs. I’ve not seen that form of packaging before, so the listing stood out. I suspect the properly marked glassine envelope makes this set quite rare. It sold for $200, so the buyer may have gotten a good deal.
Vintage Halloween Orange Cat Paper Mache Lantern
This is the time of the year when quality vintage Halloween listings on eBay are unusual. The number of newly produced items, mostly made offshore, populating eBay’s listings is overwhelming. I do wish they would rigorously police their categories. So, it was nice to see this great little cat head lantern. This particular pulp lantern is on the harder-to-find end of the availability spectrum. I think if this lantern would have been offered in the June-August timeframe it may have brought ~20% more. When things are offered in an auction setting make a difference.
Antique 1940s Cardboard Noisemaker Horn Halloween Durene Yarn x3 Vintage Toy
This trio of horns was produced by Bugle Toy of Providence, RI, during the 1940s. The seller notes the textile labels on the interior of what is now a horn noisemaker. The labels provide a clue as to the cost savings emphasis kept front-and-center by Bugle as well as other manufacturers. They would purchase used textile spindles in bulk to use as the basis for which to wrap the spindles in lithoed paper to mark various holidays, like Halloween. One might ask why firms like Bugle wouldn’t remove the labels. Don’t forget that these operations were not high-margin endeavors. These horns originally sold for pennies. Removing the labels would add to production costs without a real benefit, so the labels stayed.
