The seller is offering this not uncommon Beistle game for $149.95. SGV is $60, so I don't feel anyone will be interested at that price. The seller is offering a "make offer" option, so I would advise $45-55 is the right price given its condition. Beistle secured a copyright for this game in 1935, but didn't actually produce for distribution until 1938. Production continued for many seasons thereafter.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage 1920s Beistle Halloween Favor Basket, Ghoul, Jack-O-Lantern, Cauldron
Beistle produced four different honeycomb favor basket designs. Although the four designs surface with roughly the same level of frequency, this particular design is the hardest to locate in collectible condition. (Why, I don't know...) What I do know is that the condition on this one, by a fabulous seller, is the best I've seen in some time. SGV is $325. With over five days to go as of this writing, the price is on-track to attain that pricing level. This design is, without doubt, the most eye-catching one Beistle produced.
03/07 Update: This desirable Beistle favor basket ended up fetching a very strong price of $425. The second underbidder stopped at SGV, while the ending price was as a result of two determined bidders.
03/21 Update: To illustrate the importance of condition, another one of these sold on eBay on 03/20. It was in fair to good condition and fetched only $73.
XL Halloween Cat On Green Grass Superb Condition Diecut 18" X 12"
I saw that this seller had a number of these scalloped-edged diecuts up for sale and immediately wondered if the ever-so-elusive skeleton in the graveyard might have been one of them. Alas, it wasn't. However, this particular one of the arched-back black cat was in remarkably clean condition, yet sold for only $120. (The listing showed that an offer was accepted on the original BIN price of $150. That offer was $120.) The buyer got a very good deal!
Rosen Valentine Mechanical Box Sheds Light
OK, why in tarnation am I profiling a Valentine's Day item on my Halloween blog? The answer, faithful reader, is that I have long been puzzled and bothered about the fantastic and ultra-rare Rosen mechanical "Pops" boxes you can find on pages 116-118. For what purpose were these sold? Because of their rarity and the number of suckers each could hold, I thought they must have been retail countertop displays. However, I suspect now, thanks to this Rosen Valentine Pops box, that reasonable conclusion is wrong.
Some good friends acquired this box. Like virtually all of the Pops boxes I have seen, the graphics are interesting and the mechanical feature fun. One spins the dial at top and possible names of your Valentine appear in the small space at the end of one of the boy's hands. (One of the dog's eyes change, too.) While spinning, instead of the constellation of old-timey names like Ethel, there is one blank space. Now, look at the photo taken of the bottom of the box. You can see that it suggests, "If your pal's name does not appear on Dial, you can print the name in blank space." This instruction would not appear if the Valentine Pops box was meant to be a retail countertop display. Based on this, I think all similarly constructed Rosen mechanical boxes were meant to be sold to the end-consumer, not to be used as a retail countertop display.
Unfortunately, this find sheds little light on when these boxes were produced. I am still assigning a production date of the mid-1930s to the earliest boxes.
Lot of 12 Vintage Halloween Invitations & Envelopes Unused Pumpkin Black Cat Owl
Bidding was hot and heavy on this lot. I can somewhat understand why - the invitation is well done, energetic and nicely colored. I think that $29.75 each was a bit much, especially considering that one of the twelve has a serious discoloration to the upper right front. This seller certainly scored some great small paper, selling with overall strong results - results consistent with the trend I've been noticing these past months. When bidding on a lot containing many duplicates, paying top dollar is something to be avoided. It'll be interesting to see if singles begin to appear for sale.
Vintage Dennison Halloween Ghost Invitation, Victorian Couple, Unused w/Envelope
Dennison excelled in small form factor ephemera. This tri-fold ghost invitation first appeared in the 1922 Bogie Book. Everything is exquisite about this item from the unsettling expression on the ghost or ghoul to the distended lettering. Given how hot this sub-genre of collecting is right now, I'll be surprised if the ending price doesn't blow past the guide value of $65. The condition is near-perfect, as is the seller!
I am not surprised this fetched $154.50. I don't feel this is a sustainable price, but do feel the guide value is too low.
Vintage Collectible 1950's Halloween Black Cat Cardboard Stand Up Decoration
This is one from a set of six cats in various poses that Beistle produced during the 1950s. They are not uncommon and I feel the ending price is sustainable. Beistle re-issued the same set in the 1960s and 1970s but with green highlights. These are typically marked Beistle and have a much lesser value.
Vintage 1930s Halloween Invitation, Cat w/Big Eyes, Witch, Stars, Unused w/Env
Many of the ephemeral items produced for Halloween were not marked. Some companies - Dennison comes to mind - were quite disciplined about marking their products, whereas companies like Whitney rarely marked such items, aside from their postcard output. Gibson was a middle of the road firm when it came to marking. One characteristic to look for if you think something might be Gibson is the presence of a slanted exclamation point. Although not a foolproof method of identification, it is a handy one. This particular invitation is one of Gibson's best. The artistry and use of unusual colors make this stand out. These were sold with stock number 1860 during the 1930s.
Vintage 1920's German Halloween Pear Man Candy Container
I was driving with some friends yesterday morning and mentioned that I had seen this listing and felt the candy container was a good one for the price. They logged on to eBay and bought this about three hours after I had seen it. I feel this seller got lucky that I mentioned it. He had only two poor photos and a description only Piet Mondrian would appreciate. I don't think anyone else would have taken the $550 plunge with such scant information.
Vintage Halloween Invitation Fold-Open Pumpkins, Witch Scary Cat, Owls, Bats
I haven't seen this invitation offered for quite some time. This was produced by Whitney during the later 1920s. It is one of their stronger designs. Dennison produced many tri-fold designs, but it was atypical for Whitney to do so. The art is compelling and I like the use of color. (The green bat - yes green - is a truly nice touch!) Small paper has been a very hot sub-genre for about 18 months - and I expect it not only to continue to be so but to get even hotter. These small artistic gems are finally getting the recognition due them.
This brought an incredibly strong, albeit unsustainable, $90.15.
Scarce Original 1927 Beistle Halloween Party Easel Back Fortune Wheel Game Witch
Beistle issued several versions of this party staple, Fortune Wheel for Hallowe'en Parties. The one offered here is the third and last iteration, produced from 1932-1935. It differed from its predecessors by lacking a honeycomb base and attached fortune flaps. The first and second iterations were produced from 1928-1931. The first was ~11.75" high whereas the second, smaller one measured ~9" high. In terms of rarity from hardest-to-find to most common, the order would be 2, 1 then 3. The one offered by this seller typically fetches $225 in near-perfect condition, which this is not. The seller dismisses the reproductions issued by Beistle itself as "cheap." I don't agree with that characterization. The reproductions are well made and issued with care shown to the collector's market by having them marked in such a way that it is impossible to confuse old from new. I applaud Beistle's consideration of the secondary markets.
Vintage Halloween Invitation, Haunted Pumpkin House, Scary Cat, Ghost, Bats
This awesome invitation was issued by Whitney in the early 1920s. I have never seen it before. I love the 3-D effect given by the protruding steps and the open door. The hatch work at the window can be seen in other fantastic Whitney products - namely the highly desirable and oh-so-hard to find "House of Fate" fortune cards. Eight examples of the latter can be found on page 278. Another thing that makes this listing special is the seller. She has long been associated with vintage Halloween items and is very knowledgeable ... friendly and honest too!
02/14 Update: The small paper item sub-genre is on fire! Who would have ever projected this would end up fetching $222.50 with multiple bidders near that level? Maybe it is time I part with my House of Fate cards!
Antique German FLYING WITCH Decoration w/ Original Crepe Paper Broom
Don't bid too much on this piece. The broom was never an original component of this diecut and is therefore, from a collecting perspective, meaningless. What should be noted is that the diecut is not complete. Most of the lower section of the broom is gone. To see the extent of the missing section, check out the compete diecut shown on page 178.
1940's Halloween Black Cats on Stockade Fence Cut Outs Stand-Ups Interlocking
These fence table decorations, largely made by Whitney, are nearly impossible to find in mint condition. This complete set of four pieces was made during the late 1920s and sold with stock number 2348. This set has the typical weakness to the section hooks, plus appears to have some color toning issues. Still, overall this is a very desirable decoration that has a SGV of $275. What makes it more desirable than some others is that each section is different. To save money, Whitney often produced fences with either identical sides or with only two different designs per four-piece set. The seller has started this low with no reserve. This augurs well for ending at or above SGV.
02/08 Update: The listing ended well below SGV - $209.50.
