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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Die-Cut 1930s Halloween Party Invitation Pop Up Ghost Black Cat Jack O Lantern

This invitation is rare but in terrible condition. Not only is the interior soiled with writing, but it was once stored in an album, with evidence of this too apparent on the reverse. If you look on page 277, you’ll find two different invitations almost certainly from the same set, all probably produced by Whitney. Prices for small paper are very high right now - unsustainably high. This is just another data point for this conclusion.

Vintage Beistle " Complete Party Outfit for Hallowe'en " 1918 Decorations &Games

If you’ve been waiting to get a nearly complete early Beistle Complete Party Outfit - this is your chance. As this wonderful seller says in the listing, I personally examined this. I was blown away by the condition. It seems that the original buyer used and discarded the lampshades then stored everything else away not to see the light of day for 100 years. This is a notoriously difficult set to complete. Interestingly, the shades are perhaps the easiest elements to find. The seller is a personal friend. She’s been in the vintage Halloween collecting field nearly as long as I have and is quite knowledgeable. She is eminently trustworthy. As I type this, the price is already at $1500. Given the quality and rarity - there is plenty of room to run!

Vintage Halloween Black Owl Seals Gibson Great Condition

I’m glad that boxes of Gibson seals are getting the market attention they deserve. (In fact, a box alone sold for $79!) Gibson was always the also-ran to Dennison in terms of seals - certainly both in artistry and quantity/distribution. Box for box, Gibson seals are much harder to find than Dennison. I began collecting them in earnest 20+ years ago and still only have maybe 30 boxes.

Vintage Halloween Dennison Party Invitation Witches JOL Black Cat

There doesn’t seem to be evidence of a recession in the prices some small paper is commanding. I better understand this result as this invitation was produced by Dennison. It is rare enough that I’d never seen it before this listing. The artwork isn’t up to Dennison’s highest standards. The mark is unusual, too. However, that said, I’d have been happy to have it become part of the collection - but not at that price.

Rare Antique Halloween Party Outfit Game Beistle Die Cut Decorations Witches

This sure is a rare set of early Beistle items. This was the first Complete Party Outfit Beistle produced. The year was 1918. There are a few scattered items that don’t belong to the set: the skeleton and the small orange and black diecuts produced by Hallmark. The large JOLs are especially hard-to-find components of this earliest of sets. It is too bad the box is so thrashed. It’ll be fun to see where this set ends in this era of WTF prices for paper items.

06/23 Update: This brought $1,025!