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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Rare Vintage Halloween Empress Makers Rattler Noise Maker Cats Bat Witch Pumpkin

The lucky buyer acquired a truly rare item. I've been collecting and researching vintage Halloween for 25 years folks, and I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE or heard of the manufacturer. I love the graphics along the rim and ​the way the designer crammed in the word "noise" in the center of the top piece - very snazzy. The imagery looks Germanic to me. I think this went for a pittance. Kudos to whomever scooped this up! 

Vintage Halloween PAPER Candle SHADE Witch Bats Cat Owl Great CONDITION EARLY

This is a German shade made in the 1920s. Typically, the panels consist of faded, punctured paper, so it is great to see an example with complete, bright ​inserts. The starting price is not unreasonable, although as the seller intimates, the brace that would fit in the slots toward the top is missing. Take that into account when considering whether to place a bid. 

VINTAGE WHIRL-O HALLOWEEN FORTUNE AND STUNT GAME & FORTUNE VERSES

The gem of the lot is the "24 Fortune Verses" envelope. The set was made by Whitney, a company that went out of business in 1943. This is a desirable set in that the simple fortune verses were often cut up and discarded. You see the envelope now and again but to find a completely extant example is a fun challenge. ​

04/06 Update: I am not surprised that this lot brought $214.37. ​

Vtg Germany Halloween Toy Tea Set JOL Pumpkin Teapot Cups Saucers Cream Sugar

This is at least the second time this seller has tried to unload this set. It was listed in late September 2012 with an opening bid of $1,900. Here is what I wrote then: "These are all great items (especially the small cups and saucers) and appropriately marked, but the opening price is already a fully valued number. I think the seller is making an error starting so high as that price will engender few bids. Why not start the lot at $500 and let the vagaries of the auction setting determine the price?​" 

The seller is slowly making progress in the right direction. They have listed it with a Buy-It-Now price of $1,695 with a willingness to accept offers. Given the described  condition of the pieces, I feel this set is worth in the $1,100 to $1,400 range depending on your tolerance for imperfection. 

Early Large Pumpkin Lantern

This large German JOL, along with three other items, is being offered by a pioneer in the field of collecting vintage Halloween memorabilia, someone truly in the vanguard of holiday collecting. There was a profile of her collection in a magazine from the 1980s that was an inspiration to me as to how she displayed candy containers. The very large doll house I use to showcase ~35 of my containers was an idea long in gestation arising directly from this article. Sadly, I personally inspected her collection in the summer of 1997 and found much of it stored so haphazardly as to have greatly lessened the condition of virtually everything that I saw. This, apparently, escaped my attention. This person doesn't offer much for sale, and when she does her items often don't sell due to her predilection for asking astronomically high prices.

03/30 Update: I was surprised that this, and most of her other items, actually fetched as much as they did. ​

Vintage 1920's Grinning Black Cat Halloween Candy Container Germany SCARCE NM

I am humbled by the very kind words the seller has written about me. Thanks! Most importantly, though, is this fine German candy container. I had had it in my personal collection for many years before parting with it. (I have several more similar to it and can't keep everything!) ​Whomever purchases this will be obtaining a truly scarce container in very collectible condition.