All of these small paper items were produced by Hallmark, except possibly one. Which is the odd duck?
04/02 Update: Thanks to all those who replied! The standing girl at the lower left is almost certainly not something produced by Hallmark.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
12 Pc. Vintage Halloween Gift Seals & Labels Package Samples W/ Thanksgiving!
This lot is a great example of the wares produced by regional manufacturers that may not have been in business long. Although their design aesthetic wasn’t advanced, this 12-piece assortment is pleasing enough that I was the underbidder.
Antique Vintage German JOL Pumpkin Halloween Childs Tea Set Rare
The stars of this superb lot were the saucers and the handled cups. You just don’t see such an assortment offered as a single lot often. The buyer, whomever it was, must be delighted.
Vintage Halloween Silhouettes - Envelope - Cats, Devil, Owl - Beistle B Co - WOW
The earliest Beistle Halloween items were primitively packaged (for the most part) and were marked as this item is, B Co. Such early items are desirable. This seller made an error listing it the way it was listed. If it was allowed to run in an auction format the seller would most definitely have received more than the paltry sum that was offered and accepted.
Rare 1915 Vintage Halloween Dennison Bogie Book Costume Catalog & Crepe Napkin
This listing was up for an hour at most before it was snapped up. These early Dennison Bogie Books are becoming increasingly hard to find in any condition. Although the listing showed it sold for $189.99, the buyer is a long-time reader who passed on that she bought it for $100, a good deal. (The napkin bundled as part of the lot is just a bonus.) The first Bogie Book was published in 1909. There is only one known copy. The next was published in 1912 and new editions were published without a miss until 1918. Editions prior to 1922 are rightly the most coveted as they have the most information. Dennison targeted these books to the end consumer so the annual editions tend to show all items newly available for that year plus some old stock. Collectors interested in such things, like me, can roughly chart when items were first introduced and for how many seasons an item was available. The 1913 edition is so hard to find that I still don’t own a copy.
Antique Halloween German JOL Head Lady Candy Container Jack O Lantern Fab!
The Germans were able to portray such emotion in their moldings. One can almost feel the anticipation and joy this JOL-headed woman exudes through the skillful rendering of the body. This would certainly be a show-stopper in any display. The seller is a long-time collector who did the hobby a very great service with her publication in the 1990s of The Boo News, an informative, well-written newsletter with a diverse offering of articles. I own virtually every copy Dawn Kroma ever published, and cherish them for their information. If she has any copies left, I hope she’ll offer them up for auction. They are very much worth having as part of any collector’s reference library.
Vintage Halloween Tally Cards original pack of 5, bat, owl, witch, etc. 1950's ?
I hadn’t seen this particular packaging before viewing this listing. Beistle produced their tallies for many years in at least two sizes - and in several kinds of packaging, but this small windowed envelope was a new variant. I feel this nice set is from the later 1920s as the packaging is quite similar to a stunt game shown on page 17.
Vintage Halloween Nut Cup... Rare
This is a superbly designed item - one that I had never seen before. The art looks very similar to some of the Gibson shades you can find on page 44. I appreciate when an artist endeavors to cram as much detail into something with such a small form factor. I’m surprised it didn’t bring stronger dollars.
Vintage Halloween CARDBOARD NUT CUP - BEISTLE - 1920's - MINT - HARD TO FIND!
This mint little nut cup is being offered by a knowledgeable and trustworthy seller. You can have confidence in dealing with them.
03/17 Update: This great item brought a strong $58.
HALLOWEEN KITTY CARD GAME BEISTLE 1927 BOX DIRECTIONS 30 CARDS
I haven’t seen this game offered for many years. This boxed game from Beistle was copyrighted in 1927 but wasn’t released until 1928. My reference has assigned an RSIN of 3 to this great item, but I am changing this to 2. I like that the example up for auction is complete with instructions. The box itself looks intact and unmarred. If you don’t own this yet, you may not have another opportunity for quite some time. It’ll be fun to see what this brings. As I write this, bidding is already at $138.49.
03/10 Update: This great item sold for a strong $445.
VINTAGE! WHITMAN HALLOWEEN PARTY MATERIAL BOX & CONTENTS
I appreciate listings like this one where the contents of an obscure set are shown. Often single pieces from such sets will surface with no attribution, so saving the photos associated with these kinds of listings is a good way to enhance knowledge.
Vintage 1925 HALLOWEEN Large Die-Cut Accordion Crepe WITCH & Fiery Caldron
This cauldron decoration was produced by Beistle from 1928-1932. I believe it was originally part of their Rustic Fireplace due to the streamers at the bottom meant to simulate flames. See page 127 for more information. The seller needs to include more and higher resolution photos. It is hard to tell whether the arch has been repaired. It appears as if it has been restored in some fashion.
03/10 Update: I feel the lack of good photos hampered this item from bringing the dollars it deserved. It sold for only $162.50.
