This Shackman bellowed noisemaker, produced sometime after 1960, is based on the original design produced by the Japanese in the 1930s. The original design has colored heavy paper bellows and is stamped “Japan” on the lower inside margin of one of the end pieces. These original accordions from the 1930s are quite difficult to find in working condition. The listing on eBay is for a second generation noisemaker.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween Novelty Spinning Place Cards Holders WHITNEY 1930s/1920s
The contents of this Whitney game are incorrect and incomplete. The fortunes with lid tops do not belong with the game. (One actually belongs as the fortune to another listing this same seller has on eBay now.) Although the spinners are present, the wooden sticks and the twelve fortunes are missing. Given the overall poor condition of this admittedly difficult-to-find Whitney item, the BIN price of $395 is much, much too high. I feel a fair price given what is on offer is $75.
Vintage Halloween Beistle Jointed Cat Large Made In The USA Almost Perfect
Beistle produced two skelecat designs, one in 1970 and the other in 1971. This is the first design that they abandoned as I think it didn’t appeal to shoppers. The next year’s design was much scarier, thus appealing to the design aesthetic popular with party-givers and goers at the time.
VINTAGE 1920’S GERMAN HALLOWEEN DIECUT - JACK O’LANTERN WITH HAIR!
Why has this wonderful German diecut not sold in the hours it has been on eBay? The price is fair and the sellers are fantastic people. I like how they mention it has a matte finish, as some German diecuts have a glazed finish. I prefer the latter but it generally makes no difference as to value.
Vintage 1920’s Halloween Tally Card Of A Well Suited JOL By The PF Volland Co
Volland didn’t produce a great deal of marked small paper but from that I’ve seen their design aesthetic projects serenity. Volland merged with Gerlach Barklow in 1924 and moved their operations to Joliet, Illinois. They were permanently out of business nine years later. I have seen a fair amount of unmarked small paper that uses a stock numbering convention starting with three numerals followed by a capital T. This listing makes a weak connection between unmarked items with this numbering convention and Volland. I’ll keep this in mind when I see unmarked items with this numbering convention.
Vintage Fine A Quality October Angel Figurine with Halloween Pumpkin JOL Japan
Collectors ask me what market segments haven’t gone price bonkers yet. Admittedly, there are few that come to mind if one thinks of items produced before ~1965, but these porcelain Halloween angel figurines seem to fit the bill. They are fragile enough that surviving examples probably get fewer each year yet most can be picked up for $100 or less. They are not items that appeal to me particularly, but if I squint I can discern the charm from far away. Various Japanese manufacturers produced them during the late 1940s and through the later 1950s.
