Happy Halloween!

Well, another season draws to a close. I feel this was a bounteous year for seeing some great vintage Halloween being offered for sale. On the flip side, there were also a number of new fakes, reproductions and fantasy piece worming their way into the marketplace. I think the sub-genre most being faked right now is the clockwork mechanical items. BEWARE OF THIS SUB-GENRE. Virtually every one (maybe all...) I've seen on eBay and being proudly touted on the Vintage Halloween Facebook group has been faked, meaning that although some components may be vintage (like the metal mechanisms), others are not. One of my favorite Canadian collectors calls this bad trend "Frankensteining." I know some otherwise sensible collectors being taken in by dishonest or ignorant dealers. If you have a question as to whether one of these items is authentic, post a photo to the Vintage Halloween FB group and let the many advanced collectors on that forum weigh in. Be ready for bad news. One silly collector posted one of her many faked clockwork items on that forum. When about 10 advanced collectors all weighed in to say she had been duped, she deleted her posting and went to another Facebook group and posted the same garbage. Ignorance must be bliss! 

Be vigilant for the new season. Buy only from reputable sources. Check with accessible live resources like me if you have a doubt about something. The hobby has gotten so expensive that doing your homework before any notable purchase only makes sense. If you haven't done so already, for heaven's sake, buy the third edition of my reference work, Vintage Halloween Collectibles. 

Start budgeting now for my annual vintage Halloween auction on this site. Lat May I offered 79 lots of awesome items. It takes place in early May and is open only to those collectors who have purchased a copy of my third edition. 

In the meantime, enjoy the evening! Happy Halloween!

MBL

Early vintage Halloween standup decoration

You have to laugh at either the ignorance or audacity of some sellers. All this is is a trimmed photo of a lantern with a cardboard backing. To complete the sheer lunacy of this and similar listings, the seller wants over $7 to ship a 6x4" piece of worthless cardboard. 

Vintage E. Rosen Company Pumpkin Pops Display, Halloween, Eyes Roll

This listing underscores the peril of listing an item with a BIN when you don't have much of an idea what it is that you are selling. If this seller had listed this as an auction style listing, it surely would have reached a price in many multiples of what his ill-chosen BIN price brought. This Pumpkin Pops mechanical point-of-sale sucker holder is exceptionally rare. This is only the second time I've seen a complete example for sale. (The prior time was in 1997 when I purchased the one in the collection from Dunbar Gallery.) Even with the unfortunate damage, this is a prize, and the person who snatched it up for a song is surely singing a very sweet tune. Refer to pages 116-118 for other examples of these wonderful Rosen creations. 

Antique Vintage 1920s Halloween Puzzle Fortune Game or Decoration

The seller quotes from my second edition, which is outdated due to the publication of my third edition 15 months ago. The SGV is $100, a figure these trade at consistently, although not in this case. The buyer truly overpaid, especially considering that this is not a mint example. 

Antique German Porcelain Halloween Jackolantern Sugar Bowl

This is not a German-made porcelain item. It was made in Japan and has significantly less value than its corresponding German counterpart. This is an atypical Japan porcelain example as some of its characteristics are opposite of what is normally seen. Although the item appears to be overly knobby, and does looks disproportionate to the more elegant German design, this example looks heavy and clunky, cheap-seeming in that way, rather than the feather-light cheapness you would normally expect to see in a Japanese-made porcelain item. For a solid tutorial on how to tell German porcelain items from Japanese porcelain items, see page 119. 

Halloween candy container assortment: pumpkins, trees and cat

The two Fibro Toy stumps are incomplete, each missing an owl. The complete decoration is one of the most elusive of all the Halloween items manufactured by Fibro Toy. These were made in the mid-1930s. A complete example from the collection can be seen on page 296. 

Vintage Halloween Spinner Party Game, Ex Cond.

This is a tiny game that I've never seen before. (I missed this listing as I've been so busy lately, else I would have attempted to have it be part of the collection.) This was certainly made by Whitney in the 1920s. Given its diminutive size, it may have been used as a place setting at a long-ago party. I like the whimsical nature of the design, the expression on the young witch's face and the cat's expression. He seems to be thinking, Feed my already, hag! The buyer got a solid bargain.
This is the time of the year when bargains abound on eBay. Sellers make the mistake of thinking October is the best time to sell vintage Halloween items. Wrong! So many people think that, that the listings explode and the average price drifts inexorably downward. I feel the best time to sell is April through June, with September and October being the best time to buy. 

EXCEEDINGLY RARE 5" German Die Cut Black Face JOL Man Excellent Cond. 1930s

This exceedingly rare item, photographed for and appearing in my third edition on page 171, is surely one of the diecut designs sold only to Canada in 1935. These diecuts tend to have more unusual imagery and are typically coveted. The seller, Jason Walcott, lent it to me to be photographed and now it will migrate to yet another collector. 

ORIGINAL Vintage Halloween Die Cut Beistle Mechanical Walking Man

This hard-to-find vampire clown diecut is far less than complete than this seller knows. The seller correctly points out that two of the five feet on a rotating disc are missing. However, and notably, the entire front of the diecut, consisting of a wheelbarrow with a movable wheel carrying a chagrined JOL is long gone. Essentially, what remains is merely a remnant with little to no collectible value. To see a complete example, as well as the other three diecuts that comprise a complete set, refer to page 284. 

VTG 1920'S 30'S HALLOWEEN SMALL OWL IN MOON CANDY CONTAINER BOX

This is a rare enough Rosen candy box that I've never seen one before. Rosen made exquisite candy boxes as well as point-of-sale containers that are quite sought after. Even though the condition of this compelling box is somewhat problematic, it reached a solid price of nearly $200. I wonder what other Rosen treasures remain undiscovered? 

Vtg 1920s Bridge Card Game Tally, Halloween Mechanical Black Cat #62

I recently bought an enormous private collection, much of it for resale, and this very hard-to-find Dennison black cat tally was one of the 25 or so pieces I kept for the collection. Prior to acquiring it, I had not seen one before, but had seen it referenced in one of the early 1930s Dennison publications. These were sold singly in stationary shops. If you are a Dennison completist, like me, you'll want this rare tally. 

10/29 Update: This sold for a strong $34.39. 

Old Vintage Halloween Cardboard Candy Container Holder Nut Cup Dennison 1920's

This is an exceptional Dennison nut cup design from the late 1920s. There were four designs to the set and they were sold only as a set. These rarely come up for sale - especially in unused condition. Snap this up, pronto, folks! 

Vintage Halloween Cat On Pumpkin Candy Container

This candy container design has been reproduced. (It actually was one of the first of the authentic designs to be reproduced.) The fakes can be easily differentiated from the authentic. (This listing shows an authentic item.) Truly vintage items have a broad pumpkin and exceptional detailing on the cat. 

Vintage Halloween Die Cut Cardboard Elf, Pumpkins, Clock, Decoration

This eye-catcher is the much sought after Beistle fairy clock made only for the 1923 season. Because it was made for only the one season, these rarely surface for sale. When they do, they are nearly always in the same condition as this example. This is a large, irregularly bordered diecut, so bends, perimeter nicks and surface paper loss defects are common. Condition is, of course, an important factor in determining value. SGV for this masterpiece of design is $750-850. 

10/26 Update: Given the condition issues present with this example, the ending price was a strong $699.99. 

VINTAGE 1920'S J. CHEIN HALLOWEEN BLACK CAT TIN TAMBOURINE

This tin tam, made by Chein in the early 1930s, appears to be in remarkable condition. I question, though, whether the condition warrants a ~120% premium to SGV. As with virtually all such endings, the price was driven by two bidders.