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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Beistle Stunt & Fortune Game

The price paid for this was much too high. Produced by Beistle in the mid-1950s, this diminutive Ghostly Stunt and Fortune Game typically trades for $75. Factoring in the jaw-droppingly high price the seller is charging for shipping a wafer-thin piece of cardboard measuring 4x6", I would not have given it a second glance, even when assuming it would sell for the sustainable guide value. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN 2 DIE CUT HANGING DECORATIONS OWL BAT BEISTLE USA

It isn't surprising that these two superb diecuts ended up together in a paper bag as described by the seller, as they were sold as a set. Beistle sold these as enveloped sets, with the envelopes having a number of variations. (The orange envelope is earlier.) They were marketed as Mechanical Hallowe'en Silhouettes and sold in the early 1920s. Somewhat later, the owl was made as a table decoration with a flip-out base. 

COHN NOISEMAKER~RATTLE HEAD~HORN HANDLE~WORKS!~1920'S

Given how cool and early this design by T. Cohn is, I've long been surprised that the marketplace doesn't more highly value this hard-to-find noisemaker. This looks to be in superb, all-original condition. Sustainable guide value is $145. 

10/04 Update: Someone bought a great item from a great seller for a reasonable price, $135.83. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DEVIL LANTERN GERMANY PRE 1920's MASSIVE SIZE AT 14"T X 13"W

This magnificent lantern leviathan is a true showstopper. While I was scrolling through the listings I couldn't pass it by, the imagery is that strong. These huge lanterns were store displays and were made right around 1919 and then for 1-2 more seasons. I have seen three designs over the years - this devil, a witch head and an eerie JOL. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen this lantern. These are so rare that lantern collectors should be scrambling to be the prevailing bidder. I'll be watching! The bonus here is the seller, an honest person who strives to be correct in her listings. It would be hard to find a nicer seller. 

10/02 Update: This superb item sold for $2,550! 

Vintage Halloween Dennison Seals

This is an awesome set of rare Dennison seals. The seller is correct - these first appeared in Dennison's 1924 Bogie Book. There were two leaf designs - one smiling and one frowning. Both were sold with stock number H684. Sustainable guide value is $180. I have not seen a full box of these offered for sale for many years. It'll be fun to see what they fetch. 

10/06 Update: This great set brought an eyebrow-arching $511.23. The prevailing bidder must have wanted the set VERY badly, as this price probably won't be seen again. 

3 Vintage halloween Beistle Party Favor Baskets Original Package Owl Cat Witch

This nice little grouping is interesting. Beistle produced and sold these from 1927 through 1931. There were four designs overall. This listing is missing the one I like best, which shows a witch wearing a skull laden robe stirring a cauldron. The honeycomb sections that have separated from the main bodies, ostensibly due to dried glue, should be easily re-attachable. The extant glassine envelope is dull and shouldn't be much of a factor in what you may wish to bid on this lot. 

Old Vintage BEISTLE - HALLOWEEN HATS - Envelope/Wrapper - Halloween Party

Lavishly decorated envelopes like this one was one way that Beistle differentiated themselves from their competitors in the marketplace. Nice as these envelopes were, most end-consumers tossed them after liberating the contents, hence the rarity of finding one for sale. Even though this one survived through the decades, it wasn't like it looked like Dorian Gray after the journey. This one was, as the seller aptly described it, in poor condition and the ending price reflected that. If one in perfect condition was to surface, I have no doubt it would have brought up to 10 times what this one did. 

Vintage German Pumpkin Man Candy Container Halloween

Considering the condition issues, this candy container did well. Made in Germany sometime between 1919-early 1920s, this originally stood on a circular wood base. In fact, you can see a fragment from the now-missing base in one of the listing's photos. It's twine stem at the crown of the head is nearly gone and is seems a little soiled, although that could be just the underlit photos. At ~4.5" high, it seems to be a bit smaller than the one in the collection shown on page 73. German candy containers/nodders/figurals are an increasingly perilous genre for collectors. I don't buy many of these anymore unless I can examine the item in-person or unless I have confidence in the seller. 

Vintage Halloween Lantern 4 Different Sides Cat, Bat, Pumpkin, Owl Unique

This very busy shade was produced by Gibson during the 1920s in two variations. The one up for auction is the later variant. The earlier version has cut-out silhouettes as part of the main frame, rather than having these images printed directly onto the orange paper. These early versions are much rarer and have a value significantly greater than later versions. This item has but one bid at $19.99, so a bargain may be in the offing. 

Gurley Candle, 4" Cat on Fence, Creasent Moon, Exc Cond..

Candles are a genre that hasn't caught fire (bad pun...I know...) over these many years, lagging the overall market like common tin litho noisemakers. This sale price for arguably one of the better Gurley designs is surprising. These typically bring $18-20, so to have one bring in more than double is unusual. I feel that candles, tin litho noisemakers and the more common pulp JOLs are great entry points for new collectors. They are plentiful, cheap and low-risk relative to getting stuck with a fake. (As I point out on page 87, the Gurley name was resurrected in 2006 and the new firm began producing candles using new molds.) Look to pay guide values for items within this genre. This result was great for the seller, but the buyer could have waited and gotten it at half the cost. 

JUMBO 18 1/2" Halloween black cat, embossed die cut w/ easel back, USA - NR

Given the enormity of this diecut and its scalloped edges, the condition issues the seller points out are insignificant. Beistle made a group of five of these large, scalloped-edged diecuts beginning in the early 1930s. (This cat, a broomed witch, an arched-backed cat and an owl all appear on pages 149-150.) Of the five, one design almost never surfaces - the skeleton in the graveyard shown on page 137. Even though all five were marketed for many years, the skeleton is so coveted that the last time one surfaced, in October of 2014, it sold for ~$3500. I have yet to hear a theory as to its rarity that makes sense. 

Vintage Halloween Wooden Handle Ratchet Tin Noisemaker Made In USA

This ratchet was produced by Bugle Toy of Providence, Rhode Island. Item for item, Bugle made the most interesting, avant-garde designs of the major manufacturers. The overall number of their tin designs was small but collectors covet them, so prices have been firm, very different from most tin litho noisemakers that have seen sharp price declines. Sometimes Bugle had the wood handle at the witch's hat, as in this example, and sometimes at the base of the JOL. Placement is not material to value. 

(4) 1920's BEISTLE CO. JOHNNY PUMPKIN HEAD BROWNIE, UNUSED, EXCELLENT CONDITION

We'll be seeing a fair number of these ~8" Beistle Johnny Pumpkins as there was an auction last week in Twin Falls, Idaho wherein several lots containing multiples - all unused - were sold. The auction house used my site for research but didn't think to alert me to the auction until the day after it ended. What is notable about this Johnny Pumpkin is that it demonstrates how careless Beistle was in their manufacture. As I write on page 122, "Beistle was seemingly not prepared for the success of this line and cranked them out with limited quality control relative to exactly how the designs by size were replicated." So, look at the hand holding the cat's paw. Part of the paw, part of the hand and part of the lace is missing. This isn't a flaw in the condition, but a flaw in the manufacturing.