Vintage Halloween RARE Beistle Paper Candy Basket w/ early images c. 1921 4.5"H

OK, this is one of the rarest Halloween items in the finest condition that has appeared on eBay in quite some time. Beistle produced this basket for the 1921 season. I’ve seen these from time to time but always folded and generally in tatty condition. (I mean, they’re 100 years old and weren’t designed for longevity.) This is a star listing - a true joy to stumble upon given all the crap one has to wade through on eBay since they collapsed the holiday categories. The last one sold for either right under or right over $1000 with no comparison for condition. Bidders - start your engines!

10/04 Update: This sold for a phenomenal $1,402.77!

Rare Antique German Halloween Diecut Paper Pumpkin Pirate with Cats Tiara

Of all the tiara or diadem German diecut designs, this is one of the hardest to find. As mentioned in a post some weeks ago, there was a strong blip up in prices for these tiaras for a short period of time, but that force has dissipated. These will typically now sell in the $700-1000 range. The last one sold for $597, a bargain compared to 18 months ago. I expect this one will fetch a bit more than that. We’ll see…

Vintage 1930s Halloween clacker tin litho noisemaker toy knocker

Kirchhof produced this design along with a companion design that can be seen on page 204 for a season, maybe two. The typical form of the noisemaker is a ratchet, so this clanger style is unusual, perhaps accounting for why it has already been bid up to nearly $200 even though the condition is rough. If you are going to see one of the pair, this is the design that surfaces a bit more frequently.

Vintage Antique Halloween Dennison Large Floating Specter Die Cut Diecut 1929

Given the sheer size of this spooky Dennison creation and its many protrusions and appendages, these are typically offered in poorish condition. This is in significantly better than average condition offered by a seller who knows what he is doing. This is a great item and I hope it does well. Know that about 15 years ago, well-done reproductions of this diecut appeared BUT they were very small compared to the truly vintage ones like this one. Bid with confidence!

Antique German Halloween Paper Mache Black Cat on Pumpkin Candy Container

This German composition candy container looks right to me. Beginning in the 1990s, this design was reproduced, but with at least two ways to immediately spot a reproduction: the pumpkin was not much wider than the cat’s bottom and the cat was mostly smooth with none of the detailing you’d expect to see with authentic German wares.

Vintage Halloween Decorations Witches Cats Pumpkins

These two shades are the first iterations of shades produced by Beistle as early as 1918 as part of their first party sets. The sets produced prior to 1923 were made in smaller quantities, hence pieces from these sets, especially these large shades, surface far less often than pieces from the 1923 fairy-themed sets produced in booklet, boxed and enveloped forms in near-shocking quantities.

RARE Vintage 1920s Antique Paper Halloween Party Witch Fortune Wheel Pumpkin Cat

This iconic Beistle game, produced from 1928-1931, is seldom seen in this near-mint condition. The witch’s hat is nearly always damaged in some way. Although there is a slight bend toward the top of the hat, this is still leagues ahead of what one normally finds when examining this game. Beistle produced two sizes of this game with a honeycomb base. The smaller one, measuring ~9” high, is seen much less often. It’ll be fun to see what this brings.

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN EMPIRE BLOW MOLD SPOOKY HAUNTED HOUSE 13' - 1969 MINT COND

Vintage 1960s blow molds are yet another market segment that has seen steep climbs in value these past 18 months. This skewed perspective haunted house is one of the better designs. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the very real fact that these common items command such high values in today’s market.

VERY RARE VINTAGE 1923 BEISTLE HALLOWEEN FAIRY CLOCK ENVELOPE MADE IN U. S. A.

What treasures are coming to light! It must be that time of the year. Beistle was deservedly known as a firm that often took as much care in their packaging as with the items contained within. Many of their envelopes, like this one for their 1923 fairy clock, are works of art. Few of these envelopes survived, and those that did are typically found in the same condition as this one - rough. Even so, I expect this will do well. I’ll be monitoring…

09/21 Update: This sold for $405, not as well as I had expected.

Vintage Antique HALLOWEEN Party Invitation Ghost Pumpkin on Telephone RARE

It is great to see some quality small paper items surface on eBay. This is one of the best designed, enigmatic invitations Dennison produced. This first appeared in their 1922 Bogie Book. It was sold with stock number H83. One hasn’t surfaced in a while. What will it end up bringing? (By the way, I’m not a fan of reserves. This seller has placed a reserve on the listing that may dampen interest.)

09/19 Update: The ending price of $157.49 was surely lower than if the seller had just listed it for $9.99 with no reserve.

Vintage/Antique Over-the -head Mask Halloween

These over-the-head masks were first made in Germany during the teens. This one is particularly spooky, don’t you think? These were relatively expensive when first produced and tended to be sold at the “better” stores. Today, few have survived and the current price on this mask of $760 with 1+ days to go illustrates their desirability and scarceness.

09/19 Update: This scary item fetched $1,375!

RARE antique German Halloween die cut windowpane with witch vintage GREAT!

I’ve seen many examples of this diecut over the years. The condition of this one being sold by a knowledgeable and honest seller is in the top five of all those I have seen. Because these are so large they are prone to lots of surface paper cracking and typically have suffered the indignities of tape and multiple punctures. The description indicates this example has largely escaped those problems. The way the colors have mellowed on this one is pleasing. I hope this does well. It is heartening to see such a quality item amidst all the crapola that one has to wade through now since eBay changed their holiday categorization system.

New Lantern Design from Tim Ramzyk of Pulp Novelties!

Tim Ramzyk is nearing release of his latest fantastic creation, The Halloween Alley Cat! Just look at the craftsmanship! Tim tells me this lantern is his most ambitious to date, consisting of no less than seven separately molded pieces. He was able to craft this scary and unsettling feline even though the raw materials necessary to actually produce them were most costly and more elusive than ever.

This lantern proudly joins my collection of Tim’s limited edition releases he has been creating for the last several years. The detailed molding and coloration of the fur, the care to show its war-torn ears, the cleverly distinctive eyes and unbelievable realism of the mouth and fangs on this chilling lantern are, frankly, astounding. I plan to put it at eye level so my visitors will be a bit spooked.

Tim is a Wisconsin-based artist who meticulously and painstakingly hand molds his own designs from a heavy, durable material. I am in awe at the workmanship and the true craft Tim brings to pulp design. I proudly have seven of his treasures now on exhibit in my main display room. (For those who I've been lucky to host at my home, you know that in order for something to be placed in that room, it has to carry its own weight.)

Tim is offering The Halloween Alley Cat for $205 plus shipping, way too cheap for an item of this quality! He’ll begin selling them on Etsy on September 19th. As with all of his most recent lanterns they will be made in a limited number of small, handcrafted batches. When they are gone, they are gone. Do not miss out on the chance to have a limited edition piece of sculptural art from this great Wisconsin guy. The name of Tim’s Etsy shop is PulpNovelties. You can also contact him directly at pulpnovelties@aol.com.

For those who know me, you know that I rarely buy anything Halloween unless it is vintage. I've made an exception - and you should too. My advice is to place a pre-order with Tim now. I am privy to the number he plans to produce in his initial batch. That number compels me to repeat the advice - place a pre-order now. :)

Vintage 1930's Halloween WITCH's MYSTERY ANSWER GAME

Now, here’s a game I haven’t seen made available in a long time. Beistle produced this visually alluring item from 1933-1938. Given that it was in production for so long, one doesn’t often see them. The condition of this one is average compared to what will see when you do see one. This is a big item, so it was prone to sustaining bends and rips. Beistle’s first iteration is significantly harder to find. This elusive will-o-the-wisp has an off-white background but is otherwise the same. This first was produced from 1931-1932 and can be seen on page 15. I have never been able to secure one good enough for the collection. If you have one in very fine or better condition, you own a rarity.

Vintage Everything for Your Halloween Party Book Nell Spots Hats Nut Cups

I was asked recently if this Whitman publication has been reprinted. My answer was that I haven’t heard of any authorized or unauthorized reprints. The level of interest for this booklet has never been strong, so I don’t see the financial feasibility of an entity pursuing a reprinting.

09/11 Update: I was contacted by a reader, Mary R., who wrote to say this book has been reprinted. Here is what she wrote: “The "Everything for Your Halloween Party" book has indeed been reprinted. I bought a copy from Amazon a few years ago. As you said, the book is uninteresting. You can still look this up on Amazon and also read my review of it. I believe the Ebay seller of this item has a repro and I informed him/her of this.”