The moment I saw this listing I thought the seller is going to be shocked at the price it fetches. (Whether the seller was, in fact, shocked is something I don’t know for sure, but I suspect they were.) I have a fair number of lanterns in the collection but have never been all that partial to them as I am more of a paper guy - but I was transfixed by the sheer oddity of this masterpiece. It does take financial resources to be a collector of vintage Halloween items, a reality that I rail against, but unlike so many items I’ve seen change hands this year for prices I laughed at, this result is one I completely understand. Congrats to whomever acquired this singular object!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Antique Vintage Halloween Lantern Knorpp Candy Co Cat Owl Devil Skeleton
This was one of the first lanterns I acquired, not knowing at the time just how few times I would see another complete example. Knorpp was a candy company in Brooklyn. The firm patented the “Four-In-One-Lantern” design in 1916, so this is an early commercially manufactured item. Like almost every example I’ve seen, this one is missing its bottom. This is more important than usual because the bottom attaches at one side to the lantern’s interior. (With most other lantern designs the bottom is a separate piece.) That and the overall condition of the lantern mitigates against this bringing strong dollars, although the current bid of $248.50 with over four days to go is already strong.
Knorpp really got into this lantern design. Not only is the exceedingly rare envelope a visual treat, but they adapted each side into a tiara. Please turn to page 128 to see for yourself.
06/17 Update: This lantern brought a strong $387 despite its missing bottom.
Original Vintage 1920's Halloween Lantern 12 Panel Collapsible Made in Germany
There was a stretch during this year on eBay when items I’d consider B and A-level weren’t bringing strong dollars. Given a few results in the last two weeks, that stretch MAY be at an end or considered an anomaly. This twelve-panel lantern is a good way to illustrate the point. I’d consider this item to be C-level, a good display item that is very common, even given its age. For many years this design in perfect condition would trade in a narrow range around $150. (Similarly, the hard plastic Rosen witch-on-motorcycle would trade in a narrow range around $300.) Lately, though, even lantern examples in rougher condition like this one are bringing prices well in excess of the “historical” norm. As of this typing, this lantern has been bid up to $185 with over three days to go. What accounts for this? The ready answer is that the interest in common yet eye-catching designs is prompting bids from an influx of new collectors who may feel intimidated by some of the more stratospheric prices being bid and paid for vintage Halloween items. As the continuation of any hobby depends on new hobbyists, this may be considered a “green shoot” to purloin a phrase used by a former Fed Chair, Ben Bernanke. We’ll see…
05/09 Update: This sold for $278.89.
6 Vintage Halloween Skull Skeleton Cardboard Paper Lantern Die Cut Decor Rare
The six imperfect but complete Beistle lanterns sold for ~$143 each, quite a bit considering condition and lack of scarcity. Beistle produced this unvarying design for many seasons, so if you are going to see a Beistle lantern, this is the design you’ll see. Far harder to find is the Beistle skull lantern that is primarily orange. Produced during the early 1930s, you can see an example on page 32.
RARE Large Vintage Halloween 2-Sided JOL Lantern Cardboard Sides Beistle 1933-35
This particular form of lantern from Beistle is hard to find. The yellow cardboard sides and the outline of the JOL in yellow differentiate this lantern from others they produced. I suspect that Beistle found the stiff cardboard sides connected to the two faces with metal clips to be a pain both to produce and to ship. I also suspect that management decided to lose the outline to make the items a tad smaller, maybe to save on shipping. (I don’t know why for sure.) In any event, this is a nice bright example marred only by the inserts.
2 Vintage Halloween 12 Panel Paper Lanterns •Germany• See Pics. & Description
In perfect condition, these very common lanterns will bring $150-175 each. The seller has the damaged pair for $575 OBO. A fair offer would be around $225.
Vintage Halloween Lantern 4 Panel Paper Lantern Decoration Made In Germany 1
This is a 1990s or later reproduction of an authentic vintage German design first produced during the 1920s. The reproductions were imported into the USA by Blumchens. The black borders on truly vintage lanterns will be heavily embossed. This has only modest decorative value.
08/17 Update: The seller is listing several of these, being opaque about the fact that these lanterns are not vintage.
RARE! ANTIQUE/VINTAGE GERMAN HALLOWEEN BEISTLE DIECUT LANTERN - DOUBLE-SIDED JOL
This lantern was produced in two sizes for one season (1928) by German designers working for Beistle. It is the direct ancestor for Beistle’s now-iconic 1930-1931 lantern, also produced in two sizes, and shown on page 32. I really appreciate the fine seller taking such care in describing the lantern. I wish that all eBay sellers would take such a detailed approach with their listings! It’ll be fun to see what this brings.
RARE ANTIQUE HALLOWEEN WITCH PAPER LANTERN MADE IN GERMANY
This hanging witch with a latticed-paper body was merely one design among six that the Minnesota-based seller offered with very strong results. There were a few more Halloween designs produced beyond the six offered, but collectively the ones on eBay give a great representation of the cleverness, if not fragility, of these kinds of things. Because they are so difficult to display, I long ago purged the designs I owned from the collection, so it was fun and instructive to see what they fetch these days. The range was from $227 to $589. These are almost certainly among the earliest German paper Halloween items produced and exported to the United States.
Vintage 1940's Halloween Devil Lantern 2 Sided Cardboard
This is an example of what I strongly dislike about sellers on eBay. They know just enough to mistakenly think that any piece of vintage Halloween, no matter how poor the condition, is worth a fortune. This seller is offering this not uncommon devil head lantern produced by Dolly Toy for a whopping $249. Just look at the condition. There are significant pieces missing and an irregular hole at the bottom. The seller claims there are creases on the corners but they are all intact. That’s not what their photos show. This item perhaps could be bought for parts for no more than $30-40.
Vintage Antique Beistle Halloween Decoration Lantern. Very Rich Colors!
It is nicely refreshing to see a quality item or two amongst the endless river of dreck that eBay has become. Sadly, eBay has become a waste of time for serious collectors. There is just too much crap to wade through now that the holiday categories have been ill-advisedly collapsed into one big, frustrating jumble. However, I digress…
This lantern is a sight for sore eyes. I love the rich coloration and the seemingly perfect inserts. Yes, the top connector shows wear and the bottom has become separated, but the former doesn’t matter much (It is more important that it is actually present.) and the latter can be easily mended by any competent restorer.
I applaud this seller’s style for starting this precious item at 99 cents rather than starting the bidding at an already fully valued sham price. (Too many sellers engage in this dodgy stratagem that fools no one.) The same seller has a great Beistle Jack-O-Lantern Fortune Game up for auction. Be sure to check it out.
01/21/Update: The euphoria of seeing such a nice item amidst the crapola almost certainly prodded this ending price to an unsustainable high of $3,627.11!
Vintage Four Sided Halloween Paper Lantern / DieCut Cats Tear Missing Top Circle
This lantern was produced by Gibson during the 1920s. They used a grade of construction paper that is rather unforgiving - meaning that once you have assembled the lantern, woe to you if you dissemble and re-assemble it. The soft paper will often just crunch up and then split and drop off. If you obtain one, it is best to leave it unassembled. I’ve learned the hard way! :)
Vintage Halloween Skeleton Jack o lantern Owl Cats Lot
I sure wish I could have been at that estate sale and snatched these items right up! The buyer almost surely got a tremendous bargain. Not only are the 1930-1 Beistle lanterns a key find, but the assortment of German diecuts is quite nice. Don’t let the small bat escape your notice. The lot has already been bid up to $356. It has a lot of room to run.
Vintage Halloween RARE 30s Beistle Paper Lantern Bat Witch Black Cat NICE Diecut
If you want a good laugh to kick off the weekend, look at this listing. The wildly optimistic seller has offered this for $749.99 with a “make an offer” option. (This isn’t a typo.) This common lantern isn’t even offered with a bottom. If you are inclined to make an offer, my guidance would be $40-60 isn’t unreasonable.
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. :)
