Vintage Halloween Owl Get Wise Pick a Feather Rare Collectible

Although it is great to see such a rare item on eBay amongst all the garbage, I sure wish this seller would have spent more time taking photos and providing a detailed description of condition rather than the formal gobbledygook they employ. This rare game was produced by Gibson during the early 1930s. There should be twelve feather fortunes. It is unclear just how many remain. There seems to be spotting at the bottom. One ear seems bent. Are there any other condition issues? What does the reverse look like?

01/02 Update: I’m glad to see the seller added a photo of the reverse.

01/14 Update: This game fetched $559.89. I can’t help but wonder if the ending price would have been higher if the seller had better photos and a more concise description. Sellers should always remember that buyers are just interested in many clear photos with a concise description devoid of nonsense.

Antique Vintage Germany Halloween Diecut Decoration Owl, 1920s, Deeply Embossed

The Germans produced a solid variety of owl diecuts in this large size during the 1920s. Few are in such nice condition as this one. Yes, an area of the hand-painted beak highlights has disappeared, but that’s minor given how battered most of these sized diecuts are after 100 years of existence. The seller is a nice person, too!

Vintage Halloween Germany Windowpane Diecut Decoration Owl Antique 1930s HTF

The Germans produced four windowpane designs. If you are going to see one design, chances are it will be this one, the owl. (You can see the others on page 170.) What makes this particular example noteworthy is its condition. It seems to have a minimal amount of surface paper loss and crackling. The seller states that this was produced during the 1930s. Although that cited date is more often than not correct, it isn’t in this case. There is a black circular mark on the reverse of the diecut that indicates it was made during an interval of 1946-1949 in an occupied zone of Germany. This shouldn’t have a material difference on valuation.

06/10 Update: This fetched $732.53.

Dennison, Vintage Halloween, 1920’s Boxed set of 6 Owl Diecuts

One of my favorite market segments is the boxed Dennison products. I began collecting these early and that fervor remains unabated. There has been a noticeable and sustained uptick in interest (and therefore, prices…) for Dennison boxed items, especially for those items produced with their Art Deco look issued from 1928-1932. I had two Dennison boxed items in my recent auction. Both were strong performers. This box of owl cut-outs is a stolid design, yet is doing quite well with over six days to go as of this typing.

VINTAGE 1940's The Dolly Toy Co. HALLOWEEN Candy Container Box OWL on TREE STUMP

It is so heartening to see a truly rare item on eBay, the once proud site that has sadly become a garbage heap of undifferentiated Halloween goods. (Is anyone else exhausted from scrolling through endless pages of crapola just to find the occasional vintage item? I sure wish the boobs who run eBay would bring back and enforce a vintage category for Halloween items.) Now that I feel better after ranting, let’s turn the focus to this rare and desirable item issued during the 1930s by Dolly Toy of Dayton, Ohio, under their Fibro Toy line. This is only the second time I’ve seen this item. The first time was when I purchased a near-mint+ example from a seller in July 2007. You can now see it on page 296. The owl fits onto the stump and sits above it by using the slot at the bottom of the owl. The photos for this listing seem to show this slot, so the seller’s statement that the owl just sits inside the stump is incorrect. I know of several collectors who want this item, so if the right people are watching, this should go for more than a song. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were to fetch north of $500.

03/30 Update: This ended a bit short of what I expected - $441.

RARE Vintage Halloween Orange Paper Pulp Owl Decoration

This brought a very strong price considering its condition. These small pulp owls are surprisingly strong performers in any condition. Why do you think that is?

**VINTAGE** HALLOWEEN ORANGE OWL BLOW MOLD

The vintage Halloween hobby is broken down into many different market segments. Over the last few years, most segments have strengthened over an expected trajectory, some have weakened and a few have strengthened more rapidly than expected. Examples of the last category would be Dennison and Gibson diecuts from 1928-1934 and many blow molds. (I can hardly believe it myself!) This owl blow mold from the 1960s is a good representative of this new reality for this market segment. Will Gurley candles and common tin litho ever strengthen?

RARE Vintage Halloween Orange Paper Mache Owl Container Decoration 3.5”

Prices for simple pulp items like this 1950s owl and a corresponding cat, typically seen with yellow eyes, have really escalated over the last 1-2 years. This owl is mystifyingly difficult to find in very-fine-plus or better condition. The example sold yesterday for $202.51 just edges in to the lower range of that condition scale. Maybe that accounts for the ending price. A few years ago, it would have maxed out at $70-90.

1930s RARE? Vintage Halloween OWL IN TREE WINDOWPANE Embossed Diecut GERMANY

The full set of these German windowpane diecuts comprises four designs. The owl typically lags the other designs in terms of value, all else being equal. I feel this reality is driven by the static and uninspired imagery, especially compared with the other three designs, which can all be seen on page 170. These large diecuts typically have significant edge wear and cracking of the surface paper. The wonderful seller seems to place too much emphasis on WorthPoint. This design has come available quite a number of times over the last few years on eBay alone. I’ve even offered two in my annual auctions since 2015. The ending price for this listing is in rough parity with what these have been fetching.

EXCEEDINGLY RARE Vintage Halloween Owl Pick-A-Feather Fortune Game 1930s, Framed

This Gibson fortune game is mammoth relative to virtually all other games. (Gibson had a penchant for size. Their Whoo’s Whoo? and Remember I’ve 9 Lives drawing games, which you can see on page 22, are huge, too.) I appreciate the fun-factor of this game as well as Gibson’s cleverness in finding ways to re-use previously made artwork. (I feel the Wise Up! diecut shown on page 168 was an adaptation of the fortune game.) As I wrote in very early 2016, I’ve seen this game precious few times. I was lucky to acquire a complete example in near-perfect condition in February 2016. Any others I have seen were in problematic condition. The condition of this example is the best I’ve seen save for the one now in the collection. Although this one is far from perfect as detailed by the great seller, it may be the best that someone could acquire for years. A significant drawback is the fact that this is framed. I recommended that the framing be dispensed with but the consignor resisted that suggestion. If I were a prospective buyer, I would want to examine the reverse and be assured that it could be removed from the framing without further damage. The seller sagely helped lessen the framing issue by offering free shipping, a not inconsiderable concession. It will be fun and interesting to see what this fetches!

04/07 Update: I was surprised this sold for a relative song - $469. The buyer, a long-time, discerning collector, got a rare bargain in these times of typically over-heated results. I feel the fact it was framed really crimped the bidding.

Vintage Halloween Owl on Branch Germany Embossed Cardboard 1940s - 1960s RARE

This great perched owl diecut was produced in Germany during the 1920s. The preponderance of German diecuts were produced during the 1920s. The most popular designs like the walking witch, many of the black cats - dressed and not - and the perched owls were produced for many seasons spanning most of the 1920s and into the early 1930s. There is a subset of German diecuts made for export to Canada in 1935 that tend to be the most coveted, rare and the most expensive. Then there was a handful of German diecut designs made from 1946 through 1949. These tend to bear stamps indicating “Made in USSR Zone” and the like. Once 1950 dawned and thereafter there were few, if any, heavily embossed German diecuts produced in Germany.

Rare ANTIQUE DENNISON DIECUT HALLOWEEN FLYING PURPLE OWL DECORATION c.1930's

I wonder why so many of these are suddenly available for sale?

Vtg Halloween Hallmark Diecut Place card Cat Owl JOL Moon H83 - Unused, Rare!

The apogee of Hallmark’s design aesthetic was reached with the intricately colored items from this set issued in the late 1920s. There is a tally of the image with the cat and owl playing cards that is quite a bit larger than the identical image on this place card. There is an even more intricate invitation from this same set. Prior to my acquiring one recently, I had never seen this place card before. I have come to appreciate Hallmark’s output from this narrow range of years. If you appreciate the best of small paper, this card is one you must acquire.

Vintage Halloween germany windowpane owl diecut

The Germans produced four designs of these windowpane embossed diecuts. These are large and really make a statement in a display. This owl diecut seems to be in significantly better condition than what is typically seen. I know the seller, too. He is knowledgeable and honest. Bid high and bid often - but vote just once.

09/18 Update: This fetched $586.77.

Fabulous Rare Halloween Celluloid Owl Rattle! VERY Detailed Must See

This is a particularly unattractive piece. Why would the factory have marked it in this way? The black markings mightily detract from the item’s eye appeal. This was almost certainly produced by the Dupont Viscoloid Company post 1925. More information can be found on page 110. This wasn’t produced in Germany.

This seller added the following to her listing:

Mr. Mark Ledenbach says that this item is actually American Viscoloid. I do appreciate the attribution. It would have been helpful had he contacted me and not posted in the blog instead. I did NOT say it was German just that I have been told that.

I have stated many times that I cannot find his books) and frankly I am not going to shell out the money to rebuy them as the information is helpful but the books are increasingly out of date and the prices were probably out of date as soon as it was printed- as is the case with most price guides.)

He also says it is not attractive. That is a personal opinion and he has a blog to which no one can refute his unpleasantness. Personally I DO think it is fabulous. Difference in opinion.

Mr Ledenbach has taken it upon himself to attack mine and other peoples listings on his blog. Perhaps people should realize that much of the commentary in the blog is based on his opinion.

The seller rendered a huge service to the hobby with her publication of “Boo News” decades ago. I subscribed and still retain every edition as I find them informative. Her comments about my book are odd. Yes, some of the pricing is not current - especially in this environment - but that doesn’t render them “out of date.” There is a wealth of information in all three editions, but the third edition is still considered the hobby’s gold standard. (The only edition of mine I would now buy is the third.) By this seller’s standard, her “Boo News” publications should be entirely worthless, but they aren’t, of course.

This owl item is a truly vintage item with an unusual color finish. I hope it does well. (As of this writing it is at a strong $202.50.) This seller, who has been a collector for decades - and dedicated enough at one time to issue her spectacular publication, “Boo News” - shouldn’t have had to rely on me to indicate the item wasn’t produced in Germany. Why she feels I should have contacted her directly rather than simply pointing out it was made by the Dupont Viscoloid Company is odd. Her comment that she didn’t state it was German but was told that it was is an example of parsing.

All or most of the observations in my blog are opinion. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. This seller sees my comments on her celluloid owl as an attack. Of course they aren’t. Providing information is not an attack. I rarely attack listings. I will often point out that a listed item is fake or fantasy. I offer my opinion as to a listing’s condition and appearance. I offer pricing and rarity guidance. That is why the blog is so widely read. The hobby is becoming increasingly perilous. Prices are rising too quickly across most segments. Fakes and fantasy pieces abound. Collectors need to be on their guard. Reading this blog and investing in solid reference books are ways to do this.