Fakes, etc.

I'll begin populating this page with photos of reproductions, fakes and fantasy items as I see them listed on eBay, Etsy and other such sites. Hopefully, collectors will refer to this page to minimize the occasions reproductions, fakes and fantasy items are unknowingly purchased. If you see something on this page that was sold to you purporting to be a vintage item, immediately send it back for a full refund. 

Vintage Halloween Nodder Candy Containers Veggie Men Germany 5 different iob

Thesefantasy items were made after 1995 and have zero collectible value. This seller, unfortunately, is impervious to learning, as she and I have had many interactions wherein she insists these kinds of things have some true age to them. There is no documentary evidence that these abominations were made prior to around 1995 when they began appearing at antiques shows. The seller bangs on about what a bargain a buyer will get purchasing these as a set, but unless you want to pour money down a drain for items that have decorative value only, steer clear of these items. Many of this seller's offerings in the Vintage Halloween category are fantasy items, so be sure to ask many questions if you choose to do business with her. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CANDY CONTAINER UGLY JOL JACK O LANTERN

This is not a vintage candy container. The genuine article, which you can see on page 132, measures ~4.5" high, far more compact than this abomination. This POS was surely modeled after the one in the collection due to the nose. The genuine article has a piece of felt at the nose, attached by a prior owner to hide a chip. The reproducers either didn't know that or didn't care, blithely copying what they could see from my references. This has zero vintage value. Don't be fooled. 

WICKED WITCH ON BROOM DOORSTOP Cast Iron Pumpkins Halloween Vintage

This is a new item, almost certainly made off-shore within the past year. It is nicely detailed and would be fun to have as part of a contemporary display, but it isn't old. The detailing is too fluid and the appearance of the reverse is inconsistent with the one truly vintage Halloween doorstop I have seen in person - a haunted house. 

VINTAGE HITCHY-WITCHY COLLECTIBLE HALLOWEEN SKILL GAME

This is a poorly done fake, characteristic of so many of the items this seller offers. This seller has been on my list of those with whom I do not do business for many years. It seems that every "vintage" Halloween item this person offers is problematic. They used to sell these with no verbiage on the handle. I pointed out this deception in my references. Now I see this seller has made what looks to be a very poor copy of the verbiage and transferred it to the handle somehow. On genuine items, the wording is bold and clear, unlike the muddled mess this fake shows. Even the borders of the handle are poorly done. I'm sorry to see someone wasted $36.52 on this POS. If you're a reader, get your money returned! 

Large vintage Halloween paper mache pouncing black cat decoration 1930’s-1940’s

This is the second one of these "vintage" cats that has been listed in the last 10 days. This was made off-shore somewhere - probably China - perhaps as recently as last week. It has all the styling panache that one would expect from a poorly designed POS. Please don't make the mistake some poor soul recently made and purchase one of these for more than its decorative value - $14.99. 

Antique Germany Paper Pulp Painted Orange Pumpkin JOL Red Nose Pipe Noisemaker

This fantasy item is one of a set of at least 4 that began appearing in the mid-1990s. These are often sold with a truly vintage box, with this ersatz marriage meant to fool the unsuspecting. Don't be one of those. Run, don't walk away from any dealer selling these as anything other than what they are - products made no earlier than 1995.  

WONDERFUL VINTAGE GERMAN DAPPER BLACK CAT ON PUMPKIN CANDY CONTAINER

As the seller intimates, this is a reproduction. (I could tell the moment I saw the photo.) As written in the caption of the real deal shown on page 69: "Reproduced versions of this container with a smaller pumpkin base were made beginning in the mid-1990s. These new versions tend to be heavier and lack the detailing of the originals." This item has no collectible value and is certainly worth nothing close to what this seller has established as the opening price. 

08/16 Update: I was sorry to see some poor sap wasted $172.38 on this reproduction. 

Vintage Halloween DOUBLE SIDED Pumpkin Gingerbread Man Candy Container German

There is no record of this design existing prior to the mid-1990s. The seller states that he or she bought it in Ohio in the 1980s, but this recollection is not correct. This uninteresting design was among the crapalanche of reproductions and fakes that began plaguing our hobby in the mid-1990s when manufacturers began to realize the truly vintage German candy containers were bringing strong dollars. There were few references (and no web sites) back then to steer collectors away from such garbage. Don't be fooled!

old Vintage Paper Mache clay? Halloween BLACK CAT CANDY Bucket Antique MARKED HS

This item was made by Stamm House no earlier than the mid-1990s. They were known for their solid craftsmanship. Based on old molds, their designs characteristically featured strong detailing, bright inserts and faux wear. Although these new items definitely have good value in the secondary market, $89 seems an excessive price to pay when the truly vintage item the mold was derived from can be had for not much more. 

Vintage Halloween Candle Holder Scary JOL

This is a poorly made fake. Tip-offs include overly large eyes, bright inserts, ridged nose, air-brushed features, bent-metal candle insert rather than a stamped circular form and weird protrusions at the bottom. I haven't seen this particular iteration before, so it just proves that new fakes are being made all the time. Caveat Emptor! 

06/26 Update: I was sorry to see somebody wasted $53 on this POS. 

Antique PAPER MACHE HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN w/PAPER INSERT

Unfortunately, the buyer of this item flushed money down the drain in the belief that this was as described - antique - when it was made in the last 10-15 years. This is one of the styles issued by Jamieson Studios of Canton, Ohio. Their output was and is higher-end, but that can't overcome the fact that this is a decorative item with no vintage Halloween value. (By the way, why would anyone bid on this with such a astronomical shipping cost? I have hefted the one in my folk art collection and it is pretty light-weight!)