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MBL's Blog
(Updated 09/03/10 3:55 PM)


 

This blog page was created to provide a place for my comments and insights on a selection of the multitude of items listed in the Vintage Halloween category of Ebay. I'd like to point out that I have no financial interest in any of the items mentioned on this page. I am doing this for fun as well as to educate. Feel free to check back often, as it is my intent to update this page several times per week depending on the time of the year. If you have a question on an item I haven't mentioned below, always feel free to send me an email. Best, MBL

Sellers Who Receive MBL's Vintage Halloween Stamp of Approval

55audrey, connersgrammie, devilwoman, djdutch48, dragonflydesignstudio.com, freshest1, fritzyfinds, goofus999, halloween824, holidays2you, jazz4jols, jawboy71, member666734, mmccall, ms.dennistle, mysweetjanene, northcane, nyleos, scarlettssister, sellmestuff, shiverbones, stnick22, whirlwind27, zizsdream

Sellers With Whom MBL Chooses Not To Do Business

1027-97th, 1falls, curiousimp, dreamcatchers*, fallsmist52, landerstoys, ronscollection, shadowtown, warbond321, yevdokcem

SURPRISING PRICES 

180551830407      1920s HALLOWEEN PARTY GAME - BEISTLE Co. Nr. Complete
Ended 08/30  This was worth every penny of the prevailing bid! Congratulations to boogirl1!

180545196380      Vintage Halloween Paper Mache Cat Pumpkin JOL
Ended 08/13  As mentioned below, 1falls has adopted many Ebay handles in trying to sell their seemingly endless pulp wares. Unfortunately, some uninformed buyer spent $305 on this item. As pointed out to me by a faithful reader, this seems to be the same lantern purchased by araxi1636 (another 1falls handle) on July 1st from a seller, lbshook: 290448367091. It has long been suspected that 1falls buys genuine pulp items needing refurbishing, does the refurbishing, then sells them as being from a teacher's estate, from a collector in Santa Fe, or any one of a number of other streams of nonsense.

110567859078      Vintage Old Halloween Fence- Table Table Decoration
Ended 08/08  Considering its poor condition, I am astonished this brought $93. Wow!

220166033775      Vintage Halloween Diecuts Pressed Cardboard 29 pcs.
Ended 08/07  This result, $450, is significantly out of line with the actual contents of the lot. There were a few compelling pieces, but the overall value is much close to $225. This may be an example of the frenzy to avoid when bidding in an auction.

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The next update will be in about 10 days.


Item Number       Description

310247326005      1930"s Germany Embossed Halloween decorations!Unique!
Ends 09/09  This is the second time this seller has listed this precise item. Her original listing ended on 08/24 with a closing price of $317.57. What is going on here?  Did the buyer renege on the deal? (I'd consider doing so too, as $317.57 is simply WAY too much for such a damaged item.)

180556155041      ANTIQUE WOODEN HALLOWEEN HORN NOISE MAKER GERMAN?
Ends 09/09  Actually, this was made in Czechoslovakia. Given the condition, it isn't even worth the opening bid.

250691815259      Nice Tall Vintage Halloween Jack O Lantern Paper Mache
Ends 09/06  (These brazen sellers are now employing yet another Ebay handle, khatch10! Why can't Ebay kick these jerks off of their site?) These shameless hucksters, unfortunately hemorroidally persistent, sell under a variety of Ebay handles, all making slightly different claims. (They sell under these handles: 1falls, yevdokcem, 1027-97th, khatch and perhaps others and buy under these handles: fallsmist52 and araxi1636 and perhaps others.) Apparently, these people, who take us all for lummoxes, buy pulp items needing repair under the name araxi1636 and fallsmist52. They then try to flog perfect pulp items under a panoply of different names, referenced above. God help you if you question them in any way as they are quick - too quick - to spew invective, a sure sign something is woefully amiss. (Send them an email asking if anything has been repainted or restored in any way and then enjoy the fireworks!) They have various and sundry claims as to the provenance of their stock, from their oldest - selling the hoarded collection of a long-retired school teacher whose holdings were supposedly so vast that they keep discovering rooms full of the same, few pulp designs - to a more recent claim of selling the collection of a long-time collector in Santa Fe. I note now in a recent auction yet another claim. Let me reprint their precise verbiage:    "WE HAVE BEEN DEALING HALLOWEEN FOR OVER 30 YEARS NOW IN SEVERAL, LOCATIONS LOCALLY AND WEBSITES TO A DESCRIMINATING CUSTOMER. WE ONLY SELL THAT WHICH IS PRESENTABLE. WE DO NOT PURCHASE TO SELL SOME OF THE SEVERELY DISTRAUGHT WHICH YOU COMMONLY SEE AVAILABLE."
Naturally, this is all hooey, except their oh-so-tenuous grasp of spelling and grammar. Re
aders, if you want authentic, unrestored and unretouched USA pulp items, the supply is quite large as these kinds of decorations were made by the tens of thousands for many seasons. Buy from a source you consider completely credible. Does this seller (1falls aka fallsmist52 aka 1027-97th aka yevdokcem aka araxi1636 aka khatch10) meet that test? A faithful reader pointed out to me today that these hucksters sell on etsy.com under the name GaryKMeharian. They have quite a little business going...

350388365380      Vintage Halloween U.S.Metal Toy Pumpkin Lantern Witch
Ends 09/05  These U.S. Metal Toy tin items have never garnered the respect they deserve in terms of pricing. They seldom bring much - and this has always baffled me. The example up for auction seems to be exceptionally clean. It will be instructive to see what it fetches.

260656316630      Dennison Halloween Cut-Outs (6) in Box
Ends 09/02  This rather freaky boxed set of Dennison cut-outs was made for only one season, 1926. The design is totally cool, but pretty far out there for Dennison at that time. Singles from this set are offered with some frequency, but it has been a long while since I've seen a complete set in decent shape being offered. Guide value is $250, and this is worth every penny. This same seller sold an identical set on 08/18 for $320. I doubt this set will reach that level. (I was correct. Final bid was $191.41.)

140445554254      3 VTG HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKER TAMBOURINES GERMANY
Ends 09/02  Let me help this seller out - these are not vintage pieces, but items imported by Blumchens beginning in the 1990s. They have modest decorative value only.

250688364149      Vintage Paper Mache Jack O Lantern Pumpkin & Black Cat
Ends 09/02  This is not a vintage piece. Look at the cat. There is none of the fine detailing present with true, vintage pieces. The bottom of the container looks to be lumpen with an irregular base hole. These are all characteristic of an item being made in China - probably, sad to say, by pre-teens.

310245032501      VINTAGE HALLOWEEN WISE UP OWL FUNERAL DIECUT DECORATION
Ends 09/02  Gibson diecuts haven't received the regard they deserve in the marketplace. Many of their designs were quite clever and well executed. This is a great example of why I have warmed up to Gibson diecuts in the last 3-4 years. This example looks to be in very nice condition and is being sold by a reputable seller.

130424431417      TIN LITHO MEAN WITCH & OWL Ratchet noisemaker - U.S.A.
Ends 08/31  I agree with the seller - this noisemaker is hard to find in nice condition. This is one of the trio of irregular designs made in the 1960s by US Metal Toy. Guide value for this great noisemaker is $85.

260655041335      Old Germany Halloween Devil Bobble Head Candy Container
Ends 08/30  This item is a fantasy piece, made to appeal to newer collectors who may not realize that this was made as recently as least week, then roughed up some to give it some age to the untrained eye. This was probably made off-shore, meaning China.

170531094902      Vintage Halloween Flapper Girl diecut decoration eyes
Ends 08/29  This is not old and has little, if any, value.

120612314783      1920's Halloween Vintage Jack-O-Lantern Fortune Game
Ends 08/29  This is the second item I am referencing from this seller, whomever he/she is. This is a hard-to-find game, especially in this condition. This iteration, with the flip-out base, is quite desirable. The seller needs to invest in my second edition, as the value for this game has risen dramatically to $275. Given how clean this game is, I wouldn't be surprised if the ending price exceeds guide. (As I suspected, this superb example fetched nearly $75 more than guide.)

120612032420      1930's German Diecut Skeleton Halloween Decoration
Ends 08/28  This is an exceedingly rare diecut, probably sold only for one season and only in to the Canadian market. I have only seen a handful of diecuts from this small set, and they all have condition issues. This particular item, up for auction now, is the very best one I've seen. It is in significantly better condition than the one in my personal collection. (Wow, nearly $900, not surprising given the excellent condition. Congrats to the buyer - seller too!)

260651426463      BLACK CAT MOTHER candy container halloween 1920s german
Ends 08/22  One of least favorite Ebay sellers, landerstoys, is now doing business under this handle, apepaper. Sean has long sold items he claims are vintage and I reckon aren't. This is yet another example. Nothing about this container looks right, from the detailing to the colors. He claims it was made in the 1920s. I think it was made as recently as last week. (Glad to see no one fell for this POS.)

380259732261      CAT & JACK O LANTERN PAPER MACHE CANDY CONTAINER OLD
Ends 08/22  Wow, this is a superb candy container. This is similar to the "Vampire Kitty" candy container I enthuse about on my DVD Supplement to my book's second edition. I think the seller's camera color register is off, as this cat is green and red, not yellow and red. (One of his photos shows it as green.) This example is missing its spring tail, but otherwise looks pretty good. It will be fun to see what this A-1 container fetches! (I had a discussion with a close friend about what this would bring. He said around $200. I thought that was too low, so was happy to see this rare treat bring ~$400.)

190431651680      CAST IRON VINTAGE HALLOWEEN GHOST PUMPKIN COIN BANK
Ends 08/22 
This seller has been flogging these virtually non-stop since about 2005 when they first started to appear. Made to deceive, these banks were roughly modeled on a cast iron doorstop that was sold for ~$37,500 at a Morphy auction. Several months ago, I sent an email to the seller asking him how old these were. (Notice how careful he is in the auction verbiage not to address the age of this POS squarely.) His verbatim answer to me was this: "My wife bought this cast iron bank in 1984 in memphis mo. at an estate sale." (capitalization error his...) Frankly, this seller is, in the most charitable of interpretations, mistaken. These were not made until at least 11 years later, and he has been selling buttloads of them for years. His wife must have very strong arms. The seller must have a very soft head. Interestingly, I sent him an email a few days ago relative to this specific listing asking where he got this one. Here is his verbatim reply: "It came from Memphis Mo. 30 years ago. Garland Carter had a stroke and died and my brother lived next door to him and they had a sale to settle his estate. He was a big cast iron collector in the midwest before he died." I applaud this boob's imagination.

150480436873      4-Panel Heavy Embossed Halloween Lantern* Owl,Cat, Bats
Ends 08/21  This is definitely a reproduction. The real deal is very hard-to-find. I've only seen one perhaps three times in 22 years of collecting.

160470160109      Vintage Moon Holding Black Cats Halloween Decoration
Ends 08/21  This is a surprisingly difficult to land diecut. As mentioned in my book, this was made by Beistle in the early 1950s. It has a guide value of $125.

140440197649      JOL with Tongue Out Germany 1920's Diecut
Ends 08/20  Diecuts from this four-piece "windowpane" set have been bringing strong prices, independent of condition. I'll be following what this example fetches.

110572843190      Kirscht Halloween shiverbones EHAG Hellfire Lantern
Ends 08/19  This lantern, made with great care by one of the country's finest artists in the Halloween genre, simply blows me away. Why doesn't Beistle revitalize their art department, hire Matthew Kirscht, and then re-establish their dominance in the Halloween decorations business by marketing the hell out of his dazzlingly creative wares? I am proud to say that I have known Matthew since the mid-1990s and have seen him grow into the great artist he has become. I am quite picky about buying new art, but have been a long-time collector of Matthew's creative output across many genres now for a long time. Buy this lantern!

200507421427      Vintage Dennison? Halloween Wicked Witch Die Cut
Ends 08/16  This is a snazzy little diecut, but I don't think it was made by Dennison, as Dennison was pretty disciplined about marking their products. The art is a bit cartoonish for them as well, although this is certainly an imperfect gauge. I'd wager this was made by Hallmark or Gibson, with the tip of my hat going to Hallmark. Love this seller!

320574145891      RARE 1925 21" HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN MAN DIECUT DIE CUT NICE
Ends 08/15  This is one of the iconic products made by Beistle. Except for the minor bending at the foot mentioned by the seller, this seems to be in stellar condition. These Halloween Elves (there were male and female versions - this is male) were made only between 1923 and 1932, so this is early, if the date on the written inscription is authentic. Elves in this condition surface infrequently. It will be instructive to see what this one fetches.

260648100965      OLD MACHE' SKULL- Candy Container-Great Shape/Paper TAG
Ends 08/15  This is a pulp item that rarely surfaces. This is actually in very nice condition, and let me explain why. This particular design wasn't made but for one or two seasons. All had wire bales and none had an insert. Therefore, this looks to be in near-perfect condition, and typically trade in a range of $250-350.

150476385631      Halloween! German made “Pickle horn” with scary face!
Ends 08/12  I really don't think this pickle has a thing to do with Halloween.

360286995824      1920'S DENNISON'S BOGIE BOOK HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS BOOK
Ends 08/10  A large near-mint-to-mint cache of Dennison Bogie Books and some of their boxed goods was discovered at an auction in Ohio about two years ago. A large number of copies of two Bogies (1924 and 1925 editions) have made their way to antiques shows and Ebay since that time, greatly depressing the value of copies from these years in anything less than near-mint condition. Please bear this in mind when weighing whether to bid or similar auctions.

120604052759      1920's Rib Collapsible JOL faced Lantern $24.99 NR
Ends 08/10  These folded lanterns became ubiquitous around 2002 at crafts fairs and decorative trade shows. These latter incarnations of older designs were made in precisely the same way, making it near impossible to differentiate new from old. Hence, I advise collectors to abandon this genre of collectibles altogether, as it is too fraught with peril. (Just to be clear, I am not making any judgment on this lantern specifically.) 

120605045485      OLD GERMAN HALLOWEEN PEAR OR GOURD CANDY CONTAINER
Ends 08/09  This candy container doesn't look right to me. The paucity of facial detail and detailing mitigate against it being German, or potentially even vintage. Be cautious!

130418151503      Vintage BLACK CAT in VAT of 1940 Halloween Novelty Box
Ends 08/08  This is probably the sharpest design of all the diecuts included by Hallmark in their Hallowe'en Novelty Box set shown on page 145 of my second edition. Although the condition of the diecuts being offered in multiple auctions by this seller is not stellar, they don't surface often. This seller is a person whom I trust, and I have today added him to my list of sellers getting my stamp of approval.

270615706691      VERY RARE ANTIQUE JACK-O-LANTERN GAME
Ends 08/05  This seller is wildly optimistic in selling this game, claiming it "books out" at over $500. (The seller is certainly not referring to my reference, since my valuations are actually based on a careful and long-standing understanding of this market.) In near-perfect condition, guide value is $275. Although it doesn't surface too frequently, this particular example is in poor-to-fair condition, so I would estimate its value to be slightly less than the seller's opening price.

110565830738      VINTAGE GERMAN HALLOWEEN VEGI TOP JACK O LANTERN
Ends 08/03  This item looks to be one of the styles heavily reproduced beginning in the mid-1990s. Be very careful buying this style of lantern.

 
     
 

 

Copyright © 2010 Mark B. Ledenbach. All Rights Reserved.