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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Rare Vintage Halloween Gibson Wise Up! Owl Diecut Sign Authentic 1930s Funeral

Gibson was the little brother (or sister) to two much larger siblings, Beistle and Dennison, so it had to try harder to break through to score retail space in the many five & dime stores that represented the easiest way for wholesalers to reach the public at that time. Gibson tried to hold their own against those two better capitalized firms with a wider nationwide reach by designing items with an edginess that its rivals often eschewed. (The slanted exclamation point Gibson often used added that oomph and immediacy that certainly helped their sales.) Sadly, their economic reality at that time meant that the overall numbers of each produced design were relatively smaller, making today’s quests by collectors just that much harder. The result is that even items with significant condition issues fetch very strong dollars!!

Antique Vintage Halloween Diecut Banner Black Cat Articulated Tail Garland 1930s

I really enjoy reading this great seller’s descriptions! She nails this wonderful Beistle garland in such a way I want to acquire a second one! :) It has become increasingly uncommon for someone to offer this complete. It is more common to find individual sections offered. So, this is an opportunity to acquire a cleverly designed Beistle treasure in whole with great color and minimal wear given the number of “moving” parts. I hope it brings strong dollars.

Antique Vintage Halloween Witch’s Mystery Answer Game 1933 - 1938 Beistle.

This large game will always make an impressive addition to any vintage Halloween game collection. This orange version is actually the a later iteration of Beistle’s original design in white. The white version was issued for a single season (1931 or 1932) before Beistle opted to reissue it in orange in 1933 for the next several seasons. Any of their “Mystery Answer” games, all shown on page 15, are now exceptionally hard to find. I am comfortable changing the RSIN in each case down a number with this version being a 2 and both white versions being a 1. I was finally able to add the large, white version to the collection ~3 years ago. Even with notable condition issues this listing is currently at $206.50 with nearly five days left. I expect it to garner strong dollars.

Very Rare1950s Antique Vintage Halloween Star Molding Box 12 Black Cat Candles

It’s a treat to see items I’ve not seen before. Star Molding Corporation was a family-run firm that seems to have left East Aurora, NY after a fire in 1956. They almost certainly had a regional reach only, far eclipsed by their much more established competitor, Gurley, of Buffalo, NY. I think it is more likely this set is from the late 1940s rather than the 1950s. The graphics, especially the way Halloween is spelled with the apostrophe, lead me to this conclusion. I can see the appeal of this complete set. With the great instruction/advertising card, it would make for a killer display. At what price will it end? Many of us will be watching!

08/04 Update: This sold for $585.

Beistle Co. Cat & Witch Halloween Silhouettes with Envelope – Vintage 1920s-30s

These large Beistle enveloped sets have picked up pricing steam of late. The envelope is the star of the show. (The clasped-back style was used by Beistle during the early 1920s. They then switched to a envelope style with a flap, probably a change driven by their relentless drive to reduce costs.) The larger silhouettes comprising half of the contents of the set of eight are notoriously difficult to locate in near-mint condition. Unlike Whitney whose boxed and enveloped sets were filled with seemingly random designs, Beistle was much more disciplined. I wouldn’t have been surprised to have seen this set garner even stronger dollars.

RARE Antique Vintage Halloween Matchbox Diecut Witch Decoration ca. Teens-1920s

I was surprised by this result. I am thrilled for the fine seller who through her photographic and descriptive efforts attained top (TOP) dollar for her consignor. I feel this is simply the result of some long-ago end-user imaginatively taking a table card (We know now that this is a hard-to-find design.) and using glue to attach it to a generic match box. It would then be placed on a table as a useful prize or souvenir of a Halloween party. This is known as a married piece. A common example of married piece components is when an end-user would glue a small German compo item to an otherwise unremarkable wood ratchet to create something with more eye-appeal and oomph.

4 Antique Vintage Halloween Black Cats on Fence Diecut Cut Out Cardboard Whitney

The various fence table centerpieces that have been sold publicly have brought strong dollars, even examples like this with many condition issues. The #1 producer of these items was Whitney. They had many great designs, all now highly prized. The seller of this fence, or a previous owner, did a nice job replicating the four missing tabs in such a way that the replication is obvious. Missing tabs is the most common flaw with these designs as they just didn’t hook and unhook all that easily. In my view, the best Whitney fence is the one shown at the bottom of page 274. It is much larger than other fences with bright colors and bold graphics.

Summer Break

Hello Readers,
It is that time of the year when outdoor pursuits beckon. My garden needs tending, some property fences need mending and the allure of nearby Folsom Lake is never far from my mind.
So, I will take a break from the more Autumn-oriented world I mentally inhabit when tapping away to update the site.
Enjoy the summer! Best, Mark

Vintage Halloween Chenille & Crepe Paper Witch & Cat Large Table Decorations

Chenille/spun cotton-based decorations made in Japan is a market segment to which I have never paid much attention. Obviously, from this stellar result, collectors have tuned in. Many of this type of decoration were small and meant to be used for cupcakes and the like. The large, table-top decorations like these are not as common. Even so, I am surprised at the result. Examining the bidding history, it looks like four determined bidders were responsible for the price ending where it did. It will be fun to see if other table-top decorations of this ilk will appear and how they do.

Rare Antique Vintage Beistle Halloween Humpbacked Witch w/Broom & Black Cat

This diecut was produced by Beistle during the late 1950s. There were three designs comprising the full set. (Please refer to page 159.) All have become quite desirable. This example was in relatively poor collecting condition yet two determined collectors bid it up to an ending price well beyond the baseline established by the bulk of bidders of ~$200.

NEAR MINT SCARCE Antique Halloween 4-Sided Owl Shade Decoration, Germany 1920s

If you look on page 46 you can see the three designs that comprise the full set of shades to which this owl design belongs. Beside the owl shade, JOL and black cat face shades round out the set. All of these have become much harder to find over these last few years. I sell things periodically from the collection as my interest waxes and wanes. Most of the time I never look back but I regret selling the trio of shades in 2019. Since then I have seen the owl design numerous times but never the other two. I hope this trusted seller will perhaps offer the other two in due course. The RSIN on all shades has changed to “2” in my mind.

Antique Vintage 1916 Peggy’s Halloween Party Box Complete Unused Ultra Rare!

An item of this rarity, especially complete, surfaces so infrequently that a great number of collectors and potential bidders had added it to watchlists. I’ve only seen the slip of paper with the listing of contents one other time - in the set shown on page 127. I hoped the set would go for big bucks but was concerned with the opening bid level being too high. My experience is that a high opening bid discourages bidding and depresses interest, but I needn’t have worried given the reported final price. That said, it was interesting to note there were only six bidders. If there weren’t those last two determined bidders, the set would have ended in the $2,000s. This set is quite beautiful. I always felt the best thing about it was the box’s cover art. I had trouble displaying mine properly, so made the call to sell it in August of 2024. The new owner is one of my favorite collectors. She’ll be an excellent steward of the rare set!