Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Sane Halloween Observer Here's a bit of fun for both newbie and seasoned collectors? Look at this selection of lanterns, candy packages, toys, and more. Can you name which of these is a diecut ? Now that you've looked them over, do you have your answer? Well, before you read onward for the solution, can you say for certain what a diecut is exactly? While not technically incorrect, the terminology "diecut" seems to be used without much understanding by many folks in the Halloween community as a word generalizing a certain range of flat 2-D hanging decorations. It is interesting to see how many mis-understand what diecut really means. This is most obvious when a remnant shows up at auction and is called a diecut. Or a long-time seller lists an item with sloppy hand-cut edges claiming it must have been a bad day at the factory. While the first instance is still a diecut (just referenced incorrectly), a ragged hand-cut edge on anything is not .  Die-cutting...

Sane Halloween Observer digital mock-up created from photo of fence/pumpkin pieces Here's a vintage decoration set that gets generally pooh-poohed by some time-wearied collectors, however those with less discriminating eyes will have an instant fondness for the design and the roughly executed graphics seen on boxes or the instructions (shown below). The label depicts a picket fence posted with a weathered sign in turn illustrating the kit's arrangement featuring one large pumpkin peeking out from black-rimmed eyes. These were Dennison centerpiece kits that included a box of orange crepe-grass, classic cat/fence silhouettes of at least 2 different lengths, pumpkins to prop between fence slats, and a large air-fillable paper pumpkin. ( The expanding pumpkin was somewhat like these paper balloons from Japan). actual product label Although I attempted to find something more about the long history of the Dennison company, these recent articles of the company...

  Sane Halloween Observer Shown below is a complete set of 12 table-setting placecards for a Halloween party by Rust Craft of Boston  (who later merged with Norcross Greeting Card Company). The art exhibits the strange and surreal storybook imagery that makes their work so identifiable (particularly images like the ghost riding the black cat). These cards would come packaged in a small marked black box. Cultural note - " Lay on, Macduff " refers to a line from Macbeth.  

Sane Halloween Observer Unknown artist, the illustration (above) is a digital touch-up I created this evening after another photograph (below) of an amazing metal-block printers set spotted some years ago at auction. Auction photo...

Sane Halloween Observer Crumpled honeycomb doesn't have to be the end of a vintage decoration. And here's a tip that in no way alters the original piece, and offers a way to buy within an affordable range a vintage piece that others might ignore. With patience and a low-heat iron, this vintage cat dancer found new life . I received the cat shown here as a crumpled, flattened mess stuffed into a bubble wrap mailer. On a whim, and since the item was extremely inexpensive, I tried gently ironing the honeycomb, and was surprised how well the tissue paper could spring back to life. I wonder which of 9 lives this cat is now on? This cat design (7" by varying lengths) is by Beistle (1938-1946) and is great fun to pose (shown above) in more than just the typical hanging position. Below are some before and after shots of this decoration:     Part of the trick is knowing which vintage piece is beyond recovery such as major or too numerous tears in the tissue, etc.,...

Sane Halloween Observer Has this scarecrow figure, like Hawthorne's Feathertop , been animated from the spell of some distant witch, to drop by your home for an innocent house call? How would you like to see this arriving at your gate on Halloween night for trick or treat?  Early century Hallmark doesn't get much attention in the vintage Halloween category, but here's one invitation card that oozes elements of sweet and sinister rivaling some of the best in weirdness from Beistle, Gibson, or Dennison. First we've got branch-like arms, gnarled and twisted (with one hand reaching for the gate) on a body topped with the classic pumpkin-head. In the other hand is a black cat Halloween lantern (like an incense burner) that leers as pink smoke drifts upward into a purple sky. (And it's those weird color choices that help make this so alarmingly distinct in the usual vintage Halloween oeuvre of orange and black).    This invitation has an early Hallmark ins...

Sane Halloween Observer As a tip to new collectors, when able, consider this --- introduce yourself to certain items from a collector's stash  before  bidding and/or spending the big bucks on true vintage. If you don't have a local collector at hand, then looking around the market may offer other options: an antique store, an annual holiday/antique show, or an online venue. From personal experience, I madly craved  celluloids  for the amazing details; however, once I held (directly from a collector's shelf) these small objects with their seemingly light, fragile and generally dissatisfying material my yearning was tempered. I'm now content admiring most celluloid collectibles in photographs until the right opportunity. Dennison's Bogie Book 11th Ed. (1923) One collectable series (shown above) that offers an option for pre-collecting observation is the 1910's-1920's  Dennison's Bogie Book ( holiday idea booklets showcasing the manufacturer's p...

Sane Halloween Observer modern re-sampling Curious obscurity (below) of Hallowe'en invitation card with neither a marked manufacturer nor a firm date, (though likely 1920's-1930's when ghosts with whipped-topping-heads were popular imagery). Blank on the back. Below is the actual vintage invitation: "Hist! You are wanted at a Hallowe'en..." original vintage invitation

Sane Halloween Observer As might be guessed from the previous blog introduction  there is a real thrill discovering sets, or additions to sets, (by someone who loves obscurities). And these cards really wowed me!  Here are five (are there more?) wonderfully illustrated and poetic cards featuring weird witches, bedraggled cats, skulls, elves, and an odd moon seemingly spirited up from a cider keg. These likely date from the early 20th century, judging from the addition of gold (below) seen during 1920's / 1930's paper goods by Rust Craft, Whitney, Dennison, and Gibson.   These seem close to character designs found on a  Whitney  (?) product (particularly the witches and cats)... but I'm no longer certain after noticing items from another postcard set (example shown below) with a "M in a teapot beanpot" mark on the back: Update 12-1-2014:  an active member of the Vintage Halloween group on facebook ( www.facebook.com/gr...

Sane Halloween Observer This first entry begins with a disclaimer - I do not self-proclaim myself an expert in the field of vintage holiday collectibles - I am instead a hardscrabble artist inspired by these objects, and have been watching the (mostly Halloween) market for many years numbering now not much less than a decade -- yikes! And while there are blogs (too few in my opinion) existing on this subject, I'm starting another to fill what I perceived to be a void for something objective and random (that focuses  little to no time on the vagaries of market pricing). In thinking about the value of doing this blog, I hope to maintain the following ground rules in consideration of future content: No direct reference and/or links that locates a specific item for sell. In instances where bloggers do this, there arise consequences whereby the blogger becomes a 3rd party before and after..., as well as skewing the market. Blog entries should avoid the promotion ...