Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Sane Halloween Observer Yet another awesome mid-century merchandise package for what must have been the popular "haunted house carry-case" genre..., this time from Brach's Fine Candie s circa 1955. You can see the handi-pak described in the 1955 Halloween Candies brochure : No. 5101 - Trick or Treat Handi-Pak Haunted house design on satchel-shaped pak contains minimum of 70 assorted cello packets of Candy Corn, Halloween Jelly Beans, Orange and Black Imperials, and Assorted Creme Cones. Empty satchel serves as a container for Trick or Treat loot. Net weight per pack 22 1/2 ounces. 16 Handi-Paks to case.  For more haunted house candy-boxes see  Witch's Chest  and  Candy Loot .   

Sane Halloween Observer Wonderful graphics from yet another mid-century candy box container (see also Witch's Chest ) of haunted houses with peek-a-boo windows. Especially fond of all the attic windows! This item is labeled on the bottom as: Manufactured and Packed by Breaker's Confections Inc., Chicago, Illinois. 

Sane Halloween Observer Mid-century (date unknown) vintage Halloween merchandise box with dual purpose as trick-or-treat carry case. According to ingredient information could contain either bubble gum or suckers in the original package. Produced by Thomas-Wiener Co. of Memphis, Tennessee. Below are two views - one side offering plastic-covered peek-a-boo glimpses of contents.

Sane Halloween Observer More familiar faces (or Totenskelett a.k.a. dead skeletons ) from German-language catalogs for the celebration of Karneval . This time from 1974 --- the last image (a nautical pirate theme) contains a skeleton figure (articulated, embossed, diecut) that was here available in 2 sizes - 70 cm (~27 1/2") and 125 cm (~ 50").  Update 12-13-2015 Per some additional queries to those selling these old catalogs, as well as further research by another into more recent editions... it appears years 71/72 , 74 , and 76 have nearly 90% (?) of the same content, though I have not personally observed this with actual copies. I've been told the skeleton seen above didn't always have the same sizes available from year to year. 

Sane Halloween Observer The title of this entry is something of a deliberate misnomer. It follows on the heels of two previous entries  Diecut Bubble?  and  Seven Spooks in Narrenfibel 1968 / 1970  concerning the presence of vintage products that appeared on either side of the Atlantic. Each previous entry was intended to dispel a centric notion that... "because we celebrate Halloween here in North America, there couldn't possibly be any of that imagery (as vintage decor) found or sold elsewhere in the world." Surprise! While it's been apparent that European and Asian festival items have snuck into past price guides, it was about two years ago that I began to also question  availability   dates  ( not necessarily production dates ). This was due to discovering vintage "Halloween" decorations in German-language catalogs printed as recently as the 1970's. ( See  Seven Spooks in Narrenfibel 1968 / 1970 ). This catalog displays themes for Germany'

Sane Halloween Observer A cool black cat from Gibson (circa 1930s) that follows the character design of many of their table decoration sets. In this instance the large diecut is an articulated hanging paper decoration --- a string would attach to slots (not visible) in the rear of the limbs and create motion when the "tail-end" string was repeatedly pulled downward and released. This particular example fortunately escaped any damage from excessive teasing... though i do wonder if the visibly missing tail was simply the string or a representational tail missing from the diecut? 

Sane Halloween Observer While prices on vintage German-made diecuts were optimistic this year, one might wonder if, like tin toys, this will be the next vintage Halloween category to fall on hard times. While much of the purchasing Halloween audience is likely viewing the market for only a few weeks, and thus continuing to see embossed diecuts as occasional novelty --- those watching the entire year saw many designs repeatedly available and sometimes more common than some tin toys. Will the diecut bubble burst as they become more and more visible, and new knowledge is gained about their production numbers and availability? Following ( without direct reference to buyers or sellers ) are some interesting examples of what I call the vagaries of vintage prices: ONE : It was surprising that one lot (from a well-known auction house) sold extremely weak in early September (just weeks before the big holiday). Ten German diecuts together with two product packages sold as a lot for $550

Sane Halloween Observer Wonderful illustration! Cover of The Home Friend Magazine , October 1930. Click image below to enlarge. More amazing covers and illustrations can be seen here:

Sane Halloween Observer A 1955 sales vendor catalog by Brach's with awesome mid-century graphic design, illustration, and layout techniques. Don't forget ( spoken   in your best informational 50s voiceover ) that "HALLOWEEN is one of the year's THREE BIGGEST CANDY OCCASIONS"... "It has a long selling season from Labor Day to October 31"... and... "Because Halloween candies are exciting, colorful candies, they offer exceptional opportunities for colorful EXCITING CANDY DISPLAYS." And after looking at this awesome catalog, I certainly believe every word of it! Oh for a Halloween time machine!  (Click image below to view a larger version - or view on Pinterest ).  (Click image to view larger).

Sane Halloween Observer Originally used mostly in novelty items and commonly called "flicker pictures" or "wiggle pictures"  lenticular printing is a technology in which lenticular lenses (a technology that is also used for 3D displays) are used to produce printed images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles. (source:  wikipedia ) The image below is a quickly animated gif that I created from a recent listing appearing on ebay for a 1950's child's novelty ring. A quick google search for lenticular imagery (or the wikipedia link above) will direct you to tons of interesting new and vintage uses of this technique. Here is one link to a gallery of vintage imagery on pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/ohbyjingo/action-vintage-lenticular-pictures/

Sane Halloween Observer As stated in entry one - this blog will not be overly concerned about vintage collectible pricing, however, some recent auction results may be of interest, and just may balance a few perspectives... Halloween's seasonal nature seems key (especially for the non-obsessed public-at-large) in determining the collectible demand of vintage items. While at times powerful, there is a historical mix of poor auction results that would seem to make the genre a rather bad "investment" --- (if you choose to think of the ghosts of holiday past in those terms). While much is made of some items reaping impressive returns, one would wonder if the genre may ever reach the skyrocketing prices seen by other collectibles --- (simply scan a pamphlet by any of the big auction houses and compare the results of other collectible genres).  It's a real trick or treat (depending on what side of the transaction you stand) to resell vintage holiday. Seasonal peak i

Sane Halloween Observer Hallowe'en crepe paper (and it's ephemera relatives - napkins, paper plates, cups, etc.), is in some ways the forgotten art form of vintage Hallowe'en, and the great variety of these prints mostly absent from many modern books on collectibles. Dennison's Bogie Books  offer a resource from their own company catalog, but a full visual retrospective of multiple companies' work could fill an entire collector's book of richly bizarre patterns. It would be a welcome addition if someone out there surveyed these amazing works! One amazing snippet from this neglected history is listed as a Panoramic Crepe in the 1921 Bogie Book - H108 Hallowe'en Design  (fold 10 ft. long without repetition of design).  It can be seen appearing for a few years in the Bogie Books, and is here (image below) used as a table skirt. Amazing to imagine how these now precious paper designs were sliced up to make other displays. Directly below this "decorati

Sane Halloween Observer Offering some night photos of this spooky triangle shade that appeared in vendor supply catalogs of the 1930's. The shade collapses flat, folding on a deliberate line through the middle of the owl. (It's a peculiar design decision that over time has usually reduced the quality of that particular pane). Original method for maintaining the expanded shape of the lantern is currently unknown by this blogger - (and information is welcome).  Note that the item (shown below in excerpt from an original 1937 catalog) is advertised as a die cut which is the industrial "cookie-cutter" process that made so many vintage holiday items, (and not just 2-D flat decor). See earlier blog entry from December 2014:  Halloween Diecut Quiz .