Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Hallmark Vintage Halloween Collectibles Part 2: 1960's As in previous entry Hallmark Halloween Part 1: 1950’s , The Halloween Retrospect vintage collectibles guidebook series is researching dates for autumn Hallmark centerpieces (around and a tad later than mid-century) to inform a book article on a relative subject. The book's article is in development stage for collectors’ guide The Halloween Retrospect, Volume 3, and this entry (including that which falls before and after) will be a bit of a sneak-peek into the next volume ( to be available from THR’s bookstore ). So, here we go, to discover better dates for Hallmark ephemera (assembly, honeycomb, and pop-up) circa 1950-1980. And as with “Decrypting Dennison: Serial Number Guide Featuring Autumn Publications” (THR, V2) , much is revealed by taking a broader view at Hallmark’s products across the decade of the 1960's. Shown here is a detail from a large table-top pop-up  Haunted House centerpiece by Ambassador (Hallmark).

Sane Halloween Observer Case of the Mutilated Heirloom  or  Tear up the Panes! Here, Here! There are two mysteries in this entry, and perhaps you can detect the answers? Mystery One: We are probably still some hundreds of years (one hopes) before bits of vintage Halloween are treated like pottery sherds and bone fragments. There are enough (and more showing up all the time) intact versions of these mass-produced items that there is simply no need for anyone to be out in the field panning for fool's gold... and yet, here we are... The story begins that in April 2020 the following lot was purchased at the incredible bargain price of $33: Halloween lot of mixed-date items as sold for $33 to re-seller.  (Not to scale. Candlesticks removed from images). If you notice, tucked away in the back, is a lantern described in rough condition , but given that the great skeletons were described in ok condition this lantern doesn't look too rough and seems at least ...

Sane Halloween Observer Even though the last entry here was almost two years past, that doesn't mean research ceased. With assistance, I have since pieced together a rather large collection of imported Einzinger Narrenfibel catalogs ( some seen here in previous entries ), and this 1965-1967 edition was particularly one I had been looking forward to obtaining based on known excerpts; it also turned out to be quite the prize given the additional surprises! With this in hand, I'm still trying to figure out why it is assumed by old-school experts (as yet offering zero counter evidence in print) that paper items from Germany ceased after WWII - even though items assumed as 1930s are found here in this 1965 catalog. Einzinger Narrenfibel 65 Question! Is the tale of certain German mask makers for Karneval (and world export) similar to what occurred with embossed German diecuts? The timeline seems to match. Take Manebach, for example: -"Manebach masks were trendy in ...

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 ...

Sane Halloween Observer Following is a collage of pages scanned from a 1960's public service announcement on Halloween safety. The actual printed piece is a wallet-sized 3"x4" fold-out booklet from the Minnesota Department of Health printed in 1962 by Imagination Inc.  Mod, kitschy, and rather grim, the story is a cross between a certain politically questionable rhyme of the late 1800's with humor reminiscent of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies .