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 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 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 ...