Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

THR publications as of October 2025 THR publications as of March 2025    Halloween Eye-Candy A goal for The Halloween Retrospect's antique/vintage Halloween collectibles art survey  Halloween Artifacts V1:Lighting is a focus on imagery (maintaining a heavy-lean on data from primary sources). The result is a full-color 8-1/2" x 11" book that displays 100+ pages of large-format photos of lanterns, shades and glow-in-dark diecut decor. The end result presents to collectors unusual views and/or previously unseen objects (with enough room in the layout to include vendor timelines and catalog samples). Below is a page sample that hopefully gives readers an idea of book contents cover to cover (and see  THR's bookstore on Etsy  to read reviews like the flattering one included below). Cover and page samples of  Halloween Artifacts, V1: Lighting    Book review of  Halloween Artifacts, V1: Lighting    Given that THR has now published a handf...

Halloween Artifacts, Volume 1: Lighting: Halloween Artifacts, Volume 1: Lighting is the latest book to be released for sale from THR's bookstore . With a different approach from the more in-depth research digests that preceded, this book features vintage Halloween collectibles displayed in vibrant full-color on 8-1/2" x 11" pages - and will offer collectors some unusual views and/or previously unseen objects across 114 pages. That said, the driving force behind this book, as with all from THR, continues to rely on primary sources (of the original vintage marketplace) via newspapers, 550+ vendor catalogs, etc).. Those sources are used together with photography to provide catalog clippings and to develop individual timelines for past appearances of the object.  Below is the cover shown with some sample pages... Cover and page samples of  Halloween Artifacts, V1: Lighting    Halloween Artifacts, Volume 1: Lighting    is expected to have a sales release date o...

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 Spooked by German diecut availability through the 1970's, (pushing experts' guide dates beyond the 1920s-1940s)? As mentioned in the blog introduction - ( see addition of point #6 ) - content is offered here from historical print (re: vintage discoveries), so I welcome counterpoint (likewise  from historical print , that is) that does indeed seclude German diecuts to a time before the mid-century. In fact, I would be most grateful if anyone would provide an actual account of German diecut manufacturers which, to my knowledge, does not exist? This leads us to yet another expansion for the availability of certain German diecuts (previously glimpsed in the entry Halloween in Germany: 1955 ).  In a similar pirate theme, we now have this  Narrenfibel 1960 catalog (shown here scanned from the vintage item) that offered its German audience the chance to buy these embossed cardboard items - a Hellcat, Skeleton, and Port Lantern....

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...

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 .