Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Sane Halloween Observer As more and more vintage Halloween (the stuff no one was said to have retained) continues to crawl out of the woodwork, there have been haunting miscalculations of authenticity of paper items during the past few years, and the 2018 season is sadly no different The problem seems to be a continuing knowledge gap about what a diecut actually is, and how to spot either fakes and/or altered pieces. And this season was again proof that  as a buyer  you need some good initial knowledge of true vintage (in any medium) as apparently both field expert and recommended seller prove that nobody is perfect. As a subject introduction, I would point you to an earlier entry that introduces the concept and process of the diecut:  Halloween Diecut Quiz . While in the entry that follows here, I will show you examples of true diecuts. I trust that once you know how to spot true paper, you should in theory be able to recognize the opposite. In our first occ...

Sane Halloween Observer Do you have any concerns about the assessed rarity and value of German-made diecuts in your collection? It may be of interest to view a series of earlier entries here that show a number of diecuts (formerly dated 1920s-40s) instead appeared to have been on the market in the 1950s ( Halloween in Germany:1955 ) through the 1960s ( Seven Spooks in Narrenfibel ) reaching all the way to the mid-1970s  ( Dead Skeletons ). As a possible reflection on what may be newer perspectives, or just post-holiday doldrums, here are some interesting auction results from January 2016... that are well below typical values suggested by various guides. Sold for $125 ($25 each) plus auction fees . Sold for $80 ($27 each) plus auction fees . Sold for $90 ($30 each) plus auction fees . Sold for $0 - auction passed Sold for $125 ($31 each) plus auction fees . Sold for $125 ($31 each) plus auction fees . Sold for $200 ($40 each)...

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 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 .

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...