Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Sane Halloween Observer As a collector of vintage Halloween, I feel it is worth the extra steps to research the minutiae of these items' history for myself. And of the types of decor, this blog has frequently reflected on German imports (specifically time discrepancies per dates in modern guidebooks) --- but how about the historical availability of American-made merchandise? Mulling over vintage catalogs now for both German and the U.S., I started to consider the creation of a timeline that would test the reference dates provided in various guides. Therefore this entry is an exercise, perhaps proving the wisdom in expanding one's available resources. And again I would stress that much of the content here (as with previously presented German catalogs) is pulled directly from archival records. Following then are two timelines for two different witches --- American and German. First up is this iconic witch (one-sided at 15"x23") by Beistle described in one ...

Sane Halloween Observer Some items, like German diecuts and tin toys, repeatedly cycle through the market, perhaps indicating that if it's in a book or often listed on ebay that its not really a rare item at all --- or maybe those items just get attention simply because they've been loudly identified? While this noise continues with a known set of collectibles, occasionally some items are a genuine surprise. The item shown in this post, and not even in that good of condition, stunned quite a few people, even old-school enthusiasts. Why are we still lacking in information about some items, even the not so rare? Here's a digital rendering of how this diecut might have appeared as whole, noting that the bottom right corner (paw and tombstone area) is obvious artistic license based on the Gibson style. Digital version (above) and photo (below) as shared on facebook  Vintage Halloween .  Digital re-creation based on image below. Image as seen on  facebook...

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 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 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 ...