Do you love Halloween Memorabilia? Do you wish all the money in the world belonged to you so you could buy Halloween collectibles? Join the club!
I adore the vintage Halloween style. I especially love old Halloween antiques, but true Halloween collectibles are pricey, leaving many of us out in the cold. Interest in Halloween yesteryears has spawned a growing sidearm in the Halloween retail industry, replica vintage Halloween décor. Beistle Company, which started out in 1900 making paper products, was one of the very first companies to make Halloween decorations and party goods. Today, they make replica items of their very own designs! Pretty genius.
There is one downside however, and that’s if you’re a serious collector who wants real vintage merchandise, you might have a tougher time finding authentic vintage memorabilia. Those who wish to get into collecting vintage Halloween items, you need to do your homework. Learn the business, the items, the creators, the prices, even the people who deal in collectible market. Many of them are quite nice and always willing to answer questions or help out with their vast knowledge of Halloween history.
There are tons of guides out there. Two of my favorite comprehensive guides are Vintage Halloween Collectibles, 3rd Edition by Mark B. Ledenbach, and the newly published, Vintage Hallowe’en: Tricks, Treats & Traditions authored and created Robert S. Pandis and Heidi Pandis.
Everyone has different preferences in the type of Halloween collectibles, they’d like to own. Below is my own personal wish list. Feel free to chime in on the comments below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram and let me know what’s on your list.
Vintage Postcards, 1910s
($5-$100) **
Vintage postcards and other ephemera can be found at paper shows and antique shops. Prices vary based on condition and rarity of the piece.
Beistle Embossed Die Cut – Black Cats and Moon,
($20-$100) **
Authentic Halloween Die Cuts are usually thick cardboard and embossed, always check the back. Prices vary based on condition and rarity of the piece.
Gurley Novelty Co. Halloween Candles, 1950s
($15-$80) **
I posted a pic on Instagram on October 8, 2019 that shows the solo black cat below, but in really bad shape. I’d love to get another one and more like it.
Dennison’s Bogie Book, 1920
($30-$150) **
This is a pic of the original Hallowe’en, Harvest and Thanksgiving party planning guide. There are many Bogie Books from Dennison’s floating around. The 1920 version is supposedly in public domain, which means anyone can copy, reprint and sell them. If you just want the information, cool, but understand, you’re not buying an antique. I’ve seen authentic originals sell upwards of $150.
Anton Reiche Dresden Witch or Pumpkin Chocolate Molds, 1930s
($25-$350) **
If you’re a chocolate lover, you might enjoy checking out this history of chocolate molds from Germany, at http://www.chocolatemoldsmuseum.com/history/chocolate-molds/ Friedrich Anton Reiche from Dresden made lots of chocolate molds for several holidays, including these two below for Halloween.
Rosbro Halloween Snowman Candy Container, 1950s
($75-$250) **
There are hundreds of collectible Halloween candy containers from either Rosen/Rosbro or Kokomold to search out if you’re looking to get into collecting those (I hear the Kokomold witch rocket on wheels are extremely rare and valuable), but I particularly adore these Halloween Snowmen.
Vintage Horror Movie Posters, 1930s
($1500-$435,500) **
According to this Guardian article from 2012, The Mummy film poster from 1932 comes in as the second most expensive film poster of all-time, behind the Sci-fi thriller, Metropolis from 1927, which recently auctioned off for $1.2 million, along with other memorabilia in a bankruptcy deal.
**All prices are only estimates from the lowest to highest auctions that I’ve seen.
Halloween Horror Haiku 