About two or three years ago I found the most wonderful things: vintage Halloween decorations. Oh. My. Word! The beauty of these decorations and the feelings I have for them cannot be described by mere words. Unless that word is Squeeeeee! and is followed by much dancing and stupid grinning. Really, I can’t help myself.
The problem is that these collectibles are sometimes very pricey. I have a hard time splurging on just anything so it has to be really special to me. As a result, I only have a handful of items so far. I do not usually buy paper goods because those really should be taken care of in a special way. I could tell you what that special way is, but I don’t know it. And I think paper decorations are harder to display. And they tear. And it’s too much to worry about. So I stay with games and noisemakers for the most part. Here’s my small, but loved, collection:
My favorite piece is the skull. It’s made of metal and plastic and is circa 1940s or so. It is a decoration for your car. You screw it on to where your license plate would be. How cool is that? I’ve never seen another one. I asked a noted collector what he thought of it and he replied that he couldn’t put a value on it (insurance and legal reasons), but he highly recommended I keep it because it was rare. LOVE THAT! I didn’t even buy it for value. I bought it because I loved it.
Let that be your Halloween Lesson of the Day: Buy what you love, not what you think will bring the most money later.
I also love my box:
If you’re interested in more collectibles and how to gauge their worth, you should check out Vintage Halloween Collectibles: Identification & Price Guide by Mark Ledenbach. Everything featured in his book is owned by him! It’s truly an amazing collection to behold.
Want to find some collectibles to buy? Ebay, Baby.
Originally published on October 12, 2006.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
What a unique skeleton head! I live near oodles and oodles of antique and vintage shops but finding vintage Halloween is a rare thing.
I have some vintage Christmas decorations, but never thought of collecting Halloween or other holiday collectibles. What a great idea.
I *heart* vintage Halloween goodies! I’ve never seen that skull car decoration either, you have no idea how green I am with jealousy!!