Vintage Halloween Decorations | Crazy4Me - The Modern Bombshell Lifestyle by: Yasmina Greco

Vintage German Halloween Lanterns (pics from Pinterest)

Halloween is around the corner and I know many of you are interested in starting vintage Halloween collection but are not sure where to start. Collecting vintage Halloween masks, celluloid toys, noise makers, containers or lanterns are just some of the spooky fun collectibles you can start your collection with. Below are some tips that I hope are helpful to you as you start your quest to collect vintage Halloween.

What are they?
Vintage Halloween papier-mâché lanterns, noisemakers, and candy containers were originally used for adult-oriented parties from 1915 until about 1950. Unlike Christmas collectibles, which were carefully packed up and handed down through generations, Halloween items were not meant to keep, so finding undamaged pieces today is difficult.

Where do I find them?
You probably won’t find Halloween collectibles at random garage sales or flea markets unless you’re lucky. Instead, try big shows like Atlantique City, Brimfield, and Round Top, The Portland Antique and Collectible show, Ebay, Etsy, antique and collectible shops and vintage toy shows.

Vintage German Halloween Candy Containers

How much will I pay?
Most lanterns are $300 to $500 because of their scarcity, but some are worth thousands. Watch out for missing eyes and burned handles. Expect to pay $15–$100 for noisemakers (clickers, rattlers, and tambourines). Candy containers are usually a bit more expensive—$100 or more. All prices depend on condition and rarity.

Do your research too. There are many books and websites where you can learn so much about vintage Halloween collectibles as well has to store and preserve them so they continue to last for many more years.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays and when I was a child it was my favorite holiday! I can recall the buildup and excitement growing within as I waited for the celebration and trick-or-treating to begin. Before moving to the South, we lived in the Pacific North West and Halloween was such a special time for us as we went all out on decorations and treats. My husband would climb onto the roof of our house and position the big vulture “just so” and we had the zombie with coffin that would sit by the front door and all the critters that would glow under black light. Our house was in a neighborhood and all the way up on the steep hill so we thought any kid that would hike up that hill really deserved a fabulous treat and we would spend a lot of time and money picking out the right treat and waiting it for it to be delivered. One year we gave out 4ft tall pixie sticks, another year it was life-sized gummy watches and feet, and one year it was edible bubbles. We really had so much fun!!

Today, things are a little different and I still love Halloween and the bewitching fun but I find myself drawing more and more to vintage and antique Halloween collectibles. I am truly fascinated by the design and craftsmanship of the German Halloween decorations and the papier-mâché Halloween candy containers. I do not find many on the market in my area and if there are any in the antique shops they tend to sell quickly and even on eBay lately am not seeing very many items.

There is a vast collecting arena for sure when it comes to vintage Halloween decorations and they include German Halloween goodies, papier-mâché lanterns and candy boxes made between 1915-1935 and are often of black cats, pumpkins and witches and you can find vegetable people or anthropomorphic greeting cards and hand painted postcards. The vintage Halloween die-cuts are amazing too. Everything from noisemakers, to masks, and costumes are being collected and treasured today.

A couple really great websites to visits for information on collecting vintage Halloween items as well as you can read about history and see amazing items are Vintage Halloween Collecting and Halloween Collector.