Vintage holiday is hot this time of year. Halloween items from your childhood and your parents childhoods are going quickly. These items are few and far between this year for some reason and are being sold very quickly once they are displayed.
Blow mold items (those hard plastic ghosts, pumpkins, etc. that you place a light bulb in the back of) are literally on display one day and sold the next at several of the Cleveland shops that I have visited this past week. According to one informed source, blow mold items are not being made anymore due to the environmentally unfriendly processes that are needed to produce them. However, I was at the world's biggest retailer the other night and found a 2 1/2 feet tall ghost blow mold with light for $19.99. That was styled like the vintage ones that we have come to love. Evidently, some company is still producing these items.
Die cuts are also few and far between. If you have any of these items from years ago, hang on to them or get them to your local vintage store and get them on the market. Do your homework to figure their worth and then ask for the best price you can get.
I found a giant zip locked bag of Halloween die cut including a jointed skeleton and some embellished cut outs a couple of years ago at a flea market. The person selling them sold them to me for $1.00. Yes, one dollar! What a great find. I've never used them yet, they are still in flat storage but I will drag them out someday and enjoy them.
When shopping remember how you decorated when you were a kid. Outdoor and window lighting was not popular for Halloween and lights weren't really made specifically for this holiday until this past decade or so. Prior to that, sometime people would put Christmas lights up with Halloween displays so don't go pay vintage prices for what you can buy at your neighborhood retailer.
I've also found a lot of children's toys or candy dispensers (no, I'm not referring to PEZ as this has it's own following) being sold with Halloween decorations. Unless you are into vintage candy wrappers or toys, I would fore go these items as they really haven't changed much over the years. Buy only if they have some nostalgic value to you.
Anything old and made of paper or similar materials are getting harder and harder to find. Mostly in the shape of pumpkins and skulls with an open top, these are highly desirable and can be costly. Anything that is made of such fragile material and that has survived decades (1930's or 1940's) is worth every penny in my opinion.
If you are buying new, for goodness sake, save the boxes and store well because one day (in about 25 years) these items will likely be sought after and the value will be higher with original packaging.
Happy Shopping!
Allan
Showing posts with label halloween decorations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween decorations. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Vintage Halloween Decorations
Halloween is my favorite holiday by far. A holiday based around nonsense with no pressure is right up my alley! What a shame it is only one night. Decorating can be a blast and the parties are ALWAYS the best.
Vintage decorations are always the best way to go, in my book. I suggest hitting late season yard sales for "blow form" decorations "die cut" cut outs from the 1940's, 50's, 60's and even 70's. Blow form is the term used for those plastic stand-up pumpkins, ghosts, etc that are made of hard plastic, are usually limited to two colors (the color of the plastic and the color of the painted parts; usually black), many times have a place for a light in the back and were often used as window decorations. The most popular I have found are the orange and black pumpkin sitting on the back of a cat. Die cuts are the heavy paper or carboard "cut outs" that are often times embellished with raised details, have traditional characters (cats, witches, pumpkins, moons, scarecrows, etc), sometimes have only a couple of colors and other times feature several colors. They definately have that "antique" look.
The best places to find vintage halloween are:
yard sales: don't hesitate to ask the person conducting the yard sale if they have old holiday decorations that they will part with even if you don't see them in their yard sale junk! Just ask!
flea markets: don't forget to haggle the price down
vintage shops: my favorites!! A wacky/tacky friend of mine in New York collects vintage halloween as well and we have a blast tracking down, buying and even exchanging "finds". My favorite place to find vintage anything is "Flower Child" (flowerchildvintage.com) vintage shops in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Joe, the owner, is always a great help and always finds the best stuff! Floors of tacky furniture, other-worldly decorations, time-warp clothing, baubles, books, vinyl (records), jewelry...you name it! Joe is a pro!
antique shops: these places have great items usually in very good condition but be warned, these people know how much vintage holiday decorations are going for these days so be prepared to pay. however, ask if the particular seller is working or available and try to negotiate a better price. Holidays are short lived and the seller may be eager to get rid of an item than pack it back up and keep it for another year. Yes, antiques shops do display seasonally sometimes.
on-line auctions: another favorite! I havesearched places like "E-Bay" (my personal favorite) and found GREAT deals on halloween and Christmas decorations. I suggest checking out several similar listings before bidding so that you know what similar items are going for.
Suggestions:
If Halloween is your thing, then check out my "Recipes That Work" blog. I will include some great Halloween recipes that I make over and over.
Happy Halloween!
Vintage decorations are always the best way to go, in my book. I suggest hitting late season yard sales for "blow form" decorations "die cut" cut outs from the 1940's, 50's, 60's and even 70's. Blow form is the term used for those plastic stand-up pumpkins, ghosts, etc that are made of hard plastic, are usually limited to two colors (the color of the plastic and the color of the painted parts; usually black), many times have a place for a light in the back and were often used as window decorations. The most popular I have found are the orange and black pumpkin sitting on the back of a cat. Die cuts are the heavy paper or carboard "cut outs" that are often times embellished with raised details, have traditional characters (cats, witches, pumpkins, moons, scarecrows, etc), sometimes have only a couple of colors and other times feature several colors. They definately have that "antique" look.
The best places to find vintage halloween are:
yard sales: don't hesitate to ask the person conducting the yard sale if they have old holiday decorations that they will part with even if you don't see them in their yard sale junk! Just ask!
flea markets: don't forget to haggle the price down
vintage shops: my favorites!! A wacky/tacky friend of mine in New York collects vintage halloween as well and we have a blast tracking down, buying and even exchanging "finds". My favorite place to find vintage anything is "Flower Child" (flowerchildvintage.com) vintage shops in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Joe, the owner, is always a great help and always finds the best stuff! Floors of tacky furniture, other-worldly decorations, time-warp clothing, baubles, books, vinyl (records), jewelry...you name it! Joe is a pro!
antique shops: these places have great items usually in very good condition but be warned, these people know how much vintage holiday decorations are going for these days so be prepared to pay. however, ask if the particular seller is working or available and try to negotiate a better price. Holidays are short lived and the seller may be eager to get rid of an item than pack it back up and keep it for another year. Yes, antiques shops do display seasonally sometimes.
on-line auctions: another favorite! I havesearched places like "E-Bay" (my personal favorite) and found GREAT deals on halloween and Christmas decorations. I suggest checking out several similar listings before bidding so that you know what similar items are going for.
Suggestions:
- NEVER use tape on paper decorations (die cuts), instead, use the pin hole that is usually already positioned for ideal hanging balance. Otherwise, you can use some of the newer "easyily removed or remove clean" hanging products that peel off of the wall without leaving marks and will usually also remove from the cut-out without damage. You can also just sit them around propped up by a book or something behind them to protect their delicate state.
- Think creatively and use items in different ways. An antique papier machet pumpkin can act as a guest marker around the table or a bowl to draw names from for a game. Vintage glass items and candles are delicate and can be used as dining table decorations (where, if dropped by adorers, will be less likely to be damaged). Old "treat bags/loot bags" can be used as a take home gift bag to party goers.
If Halloween is your thing, then check out my "Recipes That Work" blog. I will include some great Halloween recipes that I make over and over.
Happy Halloween!
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