In the early 1900s, Martin Luther Beistle was running a small, but successful, company that made calendars and artificial plants for hotels and commercial concerns in Pittsburgh. Life was good, the bills were paid and many would have been content to leave things as they were. But Martin had a vision for a line of holiday paper products that would combine German honeycombed tissue techniques with die cuts. So, in 1921 he partnered with The Paper Novelty Company and within a year their first catalogue was released. Over the next few years that catalogue grew to contain over 1,000 Halloween designs ranging from witches and black cats to spiders, bats and jack-o-lanterns.
One hundred years later, Beistle is still in business and has established itself as the longest continuous maker of holiday decorations. They attribute that longevity to a simple formula; manufacture in large numbers, offer a wide variety of designs and price them so almost anyone can afford to buy them. Their works from 1930-1970 are in high demand now, just as they were when they were first issued. And, to the delight of collectors, they commonly surface at flea markets and estate sales.
Desirability in this field of collecting is largely determined by topic matter. In descending order of value we start with skeletons, devil imagery and witches, followed by black cats, vegetable people, owls, and lastly the pumpkin or its alter ego, the jack-o-lantern. Since Halloween items are notoriously hard to accurately date, a good rule is, the scarier the image, the older the item.
Vintage die-cuts are going up in value each year. Current pricing both locally and online for top sellers include the 1930s 55” skeleton for $75 by itself or $150 if it is in its original packaging. By contrast, the smaller jointed skeletons from 1941 will be much more affordable at $25. 1930s mini-pumpkins will range from $40-$50, embossed foil figures $125 for 1930s issue and $75-85 for those from the 1950s. The 1930s 12” by 12’ cat face and the jazzy cat band (a favorite with collectors) are both selling in the $100 range, in pristine condition. It is important to note that the cat band was reproduced by Beistle throughout the 1940s and continues to be manufactured today. These newer pieces can be identified by their double-sided printing and they will not be embossed like the original issues.
While not all decorations are marked, those that are will say “Made in the USA,” ‘E.H. Luhrs,” or “Beistle.” As you familiarize yourself with the design and quality of authentic Beistle products you will find identification easier, with or without a maker’s mark.
It is important when shopping for original Beistle that you look carefully to see if the item you are viewing is a reproduction. Original Beistle die cuts will be double sided on the right side and single sided on the left. They should also have a price sticker that will range from 8-12 cents. The most confusing part of the reproductions tend to be the copyright date, which is often mistaken as the date of manufacture. It is not uncommon to find a 1970s copyright on brand new items that are sold in the seasonal decor departments of stores like Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby. These new releases are great Halloween decor and will bring you years of fun, but they are of no interest to serious collectors.
COLLECTORS NOTE: As we approach the Halloween season, eBay is filling up with auctions for vintage Beistle decorations and the realized prices for these auctions are soaring. While you will find a great selection through this and other online venues, I would strongly recommend that you ask questions, request extra photos and be very careful in what you purchase as I have found a number of auctions where pieces presented as being original issue were in fact newer reproduction. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com
