By LEE CARPENTER, NANCY WOOMER and LINDA WILSON
Antique and vintage Halloween collectibles are among the most actively sought of holiday collectibles — perhaps second only to those who collect antique and vintage Christmas items. Postcards, tin toys, lanterns, candy containers, masks and costumes, die cuts and cardboard figures with and without honeycomb, candles: So many choices mass-manufactured across many years, on several continents and by many companies, including the best known — Dennison and Beistle — and many regarded as highly collectible.
One of the most visually appealing and collectible Halloween items is the lantern. Halloween lanterns were used to light the way from house to house during trick-or-treat, or placed in the window to invite children and parents to stop by, ring the doorbell and ask for a treat.
Depending on the era, children could expect to receive candy in a composition container shaped like a pumpkin man/woman, skeleton or witch. Later, these containers were made of tin or plastic and then, perhaps more familiar to baby boomers, the classic small paper bag covered with Halloween graphics and filled with candy.
Here, we share information on lanterns and candy containers, and wish we had more space to do so because there’s so much to be said. (If Halloween collectibles are your passion, several good guides are available, including Schneider’s “Halloween in America.”)
The shapes taken by Halloween lanterns and candy containers are usually the same: black cats, jack-o’-lanterns, skulls, witches, owls and devils. Some of the older lanterns from Germany are made of molded paper and are of skulls, pumpkins, cat heads or cats on a fence and witches. Those made of paperboard and thin paper had die cuts of witches, devils, cats and owls, among other Halloween shapes, on one of each of the lantern’s four sides. A thin wire at the top served as a handle.
Some lanterns are two-sided, with each side the same — skulls, cats, witches. Tissue paper covers the eye and mouth areas so that light can shine through. Tissue paper was inset at the eye and mouth areas — sometimes one color and sometimes printed with eyes and teeth. Also popular are the Japanese-style lanterns, some shaped like pumpkins or cats, and some with Halloween graphics on all sides.
In the 1960s, lanterns made in Hong Kong were battery-powered — a battery was housed in the black enameled base and the top was a glass pumpkin/skull/witch. These are very collectible, but hard to find in working condition.
Early candy containers were often made of glass or molded paper and, later, of plastic and tin. Early containers are usually painted full figures — pumpkins, witches and cats with bodies —and some have nodder heads. Candy was kept inside via a thin paper bottom, or the heads could be pulled off to allow access to treats.
Later, Rosen and other U.S. companies made small plastic containers shaped like witches or cats carrying pumpkins that could contain candy. One made of tin in the 1950s by the U.S. Metal Toy Co. was shaped like a pumpkin and covered with Halloween graphics, and its nose was a whistle.
Early lanterns and candy containers made of molded paper or paperboard and tissue paper become fragile over time, so it’s difficult to find examples in perfect condition. Those made of paperboard and tissue paper also are fragile — eye and mouth coverings are sometimes loose and often missing. Examples that have at least some of these features in near intact condition are desirable.
Nicks and dings are to be expected since these were used and played with, but large tears and missing pieces mean lower values. Overall, though, the fact that Halloween collectibles remain so sought-after means that even in fair to poor condition, collectors will often buy examples just to have them.
Candy containers and lanterns are so popular with collectors that modern companies have made new versions that look vintage. Many of these are made well — Christopher Radko’s series of small and large candy containers are shaped like cats, pumpkins, skulls and witches and covered in glitter. Even though new, these Radko containers are very popular with collectors.
The two-sided and composition lanterns are being remade, as well. Aging processes that are part of the manufacturing process can make many of these items appear to be quite old and even experts can be fooled.
Lee Carpenter, Nancy Woomer and Linda Wilson love Halloween. Carpenter’s love started with her parents, who handmade all costumes. Woomer is a passionate designer who creates Apple Hill Antique’s Halloween-themed foyer each year. Wilson is the intrepid collector of vintage items she later sells at Apple Hill.
