Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 To 1949: A Halloween Reference Book From The Beistle Company Archive With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors) [Paperback]

Claire M. Lavin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Schiffer Book for Collectors | Publication Date: December 4, 2004

The definitive reference guide for vintage Halloween collectors looking for accurate information on each piece, as well as for designers looking for the best in Halloween graphics. The collectibles showcased span what some people consider the Golden Years of Halloween production - 1920 through 1949. Youll be charmed by the artwork of the many invitations shown and wonder how a host ever survived without the myriad party helps. Dozens of die cut items have graphics so vivid they almost jump from the pages! See the artists creativity at its best when you pore over the party games and hats. And what Halloween would be complete without the Jack-O-Lantern? The stock number, initial release year, and objects proper name, are taken directly from holiday sales catalogues and interspersed with the authors comments. Over 350 photographs include some never-before-seen items. A value guide accompanies each entry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd (December 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764321463
• ISBN-13: 978-0764321467
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,001,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Beistle Vintage Halloween Lovers..., March 3, 2005

By 

Mark B. Ledenbach (Fair Oaks, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 To 1949: A Halloween Reference Book From The Beistle Company Archive With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Paperback)

Schiffer recently published a book that solely profiles vintage Halloween items made by Beistle from 1920-1949. Titled "Timeless Halloween Collectibles", the data was compiled by Claire M. Lavin who had access to Beistle's archives. The book has both strong and weak points. Among the strong is the photography. Done by Claire's husband, Phil Lavin, the images are crisp and are simply superb. The text is comprised almost entirely of quotes from various Beistle catalogs that helpfully point out the actual names Beistle assigned to their products. The 160-page book is logically arranged and has a generally pleasing layout. Curiously, the book has a 2005 publication date, although it was released in October 2004. As with any book, there are weaknesses. The pages largely contain items seen in previously published references. Although there is some new information unearthed, considering the possibilities any 160-page book provides, there wasn't as much as I had hoped. The book's serious shortcomings are a lack of explanation as to when catalogs were published during the year relative to the actual availability of the items shown (for instance was the 1929 catalog issued in January 1929 with product availability in February 1929, or was it issued in December 1929 with product availability in 1930?); a surprising lack of explanation or even discussion of the varying marks Beistle used during this time period; and a lack of definitive explanation as to which items shown were actually produced for public consumption versus those items residing in the archives that were never commercially produced. The captions are almost all mere recitations of Beistle catalog verbiage. I wish there would have been more of the compiler's voice here. That said, I do think the book is worth buying in order to more fully understand the importance of Beistle in the vintage Halloween memorabilia realm.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good alternative to collecting the actual items, August 7, 2008

By 

Eleny - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 To 1949: A Halloween Reference Book From The Beistle Company Archive With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Paperback)

Nowadays, the Halloween decorations from "the old days" are very pricey and scarce. So I decided to treat myself to some books dedicated to them.

This book is very satisfying. The colors are vivid and the photos of the items are large enough to be able to see a lot of detail.

I'm delighted with my decision to buy the book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!!, February 13, 2008

By 

Deana A. Wilt "disney freak" (Sebring, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 To 1949: A Halloween Reference Book From The Beistle Company Archive With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Paperback)

This book was just what I was looking for. I always look at vintage Halloween on eBay and I always want it!!! Well this kinda feed my craving to fork out a bunch of cash. Why you ask.....well I love the old artwork and I love to look at it more then anything. Well this is a cheaper and, lets face it, a more compact way to enjoy all the wonderful things I used to love as a kid. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in true American Art.