Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

There are very few true reference books for the vintage Halloween print & decoration collectors. Prices have sky-rocketed, even in this poor economy and it is getting more difficult to find vintage materials. The author lists price ranges which can be very helpful. It also helps you to identify reprints of older materials that are still produced to this day.

Every year, I pull this book off the shelf and dive deep into the wonderful Halloween images that were produced by Beistle/Luhrs long ago. Many of these had such lengthy lifespans that my mom bought them for us in the 60's and 70's. I wish Beistle would re-release some of these but until that time, we have this wonderful book. Its only negative is the fact that it isn't longer? Where's volume 2????

A cool trip down memory lane for us "older" folks who remember the great Halloween art of the past.

This book has good descriptions and great graphics for identifying and pricing old, hard-to-find Beistle Halloween paper goods.

"The Beistle Company" has been around for a long, long time, providing decorations and party supplies to a countless number of people in the United States and around the world.

The company was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the year 1900 by Martin Luther ("M.L.") Beistle. M.L.'s company has grown to become one of the largest producers of Halloween novelties and party supplies in the world.

When M.L. Beistle started his company, he worked out of the basement of his Pennsylvania home, mainly crafting decor for hotel lobbies.

Allow me to quote from Beistle's very own website (located at beistle.com), via an "FAQ" section at that site:

"We {The Beistle Company} are the world's largest manufacturer of party goods. We have been designing and producing decorations and party goods for over 100 years. Our hallmark is the quality of products and the high level of customer service we provide."

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I still have a couple of packages of old-fashioned Beistle halloween cutouts that I happily display around the house each and every October. It just wouldn't be Halloween-time without Beistle's first-class and spooky-looking cardboard decorations adorning the walls.

Beistle's nostalgic 1950s- and 1960s-era Halloween cutouts can still be obtained at some stores in the USA that sell holiday-themed party decorations and supplies. I can recall buying many of Beistle's products at "Woolworth's", when that store was still in business years ago. "Kresge's" (which later became "K-Mart") was another good place to pick up Beistle items many moons ago.

Today, however, you'll have to search around for other stores and specialty shoppes that may carry a few pieces of vintage Beistle decor.

The packages of Beistle Halloween decorations that I currently have feature a total of eight cardboard cutouts per pack, one of each of the following vintage Beistle-created designs (in vivid color). Remember these?.......

1.) "The Haunted House", with a spooky-looking witch standing in the front door of a house. The witch comes complete with a pointed hat and a cane. There's also a black cat sitting in a window. An owl can also be seen in the attic window above the witch. A flying bat is also part of this eerie hunk of decor. The bat is seen flying against a bright yellow full moon which looms appropriately above the witch's scary-looking dwelling. A leafless tree stretches its way skyward on this cutout too, with a well-placed lit lantern hanging from one of its branches just above the house's front door.

This colorful "Witch In The House" paperboard cutout is my all-time favorite Halloween decoration. It's a simple piece of cardboard -- but it depicts everything about Halloween so well within its 6" x 9" dimensions. Even the "howling wind" is represented here, via a series of lines drawn on the cutout near the witch and the door of the haunted house. I don't know who it was who designed this particular piece of Halloween artwork -- but I tip my hat to that artist.

2.) "Owl Perched On Tree Limb In Front Of Full Moon". .... This Beistle classic is my second-favorite among the cutouts made by that company. The owl's wide-open, piercing eyes are a standout feature. I've also taken note of the "extra markings" that have been added around the owl's eyes on post-1960s versions of this particular cutout. I had previous versions of this decoration which lacked these accentuated eye markings. Either version is first rate, and always worthy of being displayed each and every October. :)

3.) "Black Cat / Jack-O-Lantern On A Pole / Smiling Crescent Moon".

4.) "Jack-O-Lantern With Straw Hat".

5.) "Jack-O-Lantern With Corn-Cob Pipe".

6.) "Witch Flying On Broomstick Over A Crescent Moon".

7.) "Black Cat With Monocle".

8.) "Close Up Of Witch's Face In Front Of Full Moon".

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Beistle has manufactured some very simple designs for these cutouts, but they each emit an effectively-spooky and eerie quality that befits the "All Hallows Eve" season very well.

The Beistle Company, as referenced throughout this 160-page softcover book, makes many other Halloween-related items besides just the paperboard cutouts I've gushed about above.

But, to me, Beistle shall forever be exclusively associated with those simple, but absolutely perfect, pieces of thin colorful cardboard with pictures of owls, witches, cats, and jack-o-lanterns on them.

Just like that green tree that gets decorated each December, those hunks of Beistle cardboard are a looked-forward-to tradition every October. To borrow this book's title, I'd have to classify them as "Timeless Halloween Collectibles".