Tell me about your displays?
My collection is displayed year-round. I have two rooms, my main collecting room is jammed
with diecuts on the wall and shelves with Halloween all over. The smaller room has custom made
cabinets which are stuffed!
I hang my diecuts on the wall using the hole already there in the piece. If there is no hole, I will not make one. Instead I brace the piece with two or three clear pins.
I have special lighting, but the lights never shine on any items. All the windows are UV protected. There is no way to stop fading, but you can slow it down. I don't like people to touch the collection pieces, unless they ask me. Most people don't understand how hard it is to replace an item, if it can be replaced at all.
Although I keep my collection up all year long, I do decorate a little more for Halloween with a tree and the Department 56 Halloween village. The black tree is a full size (Christmas) tree, five feet tall and made by Sylvestri. Unfortunately they are not made anymore, I purchased mine in the early nineties.
How do you suggest collectors store their Halloween items?
If they are not left out all year long, I recommend storing everything (diecuts) flat with
non-acidic paper and cardboard backing. Rest the diecuts on something
hard, covered with the non-acidic paper.
I suggest wrapping composition candy containers in a special non-lint fabric and then
wrap them in bubble wrap, then nest in a box.
And lastly, what's your advice for the new collector that comes along and wants to
start a Halloween collection?
If a person likes the imagery from the sixties and seventies, that is a great spot to
start buying. Prices are not very high and the items are plentiful.
If you don't like the cutesy look of the seventies, buy the older placecards and tally cards. They can be a bit expensive, going for between $8 to $40, but you won't be spending a fortune and they have room to grow.
Also look for 40's and 50's Beistle and Dennison. They don't go for a lot -- usually $10 to 15. Also tin noisemakers, look for perfect condition and expect to spend $20 - $50.
If you like modern items, the first few years of the Halloween Radko ornaments will go up in price. Those are going to appreciate and are really cool looking. The later years are too cutesy, but the first year or two would be a good start. I recently found a new Larry Fraga Halloween ornament that I had to have, a large disturbing skull.
Another modern item is Creepy Hollow by Midwest of Cannon Falls. The first three or four years of the village are great pieces to look for and display.
Intrigued? Ready to start collecting Halloween items?I feel like I am ready to take my Halloween collecting to another level and I wouldn't do it without a copy of "Vintage Halloween Collectibles". The book is available online, as well as directly from Mark on his web site HalloweenCollector.com.
