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Mark B. Ledenbach isn’t spooked by vintage Halloween decorations. “Autumn has
always been my favorite season, and Halloween artifacts seem to bring back the
color and crispness of fall.”
Mark admits that old Halloween items are
scarce. “I think that’s because there’s very little sentiment attached to
Halloween,” he explains. “Unlike Christmas ornaments that were lovingly packed
away and passed from one generation to the next, Halloween decorations were
tossed as soon as the party ended.” That’s why it’s rare to find Halloween
tambourines and noisemakers today in pristine condition with full, vibrant
color.
But Mark, like dedicated collectors everywhere, enjoys the challenge.
“There’s nothing like the thrill of finding a Halloween piece I haven’t
seen
before, unless it’s the thrill of getting it at a good
price.”
Graphically intriguing tambourines and noisemakers were once banged and tooted
at Halloween parties for grown-ups. (a) & (d) Two American-made jack-o’-lanterns
from the ‘30s flash tin grins. (b)Sporting four “clangers,” these ‘20s American
scaredy-cats were created by J. Chein. (c) A wood-sided, paper-faced, German
tambourine from the ‘20s.
(e) The fierce ‘20s cat is one
of Mark’s oldest tambourines. (f) Finely detailed dancers cut a rug at a ‘20s bash. (g) These two-sided shakers, also made by T. Cohn, served double duty. “The
handles are actually party horns.” They hail from the ‘20s; the ratchet pictured
between them has a patent date of November 27, 1928.
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