This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 15, 2008 - Let's bob for apples and sing and play
In the good, old-fashioned way;
Greet Hallowe'en with a party gay,
For spooks and witches but a short time stay.
--from Kiddies' Halloween Book by Marie Irish, 1931
The artwork is some of the most striking in all of holiday collectibles: shrieking cats, grinning jack-o-lanterns, broomstick-riding witches and dancing scarecrows.
The graphics, usually in brilliant oranges and midnight blacks, have been lithographed onto everything from steel bells, to jangling tambourines to wood and tin ratchet toys - toys that go "clackety-clackety-clack" when the moon is full and goblins and ghoulies roam the crisp autumn nights.
Halloween noisemakers, which likely originated in Germany during the early part of the 20th century, were first used to scare away bogeymen and other evil spirits. But their American heyday was in the 1940s, '50s and '60s when they became as much a part of a young trick-or-treater's arsenal as a well-designed facemask and oversized goody bag.
Today those same noisemakers, which once sold at the neighborhood five and dime like Woolworth's for as little as a nickel, command prices of $30, $40 and more as collectors haunt area flea markets, garage sales and antique shops for the spooky treasures.
We first began accumulating Halloween noisemakers about 15 years ago, at a time when they were still relatively inexpensive. Over the past 10 years, as their popularity has soared, Halloween noisemakers have become increasingly scarce and, as a result command premium prices in the collecting marketplace.
Jennifer Fisher, a 35-year-old attorney, party planner and author from Queen Creek, Ariz., said her attraction to Halloween noisemakers came naturally. An avid collector of Nancy Drew mystery books, she had always loved Halloween as a child. About 10 years ago, she picked up an issue of Martha Stewart's magazine and discovered an article on collecting vintage Halloween. After a quick survey of some items on eBay, she was hooked.
Her love of Halloween collecting led her to set up a vintage Halloween collectibles website, www.vintagehalloween.com. Most of her vintage metal noisemakers were made by the American toymakers J. Chein & Co., Kirchof, T. Cohn and U.S. Metal Toy Manufacturing Co. A variety of other companies manufactured plastic and cardboard Halloween horns.
Fisher notes that most older noisemakers can be identified by their wooden handles. Newer pieces (beginning around the 1960s) usually have plastic handles.
In their book Halloween Collectibles, authors Dan and Pauline Campanelli note that Halloween noisemakers bear a remarkable resemblance to those used on New Year's Eve. "They should," they wrote, "because Halloween to the Celts and other ancient people was the celebration of the end of the old agricultural year and the beginning of the new one.
"The purpose of making a great racket on this occasion was originally to drive away the creatures of cold, darkness, death and decay, which were the frightening realities of winter to our pagan ancestors."
Some of the earliest noisemakers to have survived are made of wood and pressed cardboard. The crude, mostly ratchet-type designs, are among the most prized of the Halloween pieces and can fetch prices of $100, $200 and even higher.
Much of the reason for the increasing values of Halloween noisemakers and collectibles revolves around their artwork and scarcity. Unlike Christmas decorations, which often were handed down from generation to generation, Halloween collectibles often were viewed as disposable. Even collectors limiting themselves to the major American manufacturers likely will find their living space overrun by their accumulation, since there are literally hundreds of types, styles and designs.
Among the most bewitching graphically are tin noisemakers produced by J. Chein & Co., a New York-based metal stamping operation run by Julius Chein. The company is also known for producing some of the earliest tin prizes in Cracker Jack boxes.
Two of its Halloween designs are particularly prized - one showing two costumed boys frightening a small girl with a giant carved jack-o-lantern and a second showing children at a Halloween gala bobbing for apples.
HEARTLAND FOCUS ON:
Kenrick Antique Mall, 7435 Watson Rd. #104 Kenrick Plaza, Shrewsbury, Mo. 63119, Phone: 314-962-4949.
Nestled back off old Route 66 in a strip center of shops and businesses, Kenrick is one of the lesser known of St. Louis area antique centers. That may be all the better for local treasure hunters who still can pick up wonderful bargains at the mid-size center. Filled with a mix of legitimate pre-1970 collectibles and garage sale knickknacks, the center is well-lit, always neat and professionally managed.
Best known for its vintage glassware and furniture, it also showcases an eclectic grouping of everything from vintage cowboy and Western collectibles to rare coins. Among the items recently for sale:
- 1950s Davy Crockett pith helmet with original chin strap: $40
- Made in Japan celluloid bride and groom figures, in good condition with some light denting: $20
- 1950s Cub Scout 5X plastic telescope with original box: $20
- 1904 St. Louis World's Fair sterling silver spoon: $45
- Misc. old black and white "instant relatives" family photos: $1.25 each
- Royal Doulton porcelain Sherlock Holmes bust entitled "The Sleuth" with box: $55
- Circa 1890 musical zither, "The Columbia," in good condition: $135