Show off your Weekly Finds.

[Gaberax]

Last Friday I stopped by the "Surprise Shoppe", a little church run second hand store near my job.  I stop once or twice a week...scouring for monsters.  Anyway, last Friday I was looking around and I saw that they had the complete Madeline doll house for the 5 inch dolls for $80. 

My late wife purchased one on Ebay about a year before she passed away.  She had always wanted one and my monster collecting had  kinda wore off on her.  I talked her into letting me buy it for her.  Of course, she had to have all the furniture, each doll, the horses, the whole she-bang.  It was fun for the two of us over the next few months, watching her get excited finding the next missing thing, fretting over the online bidding and working all the details out with the sellers.  Finally, she had the whole collection.  She was proud of it and wanted to someday pass it along to her granddaughter (which happened way too soon.)

Anyway, I realized how much the doll house was really worth.  I spoke to the manager of the shop, a sweet lady, who had no idea what it was worth.  She said she had a young girl come in twice a month and put the higher priced items on Ebay.  She thanked me profusely and took the price tag off of the doll house.  I just asked her to keep me in mind if any monster items came in....which she promised to do.

You never know where you will find a treasure...but it doesn't hurt someone's looking out for you.

[horror1o1]

Last Friday I stopped by the "Surprise Shoppe", a little church run second hand store near my job.  I stop once or twice a week...scouring for monsters.  Anyway, last Friday I was looking around and I saw that they had the complete Madeline doll house for the 5 inch dolls for $80. 

My late wife purchased one on Ebay about a year before she passed away.  She had always wanted one and my monster collecting had  kinda wore off on her.  I talked her into letting me buy it for her.  Of course, she had to have all the furniture, each doll, the horses, the whole she-bang.  It was fun for the two of us over the next few months, watching her get excited finding the next missing thing, fretting over the online bidding and working all the details out with the sellers.  Finally, she had the whole collection.  She was proud of it and wanted to someday pass it along to her granddaughter (which happened way too soon.)

Anyway, I realized how much the doll house was really worth.  I spoke to the manager of the shop, a sweet lady, who had no idea what it was worth.  She said she had a young girl come in twice a month and put the higher priced items on Ebay.  She thanked me profusely and took the price tag off of the doll house.  I just asked her to keep me in mind if any monster items came in....which she promised to do.

You never know where you will find a treasure...but it doesn't hurt someone's looking out for you.

that's nice man.

[John Pertwee]

I just found my old Ideal The Monster game at my Dads house. Thought long gone, I found the box, the slab he lays on, most of the plastic monster parts, but no head! Most of the cardboard monster parts and some game cards. I am hoping I have more of the game parts somewhere in my hoarders nightmare of a basement. If not, I will just offer it up on here to someone needing parts to finish off their game.

[Hepcat]

I just received the above book in the mail today! It's comprehensive, well organized, and crammed
full of coloured pictures! All and all it's fabulous and I highly recommend it to anyone who ever went trick or treating.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Hepcat,

I still regret not picking up that Halloween Costumes book when I saw it on a bookstore shelf a few years ago. I flipped through it, so I know it's really cool. Someday I will have to buy it. I have several antique Halloween collectible books, but not one dedicated to costumes.

[Hepcat]

Antique Halloween collectible books you say? Which would be the best for things like Beistle decorations and sundry blowmolds?

[Allhallowsday]

Antique Halloween collectible books you say? Which would be the best for things like beistle decorations and sundry blowmolds?

There is a book, Halloween Favorites in Plastic, though it does not show the Clint Toys Frankenstein buckets or lights, and I don't agree with many of the dates (which seem like wishful thinking to me).  The book is useful at least for the pictures. 
 

There is no book that shows many post-war diecuts, an area I specialized in, but the Stuart Schneider Halloween In America is the best of the bunch I've seen, by far, though like most of these collector's books it may not be entirely accurate. 

My book has the older, original cover illustration: 

[Hepcat]

Oh, they both look good!



Interesting too that Halloween in America is written by the co-author of Halloween:Costumes and Other Treats!

[ramsey37]

I recently got a good price on these bears on eBay:

From 1986, these are the Very Important Monsters, an offshoot of North American Bear Company's "Very Important Bears" line. From left to right, they are:
Frankenbear
Bearwolf
Count Bearcula
Bearide of Frankenbear
I just need the Hunchback of Beartre Dame to finish the set.
George

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Hepcat,

Sorry it has taken so long to respond. I've had a Hell of a week. I know there are books that claim to focus on Beistle items, like Timeless Halloween Collectibles  and Time for Halloween Decorations, both of which are available on Amazon, but I don't own either one. I do own both editions of Vintage Halloween Collectibles by Mark Ledenback, and they're both very good. The only problem with all of these books is that they tend to focus on the earliest items and tend to stop around the 1950's.



The other book in the photo is Halloween Nation by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, which may also be of interest to you. Another great little book of images only is Halloween Vintage Holiday Graphics by Jim Heimann. There are plenty of Besitle, Collegeville and Halloween postcard images inside.



Here are some other great Monster collectible books to seek out that I have in my own library!

[Hepcat]

Wow! Looks like I have my work cut out for me. The only one of those books that I have is Collecting Monsters of Film and TV.

[Hepcat]

The book is useful at least for the pictures.... like most of these collector's books it may not be entirely accurate.

You can say that again! Just taking a quick look through Halloween: Costumes and Other Treats, I spotted a couple of things that made me wince. First of all, the Aquaman costume is depicted paired with a Green Lantern mask! Secondly, the Bucky O'Hare costume is dated 1971 while I think it's more likely a 1991 costume.

[zombiehorror]

While going thru a box to find some little jack o' lanterns for another thread I came across these, which I hadn't seen in awhile!



Another Dollar Tree find, always thought they were really cool and something that Disney should have been selling as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean!  They're 5 1/2" tall for anyone wondering!

[monsternik]

I really like those pirate skeletons! Especially for $1! Ill have to keep an eye out for them.

[zombiehorror]

I really like those pirate skeletons! Especially for $1! Ill have to keep an eye out for them.

Just so you know I bought these in the late 90's!