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I found your mother’s container referenced in “Vintage Halloween Collectibles: An Identification and Price Guide” by Mark B. Ledenbach and published by KP Books. It is described as a black cat atop a winking harvest moon and is valued at a frightening $950. During the 1550s, All Saints Day was observed Nov. 1, with the night before, All Hallows Eve, thought to be the night the dead returned to be venerated. Eventually Oct. 31 became identified as Halloween. The holiday wasn’t really celebrated much in America until the early years of the last century. During that period, party decorations, favors and costumes began to appear in the marketplace. By the 1930s and ’40s, Halloween lanterns were commonplace with trick-or-treaters. In recent years, Halloween memorabilia has skyrocketed in value. Typical prices listed in Ledenbach’s excellent guide include a skeleton candle, circa 1960, $50; black cat nut cups from the 1950s, $25 each; depression-era tin rattlers, $50 each; and tin jack-o-lanterns from the 1950s, $75 each. Two dealers who specialize in Halloween collectibles are Jenny Tarrant, Holly Daze Antiques, 4 Gardenview Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376; and Diane Richardson, The Gold Hatpin, 125 N. Marion St., Oak Park, IL 60301. This is cache, read story here
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