A short history of Halloween postcards
Halloween postcards appeared in the early 1900s and flourished from about 1905 to 1915, the same golden age as the rest of the postcard craze. Many were designed by American illustrators and printed in Germany with rich color and deep embossing. After World War I, Halloween cards continued but became simpler and less common as greeting cards in envelopes replaced postcards.
Because Halloween was a minor holiday compared with Christmas, Easter and New Year, each design was printed in smaller numbers, and fewer cards survive. That scarcity, combined with enormous modern interest in Halloween, is why the best cards command such high prices.
What collectors look for
Imagery. Jack-o'-lanterns, especially with faces, bodies or vegetable-people figures; witches on brooms; black cats; owls and bats; goblins and devils; children in costume, bobbing for apples or telling fortunes. Fortune-telling and romance themes, such as seeing a future husband in a mirror, are a distinctive part of early Halloween imagery.
Publishers and series. Collectors follow particular publishers closely. John Winsch Halloween cards, many designed by Samuel L. Schmucker, are among the most admired. Raphael Tuck & Sons, the International Art Publishing Company, the Gabriel company, E. Nash and others also produced well-known series, often numbered on the back.
Artists. Ellen Clapsaddle and Frances Brundage are the best-known illustrators of Halloween cards, and their signed designs are widely collected. Many fine cards are unsigned; a publisher's series and the quality of the printing often tell you as much as a signature.
Construction. Mechanical cards with moving parts, die-cut cards, and cards with silk, glitter or other attached materials are scarce and wanted, especially in working, complete condition.
Condition. Bright, unfaded color, sharp embossing and clean corners can multiply a Halloween card's value. Halloween collectors are particular about condition because many designs survive in several copies.
Recognizing a quality Halloween card
- Run a finger over the front. Deep embossing usually means prewar German printing.
- Check the back for a publisher's name, trademark and series number.
- Look for a signature in the corner of the design.
- Look at the color. Original cards have rich, layered color; reproductions often look flat or overly bright on stark white stock.
Reproductions
Because original Halloween postcards are so popular, many designs have been reproduced as modern prints, greeting cards and decorations. Reproductions are usually on bright white, smooth card, with sharp modern printing or slightly fuzzy copied images, and often with modern text on the back. An original card shows its age in the paper. If in doubt, include a photo of the back when you describe the collection.
Halloween cards in a collection
Halloween cards usually turn up mixed among other greetings in family albums, often a handful among dozens of Christmas and birthday cards. That handful can be a significant share of a collection's value. When you photograph an album for a quote, photograph a few Halloween cards close up where they sit, without removing them, and mention roughly how many there are.
Caring for Halloween cards
Keep them out of sunlight, which fades the oranges and purples quickly. Do not press them under weight, which flattens embossing. Do not try to clean them. Leave them in their albums.
Halloween cards and family albums
Halloween cards in family albums are often concentrated in one or two years, when a particular relative or friend sent them, or when the album's owner was a child or young adult. If you find one Halloween card, look nearby on the same and following pages for more. Collectors are glad to see small runs from one album, and the condition of cards kept together in an album is often better than loose cards that rattled around in a box.
Halloween beyond the golden age
Halloween postcards from the 1920s and 1930s, many printed in the United States, tend to be flatter and simpler, with fewer embossed details, but some designs are collected, particularly those with strong graphic style or unusual subjects. Halloween linens and chromes exist but are uncommon and generally modest in value. As with every holiday, the golden-age cards from about 1905 to 1915 remain the most sought after.
Questions people ask
What are the most valuable Halloween postcards?
Typically scarce designs from sought-after publishers and artists, mechanical and novelty cards, and any early Halloween card in exceptional condition.
Are Clapsaddle Halloween postcards valuable?
Many are, especially in good condition, though values vary widely by design.
Are later Halloween postcards collectible?
Some 1920s cards are, but they are generally less valuable than the prewar German-printed cards.
Should I sell Halloween cards separately from the rest?
That is up to you. If you sell to me, I quote the complete collection as it is, Halloween cards included.
Why Halloween imagery changed
Early Halloween cards reflect how the holiday was celebrated a century ago: as an evening of parties, fortune-telling games, romance divination and harvest festivities, more for young adults than for trick-or-treating children. Cards show girls peering into mirrors by candlelight, couples bobbing for apples, and vegetable characters dancing around bonfires. Collectors love these cards partly because they capture a version of the holiday that has largely disappeared.
Where do valuable Halloween cards usually turn up? Mixed into family albums among Christmas and birthday greetings, often a few at a time from the same year. They are easy to overlook when flipping quickly, so it pays to look page by page.
Sources and further reading
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