Happy Halloween!

If memory serves, I bought this card at JJ’s Hallmark on King Street in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. (It’s now Anthropologie.) I was probably feeling a bit wistful as I browsed, reflecting that Halloween was coming and I likely wouldn’t have anything to do (again). This simple card delighted me, so I bought it, just to have. Thus was my little tradition begun. I now have hundreds of cards, picked up a few at a time each year. And while none ever struck quite the same chord, they’ve given me great pleasure, and helped keep the magic alive.

Sadly, the sparkly white ghost has gotten

dingy with age.

Maker: Hallmark

Date: Unknown (early 1990s)

Original Price: $1.00

New to the Collection

When I see the modest prices of the older cards in my collection, I’m amazed recalling how I used to fret over my purchases each year. The fact is, in 1995 twenty-odd dollars spent on Halloween cards really did feel like an extravagance. And there were always so many wonderful examples! I often had to take myself in hand and let some gems go in favor of others.

Those days are gone. Not that there aren’t attractive cards still to be found. But the ingenuity that made so many of my finds irresistible has largely yielded to what I call the School of Accretions. Papyrus is a great exponent of this: cards with “tidbits” stuck all over them, at prices that would make a Vanderbilt blanch. And that’s not even factoring in the extra postage required to mail them. There is no pleasure for me in paying the price of a magazine for a greeting card.

So far this year, I’ve acquired only this card.

Cats are flocked, inside and outside (including the one above the greeting), and their green eyes appear to be slightly reflective. An elegant card—and a bargain at just under $4.00!

Maker: American Greetings

Date: c.2020

Price: $3.99

Mischief

One aspect of the holiday that, if not entirely forgotten, often seems to get lost is the thrill of taking to the streets Halloween night. It’s not just the costumes or the candy grab, either. It’s the possibility that, on this night, other beings really could be roaming out there. With its starry sky, whirling leaves, and gleeful goblins, this card captures the wonder, the freedom—the pure joy—of trick-or-treating.

 

Maker: Marcel Schurman

Artist: John Altwies

Date: 1989

Original Price: $1.50

The Perfect Halloween Card

It’s so simple, yet everything is there: the idea, the artwork, the atmosphere ...

How can you not smile?

Maker: Recycled Paper Products

Artist: Mary Melcher

Date: 1986

Original Price: $1.50

Comments: Three ghosts, three exclamation marks.

It’s Magic!

This is known as barrier-grid (or picket fence) animation. You can find explanations of how it’s done on YouTube.

I’ve been wondering if you could create a similar effect for a yard haunt with an actual picket fence ...

Maker: American Greetings/Inventions

Date: Unknown

Original Price: $3.99

Comments: The back of the card also bears a patent number.

Sinister/Sentiment

High-style art and a haunting verse make for a strong start.

Alas, words and pictures begin to part ways on the second panel and by the third are fully at odds. Where, oh where, are the “happy things”?

Maker: Hallmark

Date: Unknown

Original Price: $2.97

Comments: It’s a beautiful card. One only wishes the care lavished on the production, including embossing, metallic gold highlights, and white overprinting, had been applied equally to the writing.

Tête-à-Tête

Halloween—the time when traffic between worlds seen and unseen becomes possible.

Behold an autumnal realm where ladylike gourds with impossibly slender limbs catch up over a cuppa.

Maker: Marcel Schurman

Artist: Patience Brewster

Date: Unknown

Original Price: $2.25

Comments: Napkins in laps and stylish hat-stems—utterly charming.