The Weird is Wonderful at Halloween

Ask people here in the U.S. their favorite national holiday and you’ll be met with a variety of answers. Many will pump for Christmas, others for New Year’s, and there’s never any shortage of turkey fans waving a drumstick for Thanksgiving. But when it comes to straight up fun, celebrated by people of all shapes and sizes, none of them can match the popularity of Halloween.

Halloween is a day that connects with everybody. Whether out trick-or-treating or partying till dawn, we have a personal history with the day that goes back to day one. Now, as America’s national day of fancy dress draws near, what better time to combine some serious collecting with the wicked enjoyment of Halloween?

One of the real goals of Halloween, apart from having a great time of course, is survival. Picking up this vintage vampire killing kit, offered as Lot 867 on Day 2 of Brunk Auctions Fine Western, American European Works sale, should ensure you dont wake up the following morning with two mysterious holes in your neck.

Looking for the perfect piece to take center stage at this years Halloween dinner party? This didactic dental model of a human skull, selling as Lot 453 in Skinners Clocks, Watches & Scientific Instruments sale, should get even the most jaded guest in the mood.

Theres nothing more synonymous with Halloween than good ole Jack-O-Lantern. Hess Auction Group is selling two great pumpkin head pieces - Lot 266, a folk art tinsmith made edition, and Lot 251, a tin trick-or-treat torch, at their upcoming Harry B. Hartman Estate sale.

Getting naked in a coffin is about as Halloween as it gets! Lot 735 in Stanford Auctioneers Pop, Modern, Contemporary Art & Photography sale, an original vintage photogravure by Joel-Peter Witkin, has a gothic vibe sure to win those with a taste for the unusual.

Bring a little of the exotic to your Halloween with these five Papua New Guinean Gope ancestry or spirit boards, selling as Lot 750 in the Material Cultures Ancient & Traditional Arts sale.