Halloween Decorations

Location: Private residence

Featured Items: A rustic fireplace tabletop decoration with a honeycomb bottom valued at $1,500; a German die-cut wall hanging made of embossed cardboard valued at $100; a parade lantern--considered the "Holy Grail" among advanced Halloween collectors--valued between $10,000 and $15,000; various noisemakers, clickers, tambourines and horns, ranging in price from $60 to $700, depending on scarcity; board games worth as much as $2,000, and party favors, including candy containers and nodders valued from $1,300 to $8,000.

Details: Ledenbach collects vintage Halloween decorations and displays them year-round. His passion started 20 years ago when he was helping a friend set up a Halloween display up in her antique store and discovered a set of six black cat wall hangings. That was all it took to get him hooked. Most of his collection is from the "golden age of Halloween"--early 1900s through the 1920s. Although it is difficult to date most pieces, a good rule of thumb to remember is that the scarier and older a piece is, the more collectible.