A Halloween Collector

It's that spooky time of year again! People are starting to pull out their Halloween decor and decorate inside and outside of their homes. I thought it would be fun to interview a die-hard Halloween collector and find out just what excites her about collecting these antique and vintage items. I decided to call on Elaine Troiano, an antique dealer who operates under the name Whatever's Antiques. Elaine is such a great lady whom I met at one of my events last year. Elaine has been collecting Halloween items since the 1980s. Halloween, as she noted, is one of her favorite times of the year ever since she was a child. It was a "peer holiday" where she and her friends would go trick-or-treating without their parents. She fondly remembers the treat bags filled with popcorn and cookies. She said it was fun to see all the adults dressed up at the doors welcoming the children. "I don't like to get scared, and I like Halloween to be friendly and that's how I decorate, with friendly Halloween," she said. When you begin collecting or you are interested in learning more about a subcultural phenomenon such as Halloween, it is important to get to know your collectors who specialize in certain areas. They will be able to refer you to references and other people who have just want you are looking for. This is definitely Elaine when it comes to Halloween. Early Halloween items were mostly made of paper. Some of the big names that produced these items were Dennison and The Beistle Company; which are two of the holy grail names in "Halloweeniana and vintage ephemera collecting" said Elaine. Think about those old one-dimensional cardboard die-cuts you hang on your windows or wall…. There's a good chance those may have been made by one of these companies. There were also many patterns companies like McCall's and Simplicity put out in the 1960s and 1970s where you could make your own centerpieces and table runners, among many other Halloween items. I asked Elaine to share a favorite Halloween collecting story with me. A few years back during Antiques Week in New Hampshire, Elaine met Pamela Apkarian-Russell (aka The Halloween Queen) while attending an event at The Hampshire Dome in Milford. Elaine is also a collector of antique fortune-telling cups, which now seem perfect to display at Halloween. These are cups and saucers (many have witches inside the cups) which are specifically made for tasseomancy (reading of tea leaves or coffee grounds.) She said they bonded over discussing these very hard to find and expensive teacups. I joked with Elaine about how my great auntie Kay from Boston would always read my tea leaves in my teacup when I was young. I had no idea there were specific cups made for fortune-telling. The first ones, as I learned from Elaine were made during the Victorian Era in the late 1890s. I thought this was a fascinating conversation with Elaine and I will keep my eyes out for those teacups with witches. Whether you collect things simply because they make you happy or come across a large collection and don't know much about it, it's helpful to talk with specialists in that area. There is always something to learn. Have a wonderful Halloween, enjoy decorating for the season! Kari Lindstrom is known for The Melamine Cup on Facebook and the brick-and-mortar shop in Jaffrey that she owned and operated for 12 years.