Every day feels like Halloween in this house, and that’s exactly how I like it. For those of us who live for the spooky season all year, the thrill of the hunt never ends. From creaky antique shops to oddball thrift stores and late-night online scores, I’m always on the lookout for eerie new additions to our cabinet of curiosities.
So far this year, I have unearthed a series of frightful finds. From nostalgic toys to mysterious books and a mirror that might’ve come straight out of a mad scientist’s lab, the haunted haul was too good not to share.
If this sounds frightfully fascinating to you, grab your pumpkin spice potion and settle in for a tale of ghostly goodies and secondhand spookiness from our haunted haul.
You never know when the spirits (or a well-timed Facebook group post) will guide you to your next great find. That’s how a pint-sized cast iron cauldron, aged with just the right touch of rust, found its way into our collection. This piece radiates old-world charm – its patina suggesting decades of simmering spells. I could not pass up this quintessential addition to our Halloween home.
During a day of dedicated antiquing, we unearthed an especially delightful relic, a trio of 1970s spring-action Halloween toys made in Hong Kong, along with the original display box.
The maker for this witch, cat, and skeleton is a mystery. I’ve seen these attributed to Fun World, but the box isn’t giving up its secrets, and many manufacturers made their own version of these peculiar pop-ups.
More whimsical than wicked, these mechanical oddities instantly conjured childhood memories when I would arm several and then try to guess which one would launch first. Their retro aesthetic and simple design make them charming additions that toe the line between kitsch and classic.
No haunted haul is complete without literature, and this trip yielded not one but two standout volumes:
A 1969 Scholastic edition of Spooky Tricks by Rose Wyler and Gerald Ames (illustrated by Talivaldis Stubis). This book was a library favorite of mine in grade school, and I spent hours trying to master all of the magical maneuvers inside.
A 1914 tome titled Health and Longevity, weighing a formidable 9 lbs. This fully illustrated, antique medical guide includes rare full-color accordion-style diagrams, most of which are still intact. It’s macabre, mysterious, and marvelously informative.
As a bonus, just lifting it counts as resistance training for my daily workout.
Among other finds was a mischievous green witch pail, likely from the mid-1990s and possibly a Fun World product. Her origins remain elusive for now, but her charm is undeniable.
Also joining the collection were three vintage treat sacks and a Halloween napkin, each bearing designs we had not yet acquired.
We snapped them up as any seasoned collector knows; when you see them, you grab them to avoid disappointment and future regret.
Just when I thought the day’s thrills had ended, a surprise detour around a curio cabinet led me to an unexpected jackpot: a small stash of Charles Addams books.
While many were in super rough condition, I carefully selected three volumes that still had life left in them.
- Favorite Haunts – 1976
- Monster Rally – 1950
- The Groaning Board – 1965
For collectors of dark humor and illustration, Addams is essential, as his work captures the macabre with unmatched elegance and wit.
As a child, I never missed an episode of the cult classic television series The Addams Family, so I was elated to snag these in the wild.
Though recent thrift runs have yielded slim pickings, one gem stood out: a 1967 edition of The New Illustrated Medical Encyclopedia For Home Use.
Notable for its 16 full-color anatomy diagrams – intended to be removed but miraculously still bound – it’s a relic of mid-century health culture with a slightly unsettling edge. It’s perfect for the Halloween collector who finds it nearly impossible to pass up anything featuring a skellie.
This year hasn’t only brought haunted objects, it’s brought haunting music as well. We’ve been lucky to attend several live performances, including:
- Sweeney Todd
- Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical
- Mozart’s Requiem (with “Lacrimosa” and “Amen” as my most favorite, of course)
It just goes to show that not all of our eerie experiences are to be found in shops.
One of our most perplexing finds is an industrial-style mirror. It is a hefty piece with rotating dials and gears that adjust the mirror to various angles. The mirror is desilvered, offering a ghostly, clouded reflection of unparalleled perfection.
It’s clearly built to be bolted down, and just as clearly, nobody has any idea what it is. Despite exhaustive searching (including Google Lens), its origin remains unknown.
Could it be from a mad scientist’s lab? An old optometrist’s device? Or something even more arcane? Its mystery only enhances its allure.
Not all haunted treasures are thrifted. During a deeply emotional chapter, we stayed with my mother in her final days in hospice. While reliving family memories, we discovered two pieces that now hold a place of honor in our collection:
A witchy cake topper – small, nostalgic, and still flying high
A Halloween card from 2000, sent by our boys, with a message calling for their grandparents to have a most Happy Fright Night!
These pieces may not have a high-dollar value, but they are priceless to us.
Every item in our growing collection brings a sense of nostalgia and mystery and is unmistakably haunting.
Whether it’s a $2 thrift store toy or a centuries-old tome, every piece in our collection tells a story. Some are funny. Some are nostalgic. Some, frankly, are a bit creepy – and we love them all.
Here’s to your next great find, whether it’s vintage, bizarre, or a bit of both.
Until next time – stay spooky.
