The History of Vintage Beistle, H. E. Luhr & German Made Die Cuts - Halloween & Christmas Wall Art
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Vintage Beistle die cuts can range from very valuable to quite affordable. Their Halloween, Christmas and other holiday wall decorations add retro charm to your home. I love searching for paper die cuts at flea markets to add to my collection. Let’s learn how die cuts are made and about the history of the Beistle company. We’ll also learn about H.E. Luhrs and German made die cuts.
What are vintage die cuts?
Die cuts are cut out paper, cardstock, cardboard, or crepe paper. They are generally holiday characters like jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, black cats, Thanksgiving turkeys, Santa, reindeer, Christmas trees, Easter bunnies and more. Most are 2D cut-outs but there are 3D honeycomb versions of die cuts.
How are die cuts made?
A die is a metal tool that is shaped, almost like a cookie cutter, to cut out the holiday characters. The metal die cast is then pushed onto cardstock and the shape will be cut out of the paper. Hence the name “Die Cut” because it cuts out the paper using a die!
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Vintage Blow Molds & Their History
Beistle Company
Beistle is an American company in Pennyslvania and was founded in 1900 by ML Beistle. They didn’t start with making holiday die cuts, instead they made calendars and toys. But later on they partnered with Paper Novelty Company and started manufacturing the die cuts we know today! Some vintage die cuts can date back to the 1920s or you can find “vintage” ones from the 1990s.
For the full history you can read the history page on the Beistle website. They are still in business to this day making vintage inspired die cuts!
Related blog post: Affordable vintage Halloween decorations
German Made Die Cuts
The most highly collectible and rare die cuts are German made and will generally say Germany on them. The German Halloween die cuts are the oldest, made from 1919-1935. Germany was financially devastated after WWI and some American discount companies like Woolworths had artists make unique holiday items for them to sell.
The production of these beautifully crafted die cuts ended when the Third Reich rose in power. According to this article I read by a well-respected Halloween curator, these items were made in homes or in very small firms and were hand decorated. They were made in small quantities, making them even more rare and collectible.
H.E. Luhrs
H.E. Luhrs worked at the Beistle Company and eventually worked his way up to president of the company. On the wikipedia page it says that H.E. Luhrs was Beistle’s son-in-law and the company was passed down to him after Beistle died.
H.E. Luhrs die cuts have his last name on them and were made in the 1940s - early 1950s.
Jointed and Honeycomb Die Cuts
I love normal 2D die cuts but the jointed and honeycomb die cuts are extra special and more interesting. Which also means more expensive!
New Years, Valentine’s Day & Wedding bells
There are New Years’ baby die cuts and Valentine’s day die cuts. Beistle also made vintage honeycomb Valentine’s too and I have a few of those.
I love honeycomb bells they come in the cutest pastel colors. They also have bells for other holidays too like Christmas.
Easter, Fourth of July & Thanksgiving
You can find adorable honeycomb Easter items and die cut bunnies and chicks.
Fourth of July doesn’t have nearly as many items but you can find a few patriotic pieces.
Thanksgiving has honeycomb pilgrims and honeycomb turkeys.
Halloween
There are so many die cut options for Halloween and the special kinds too. They have regular 2D paper options like jack-o-lanterns, witches, bats, black cats, skeletons, and spiders.
My personal favorite is the honeycomb Halloween items and the jointed skeletons and jointed black cats. These specific items can be quite expensive and are on my list of Rare and Valuable Halloween Items.
Christmas
There are plenty of cute 2D Christmas die cuts. There are adorable honeycomb snowmen and other Christmas items too.
How to decorate with die cuts
Die cuts have generally been taped to the walls of classrooms, offices and homes. One of my followers shared that she always had a tall skeleton on her front door as a child in the 70s so now I put mine on my front door.
I’ve recently started putting die cuts on my kitchen cabinet doors during the holiday season. It makes my kitchen extra cheerful and it’s super easy to decorate with them.
I also like to lean die cuts on the back of shelves. For instance, I have a gallery wall in my living room and I like to lean them against the wall.
Related content: Free Printable Fall and Halloween Bucket List
How do you hang up die cuts?
I get asked this question ALL the time! 90% of the die cuts I have already have rips and tears on them from being hung up in classrooms for years and years. So adding a few extra pieces of tape is no big deal and so I’ll use regular scotch tape. Otherwise, I’ll use poster putty and that works really well.
One of my followers shared that she tapes a big piece of packaging tape on the back of a die cut. Then she’ll put tape on that strip over and over again so it doesn’t hurt the die cut itself. Sometimes I’ll just use thumbtacks like with the Santa die cut below.
