Online auction Oct. 30 marks Halloween with scary curiosities  

NEW YORK – A macabre collection that will scare bidders silly with the frightful delights is offered in an online auction being conducted by Jasper52 on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Items range from a sideshow gaff to fearsome antique medical devices. Bid absentee or live online exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.

No sale of this nature would be worth its wolfsbane without an antique casket. The one in the Jasper52 is special because it is covered entirely with a folk art acrylic painting in an antique American nautical theme by Edwin Nagel. The child-size casket (above) with a viewing window is made of solid wood and has its original hardware. Nagel was born in Philadelphia in 1925. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he attended the Tyler School of Art at Temple University where he later received a master’s degree in fine art. In recent years Nagel has focused on decorating large and small boxes with whaling and nautical themes. The 4-foot-long casket carries a $6,800-$8,000 estimate.

The sideshow gaff depicts a 3-foot-tall shrunken mummy woman (below) – made of papier-maché and mounted to red crushed velvet on board. This 20th-century curiosity was once part of the Billy Jamieson collection.

Bloodletting was believed to be beneficial in treating disease as late as the 19th century. Offered in the auction is a brass scarificator designed for that purpose. A dial on the handheld device determines the depth of the cuts. With its trigger set, the scarificator is placed on the flesh. When the trigger is pulled multiple blades pierce the patient’s skin.

Some of the items in the auction are perfect for Halloween decorating, such as a Mr. & Mrs. Skeleton figures dressed in wedding attire and standing a 16-inch-tall coffin.

On a lighter note, there is an enchanting Pixie of the Forest figure.

The Jasper52 “Spooktacular” auction will be held Wednesday, Oct. 30, starting at 4 p.m. Eastern time.