greetings to all...

quite a few years ago, this church unexpectedly came into my possession... ...and it's been in the shop patiently waiting my attention...and now i guess that time has come...

it's rather large...a 6 " x 11 1/2" x 1/2" base...overall height is 6 1/2"...stamped with the usual made in japan identification...as far as i can tell, the church has never been separated from the base...and doesn't look like any repairs have been made...the base does have a staple around each corner...but not the large, bulky "dolly" style fasteners...and i don't think i've ever seen a light hole at the top of a building...

i believe ted would have said...it's part of "the last hurrah"...any thoughts from the collectors out there?...

howard

This one really took me back---it was the trim on the "front facade" that did it; my grandmother had one very very similar to this....and it was already "old" when I was a child back in the 60's.........

Hello my good friend Howard. Yes, this would be Papa Ted's range of the "Last Hoorah" 1950 -1955. I have extended that range with some additional information. It should now read 1948 - 1957. Here is a picture of ten, my matching Church. It even has a wonderful label from the "Blum Company". I think we're all familiar with Blum? I've also encluded a photo of some churches that are marked, handwritten, 1948.

Pete...
Good to hear from you!...thanks for the history lesson...and confirmation...
My very best regards...
Howard...

Hi Pete,
Yes, good information as always.
I don't want to derail this thread but could you share anything about the pink house in the background? I love all the gables!

Pete and Lee...
I am also intrigued by the giant pink house in the background...
Howard

Hello Howard and Lee. Here's the information on the Pink Giant. I belong to the Golden Glow Of Christmas Past organization. One day, on Facebook, one of the members posted a picture of a find that he bought at a yard sale out in Pennsylvania. He had this great house and two other very rare houses. I had to have them. I offered him $500 for this one. I'm pretty sure he paid under $50 for the box of houses. He hesitated but sold it to me. I had to sell one of my prized vintage Halloween pieces to be able to buy it. It needed some repairs but basically in fantastic condition. A fence post and a side fence needed to be replaced. Also, a train guy cut a hole in the bottom and glued a piece of cardboard over an enlarged hole (see photos). I hope to find the time to finished the coconut before this Christmas, LOL! Maybe leben could help me out? At the same time I found this house another person on another site post a picture of his Christmas layout... It's the BIG BROTHER to this Pink Sister! I also offered him $500 but he wouldn't budge! I might build this one if I can't find another one of these. Since last year I have found an additional 8 Giants that I didn't know existed. I do now have 3 of those 8. I can't believe how active those Japanese artisans were. Let's see if I can get these pictures in the right order, I always screw it up.

Here's the Big Blue Brother and repairs in progress...

More repairs... It's getting there.

Pete...
Two impressive houses to be sure...I hope you get the five that you’re looking for...
Howard