Vintage Fisher Price Play Family
#927 Village/ Complete with 6 Pieces of Mail
VG++-EXC+/ (U)
Welcome to the Fisher Price Village! Stroll down memory lane and check out this Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set that is 100% COMPLETE and in VG++-EXC condition! The sheer number of accessories, along with the number of moving parts, associated with this base afforded the child a multitude of open-ended play opportunities. This is truly a CLASSIC Fisher Price Little People play set and suitable for some lucky child or beginning collector.
The set consists of two separate pieces of a village joined by a bridge with a stop light. The two halves of the village are in great shape (VG++-EXC) . All of the original lithos are in place and have retained their original vivid coloration and entertaining graphics. After repeated scrutiny of this play base, I can only find the following "imperfections" on the EXTERIOR lithos on the yellow half of the Village:
1. Two, hair-line vertical creases on the Police Station litho;
2. One, hair-line vertical crease on the Barber Shop litho along with four horizontal bubbles, the longest being 1 1/4" L x 1/8" W, and two other small bubbles on each of the candy cane lithos;
3. Some wear on the upper edge of the gas litho along with some rubs on the same litho;
4. Two, hair-line vertical creases and one intermittent vertical crease on the Garage litho; this litho also exhibits some scattered tiny bubbles along the upper edge of the litho; and
5. One, hair-line 3" L vertical crease on the Main Street Steak House litho; this crease is located towards the left hand edge of the litho.
The EXTERIOR lithos on the red half of the Village are in similar condition (VG++-EXC). Noted "flaws" consist of the following:
1. One, vertical hair-line crease along with a small horizontal hair-line crease on the Fire House litho; there is also a smattering of tiny bubbles along the lower edge of the same litho;
2. One, vertical, hair-line crease on the Post Office litho; there is another vertical crease that has larger bubbles on it (e.g. up to 1/4" L x 1/4" W);
3. Two bubbles on the Ticket litho;
4. Two small bubbles on the Theater litho;
5. Some darkening on the upper Restaurant litho along with a hair-line horizontal crease that spans the litho; it is located above the blue banner and is barely perceptible; there is another shorter, horizontal crease from the far left of the litho to the middle edge of the blue banner; and
6. One, vertical, hairline crease near the left hand edge of the lower Restaurant litho; this litho also shows three horizontal hairline creases; one is virtually invisible as it is located in the vines on the upper portion of the litho; another is close to the bottom of the litho and the third is above the bush.
I'm being super "nit-picky" here. Many of these "flaws" are barely detectable. I literally had to hold the bases up within 3" of my eyes and rotate it in the light to discern many of them. Many sellers would not divulge these; however, I do not want any of my customers to be disappointed by their purchase from me.
The INTERIOR lithos for the red half of the Village are in VG+-VG++ condition. While the wall and floor lithos are intact, they do present with numerous bubbles. The ones on the floors of the Post Office and Candy Counter store exhibit the most egregious bubbles. There are also some bubbles on the wall lithos in the Dentist's office, in the Theater, and in the Candy Store. Of the wall lithos in the red half of the Village, the bubbles on the Dentist's wall are the most prominent. I found the bubbles on the other wall lithos through touch.
The INTERIOR lithos for the yellow half of the Village are in slightly better condition (VG++-EXC+). The litho on the Barber Shop floor presents with several hair-line creases, both horizontal and vertical. The Barber Shop wall litho does have some small bubbles; however, these aren't readily visible. I found them only through touch. There are also several small bubbles on the apartment wall litho. Once again, I found these via touch. The Jail wall litho has a couple of creases but once again, I only found these through touch.
NOTE: These are all the original lithos. I do not use replacement lithos on my sets. If a litho is missing or damaged extensively, I occasionally offer the buyer a replacement litho. However, I do not apply these lithos myself. I don't want potential buyers to think I sell doctored sets. I leave it totally up to the discretion of the buyer whether they wish to utilize these. I provide these replacement lithos at no charge to the buyer. These reproduction lithos are produced by a lady in Canada. She has has been making these for over 9 years. She utilizes a heavy duty True-Block paper with a peel off sticky back along with a professional grade printer. She calibrates her printer to match a set of unused, vintage Fisher Price lithos that she procured from a former FP employee. These replacement lithos are as close as you can come to the real deal. Her replacement lithos are water resistent. You may see other competitors out there---some of whom have purchased some of her lithos and tried to replicate them with minimal success. The paper they use is of inferior quality and they are not water resistant. As stated previously, it's totally up to the buyer if they wish to take advantage of this offer. All the buyer needs to do is peel off the sticky back on the replacement litho and apply it to the clean, plastic surface. That's it!
For this set, I will be offering replacement lithos for the Post Office and Candy Store floor lithos and the gas pump litho. All the buyer needs to do is request that these be included with their purchase. All in all, with these lithos replaced, this Village will warrant an EXC+ rating.
The plastic surfaces are free of any cracks, repairs, "dings," or repairs. While I did an initial wipe-down with a Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser, the Village still needs a thorough, Q-tip cleaning. I'm hoping the plastic colors will be more vibrant after this cleaning. In general, I'd rate these plastic surfaces as being in EXC condition.
All parts work as designed (the fire station garage door slides up and down, all the doors open and close with ease, the fire siren works when the crank is turned, the garage lift raises and lowers the vehicles when operated, the knob on top of the police station opens and closes the jail cell door). The garage doors are free of any cracks between the slats. The gas pump still has its original "hose" and nozzle. Other than a rough spot on the underneath side of the nozzle, it is blemish free. I literally cannot detect any chews or "nibbles" on this pump; however, that section of the pump does feel a little uneven. The rubber strips adjacent to the Police Station and the Theater are intact and free of any fraying or breaks; however, the white rubber strip at the end of the yellow half of the Village displays some orangish discoloration. I don't know what caused this. I'm going to try and apply some bleach or a Chlorox Bleach pen on it to see if it helps alleviate this discoloration. My best guess is this orangish discoloration is here to stay.
This offering also includes the following elusive accessories:
1 RARE, overpass or bridge with working traffic light (MINT);
1 VHTF telephone booth with the sliding red door (MINT);
1 VHTF dentist chair (MINT);
1 VHTF barber chair (MINT);
1 RARE yellow twin bed without original foam (VG+-- original foam missing; I will be inserting some hard, tan foam to serve as a mattress for this bed; with the foam mattress, this bed warrants an EXC+++-NR MINTrating);
1 VHTF blue and white mail truck with red lettering and closed top and without Fisher Price being written on its wheels (VG++-EXC -some light surface scratches on the roof of the vehicle);
1 HTF yellow three legged grill (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF yellow patio table with green umbrella (MINT);
1 HTF small red firetruck with extension ladder and without Fisher Price written on wheels (EXC);
1 HTF white/green single seater passenger car w/luggage rack and with Fisher Price being written on the wheels (EXC-- some dulling on the wheel caps; once I apply some Naval Jelly and buff them, I'm confident the wheel hubs will brighten back to their original lustre and the car will then garner an EXC++- NEAR MINT rating);
1 HTF green/white, two seater car with front to back seats, fins, and Fisher Price written on the wheels (EXC+++--once again, some dulling of the wheel caps; this should brighten up nicely with an application of Naval Jelly);
1 VHTF red/blue police car (VG++-EXC--scratch on "red light;" probably caused by a child's tooth; three teensy indentations on left front edge of the hood);
4 yellow captain's chairs with the triangles on the back (MINT);
1 HTF yellow couch (MINTY MINT); and
1 VHTF butterscotch colored coffee table (MINT---NOTE: I used this butterscotch colored coffee table as a "stand-in" for the original yellow coffee table; I have secured a yellow coffee table and you will be receiving the yellow table instead of the butterscotch coffee table; the yellow coffee table is in MINT condition).
This set also features 9 ALL PLASTIC Little People! The figures include:
1 VHTF short, red bodied girl with a blonde bob (VG++--some fading to facial features and a minor amount of edge wear on the bottom of the piece);
1 VHTF short, yellow bodied boy, with a red cap facing forward (NOTE: the boy you see in my photos is NOT the one you will be receiving; at the time I took these photos, I didn't have an all plastic, frowning, yellow bodied boy with freckles and a red cap facing forward so I substituted the smiling boy instead; I have now acquired the frowning boy and you will be receiving him instead; he is in NEAR MINT condition);
1 VHTF ALL PLASTIC, Lucky the dog w/ a red collar with links (MINT--no chews on ears);
1 HTF, tall, blue bodied Mom w/blonde pony (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF short, black bodied fireman with white hat and white arms (MINT);
1 VHTF, short, gray bodied Postman (NEAR MINT-MINT);
1 VHTF short, blue bodied Policewoman (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF, white bodied, African American Barber (MINTY MINT); and
1 HTF, white bodied, Caucasian Dentist (MINTY MINT).
Last but not least, this play set contains all 6 RARE pieces of mail. These pieces of mail range from VG+ (Barber Shop and Police Station w/some nibbles; Fire House with a long scuff; letters have not been displaced; Theater with numerous surface scratches) to EXC++ (Garage, Post Office).
Don't let this set get away! The overall quality of this set is INCREDIBLE! It has taken me many months to assemble this set. These Fisher Price Little People Villages are getting harder and harder to find---especially in this condition.
I will be thoroughly Q-tip cleaning this play base and all of its accessories prior to sending it to its new owners. I spend a minimum of 1 1/2-6 hours cleaning each Vintage Fisher Price Little People play set I sell (except those clearly marked in My Rough Room). I utilize a variety of cleaning products. My sets are IMMACULATE!
NOTE: This play set is not part of the recent recall of toys manufactured in China. This Vintage Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set was manufactured 45 years ago in the U.S.A.
It is highly recommended that this set not be given to children under 3 years of age or those who are still mouthing their toys. Adult supervision is strongly suggested as this toy may pose a choking hazard to children still mouthing their toys.
This play set weighs @ 6 1/2 lbs. UNWRAPPED. My location is Lafayette, IN (47905).
The set consists of two separate pieces of a village joined by a bridge with a stop light. The two halves of the village are in great shape (VG++-EXC) . All of the original lithos are in place and have retained their original vivid coloration and entertaining graphics. After repeated scrutiny of this play base, I can only find the following "imperfections" on the EXTERIOR lithos on the yellow half of the Village:
1. Two, hair-line vertical creases on the Police Station litho;
2. One, hair-line vertical crease on the Barber Shop litho along with four horizontal bubbles, the longest being 1 1/4" L x 1/8" W, and two other small bubbles on each of the candy cane lithos;
3. Some wear on the upper edge of the gas litho along with some rubs on the same litho;
4. Two, hair-line vertical creases and one intermittent vertical crease on the Garage litho; this litho also exhibits some scattered tiny bubbles along the upper edge of the litho; and
5. One, hair-line 3" L vertical crease on the Main Street Steak House litho; this crease is located towards the left hand edge of the litho.
The EXTERIOR lithos on the red half of the Village are in similar condition (VG++-EXC). Noted "flaws" consist of the following:
1. One, vertical hair-line crease along with a small horizontal hair-line crease on the Fire House litho; there is also a smattering of tiny bubbles along the lower edge of the same litho;
2. One, vertical, hair-line crease on the Post Office litho; there is another vertical crease that has larger bubbles on it (e.g. up to 1/4" L x 1/4" W);
3. Two bubbles on the Ticket litho;
4. Two small bubbles on the Theater litho;
5. Some darkening on the upper Restaurant litho along with a hair-line horizontal crease that spans the litho; it is located above the blue banner and is barely perceptible; there is another shorter, horizontal crease from the far left of the litho to the middle edge of the blue banner; and
6. One, vertical, hairline crease near the left hand edge of the lower Restaurant litho; this litho also shows three horizontal hairline creases; one is virtually invisible as it is located in the vines on the upper portion of the litho; another is close to the bottom of the litho and the third is above the bush.
I'm being super "nit-picky" here. Many of these "flaws" are barely detectable. I literally had to hold the bases up within 3" of my eyes and rotate it in the light to discern many of them. Many sellers would not divulge these; however, I do not want any of my customers to be disappointed by their purchase from me.
The INTERIOR lithos for the red half of the Village are in VG+-VG++ condition. While the wall and floor lithos are intact, they do present with numerous bubbles. The ones on the floors of the Post Office and Candy Counter store exhibit the most egregious bubbles. There are also some bubbles on the wall lithos in the Dentist's office, in the Theater, and in the Candy Store. Of the wall lithos in the red half of the Village, the bubbles on the Dentist's wall are the most prominent. I found the bubbles on the other wall lithos through touch.
The INTERIOR lithos for the yellow half of the Village are in slightly better condition (VG++-EXC+). The litho on the Barber Shop floor presents with several hair-line creases, both horizontal and vertical. The Barber Shop wall litho does have some small bubbles; however, these aren't readily visible. I found them only through touch. There are also several small bubbles on the apartment wall litho. Once again, I found these via touch. The Jail wall litho has a couple of creases but once again, I only found these through touch.
NOTE: These are all the original lithos. I do not use replacement lithos on my sets. If a litho is missing or damaged extensively, I occasionally offer the buyer a replacement litho. However, I do not apply these lithos myself. I don't want potential buyers to think I sell doctored sets. I leave it totally up to the discretion of the buyer whether they wish to utilize these. I provide these replacement lithos at no charge to the buyer. These reproduction lithos are produced by a lady in Canada. She has has been making these for over 9 years. She utilizes a heavy duty True-Block paper with a peel off sticky back along with a professional grade printer. She calibrates her printer to match a set of unused, vintage Fisher Price lithos that she procured from a former FP employee. These replacement lithos are as close as you can come to the real deal. Her replacement lithos are water resistent. You may see other competitors out there---some of whom have purchased some of her lithos and tried to replicate them with minimal success. The paper they use is of inferior quality and they are not water resistant. As stated previously, it's totally up to the buyer if they wish to take advantage of this offer. All the buyer needs to do is peel off the sticky back on the replacement litho and apply it to the clean, plastic surface. That's it!
For this set, I will be offering replacement lithos for the Post Office and Candy Store floor lithos and the gas pump litho. All the buyer needs to do is request that these be included with their purchase. All in all, with these lithos replaced, this Village will warrant an EXC+ rating.
The plastic surfaces are free of any cracks, repairs, "dings," or repairs. While I did an initial wipe-down with a Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser, the Village still needs a thorough, Q-tip cleaning. I'm hoping the plastic colors will be more vibrant after this cleaning. In general, I'd rate these plastic surfaces as being in EXC condition.
All parts work as designed (the fire station garage door slides up and down, all the doors open and close with ease, the fire siren works when the crank is turned, the garage lift raises and lowers the vehicles when operated, the knob on top of the police station opens and closes the jail cell door). The garage doors are free of any cracks between the slats. The gas pump still has its original "hose" and nozzle. Other than a rough spot on the underneath side of the nozzle, it is blemish free. I literally cannot detect any chews or "nibbles" on this pump; however, that section of the pump does feel a little uneven. The rubber strips adjacent to the Police Station and the Theater are intact and free of any fraying or breaks; however, the white rubber strip at the end of the yellow half of the Village displays some orangish discoloration. I don't know what caused this. I'm going to try and apply some bleach or a Chlorox Bleach pen on it to see if it helps alleviate this discoloration. My best guess is this orangish discoloration is here to stay.
This offering also includes the following elusive accessories:
1 RARE, overpass or bridge with working traffic light (MINT);
1 VHTF telephone booth with the sliding red door (MINT);
1 VHTF dentist chair (MINT);
1 VHTF barber chair (MINT);
1 RARE yellow twin bed without original foam (VG+-- original foam missing; I will be inserting some hard, tan foam to serve as a mattress for this bed; with the foam mattress, this bed warrants an EXC+++-NR MINTrating);
1 VHTF blue and white mail truck with red lettering and closed top and without Fisher Price being written on its wheels (VG++-EXC -some light surface scratches on the roof of the vehicle);
1 HTF yellow three legged grill (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF yellow patio table with green umbrella (MINT);
1 HTF small red firetruck with extension ladder and without Fisher Price written on wheels (EXC);
1 HTF white/green single seater passenger car w/luggage rack and with Fisher Price being written on the wheels (EXC-- some dulling on the wheel caps; once I apply some Naval Jelly and buff them, I'm confident the wheel hubs will brighten back to their original lustre and the car will then garner an EXC++- NEAR MINT rating);
1 HTF green/white, two seater car with front to back seats, fins, and Fisher Price written on the wheels (EXC+++--once again, some dulling of the wheel caps; this should brighten up nicely with an application of Naval Jelly);
1 VHTF red/blue police car (VG++-EXC--scratch on "red light;" probably caused by a child's tooth; three teensy indentations on left front edge of the hood);
4 yellow captain's chairs with the triangles on the back (MINT);
1 HTF yellow couch (MINTY MINT); and
1 VHTF butterscotch colored coffee table (MINT---NOTE: I used this butterscotch colored coffee table as a "stand-in" for the original yellow coffee table; I have secured a yellow coffee table and you will be receiving the yellow table instead of the butterscotch coffee table; the yellow coffee table is in MINT condition).
This set also features 9 ALL PLASTIC Little People! The figures include:
1 VHTF short, red bodied girl with a blonde bob (VG++--some fading to facial features and a minor amount of edge wear on the bottom of the piece);
1 VHTF short, yellow bodied boy, with a red cap facing forward (NOTE: the boy you see in my photos is NOT the one you will be receiving; at the time I took these photos, I didn't have an all plastic, frowning, yellow bodied boy with freckles and a red cap facing forward so I substituted the smiling boy instead; I have now acquired the frowning boy and you will be receiving him instead; he is in NEAR MINT condition);
1 VHTF ALL PLASTIC, Lucky the dog w/ a red collar with links (MINT--no chews on ears);
1 HTF, tall, blue bodied Mom w/blonde pony (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF short, black bodied fireman with white hat and white arms (MINT);
1 VHTF, short, gray bodied Postman (NEAR MINT-MINT);
1 VHTF short, blue bodied Policewoman (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF, white bodied, African American Barber (MINTY MINT); and
1 HTF, white bodied, Caucasian Dentist (MINTY MINT).
Last but not least, this play set contains all 6 RARE pieces of mail. These pieces of mail range from VG+ (Barber Shop and Police Station w/some nibbles; Fire House with a long scuff; letters have not been displaced; Theater with numerous surface scratches) to EXC++ (Garage, Post Office).
Don't let this set get away! The overall quality of this set is INCREDIBLE! It has taken me many months to assemble this set. These Fisher Price Little People Villages are getting harder and harder to find---especially in this condition.
I will be thoroughly Q-tip cleaning this play base and all of its accessories prior to sending it to its new owners. I spend a minimum of 1 1/2-6 hours cleaning each Vintage Fisher Price Little People play set I sell (except those clearly marked in My Rough Room). I utilize a variety of cleaning products. My sets are IMMACULATE!
NOTE: This play set is not part of the recent recall of toys manufactured in China. This Vintage Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set was manufactured 45 years ago in the U.S.A.
It is highly recommended that this set not be given to children under 3 years of age or those who are still mouthing their toys. Adult supervision is strongly suggested as this toy may pose a choking hazard to children still mouthing their toys.
This play set weighs @ 6 1/2 lbs. UNWRAPPED. My location is Lafayette, IN (47905).
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