This is one of my favorite sets not only for it's completeness but also for it's outstanding condition. Yes I know it is missing a house.
Lets start with the lid. I find the original owners designation of "large houses for table" almost amusing,
however this likely dates to about 1929 - earlier if that were possible. But this is a fancy set with tiny bottle
brush sisal trees attached to the base. Also at lest 3 sport the rudiments of a fence. These are what we
collectors today would consider a small house with it's 4" x 2" card base and standing about 3" - 3 1/4" high
All of them have/had a paper plug and at least one has a stamped mark in it. The mark is an oval mark with a period
after Japan but it DOES NOT touch the line which is the oval mark of a later company. Enjoy the photos. Uncle Tom

I have added the close ups of some of these houses for your environment. The little white Brickie (yes Maria) has a dark blue almost Navy gloss top and chimney with White spots. We have seen this one before with red brick with Green Glossy roof, no chimney and white spots with a light blue yard. A more common combination usually with yellow cellophane. But this one has Pink cellophane windows. Others in the set are red so these hardly seem faded. This is the only one with a folded tissue fence and in GREEN. The green is significant as in Japan the traditionally small little residential lots had fairly cut bamboo that retained it's natural green color lined up and bound together to form a fence. And this reflects that reality. Please note that only 4 of the houses are actual Brickies Maria the rest are printies!

Love these, Tom, thanks for posting!

I just love printies. Tom, it is so nice to see these. Thank you for sharing them.

Lucy

Thanks for the kind words. One thing we need to remember is the SIZE alone puts them among the first out there. And all the details that were seen later are present here. Tom

Magnificent houses Tom!!

If I had more time, I'd love to recreate the graphics on these!!

Thanks so much for putting them up!!!