The Czechoslovakian Grays

**2000**

A total of 4 pieces are now known....

The MILL ....



..... and two cottages.

Here is the story of the aquisition in her own words:
"Les in Wisconsin"
"Recently I've spent a lot of time just looking at the houses in your museum and in the House of the Month for July 2000 you show an "Unusual Czechoslovakian large house, circa 1950". I'm sending along some information and pictures of others that I believe belong to the set. I think that your house is the "church". I purchased, on eBay in February 2004, three pieces that go with it from a lady in Ohio who wrote the following: "Collectors Bonanza! The mill is 10" long and 5.5" high and 4" deep. The houses are on 6" bases and are 4" high. These are very old and as such have some damage. There is a cardboard piece that says 'Made in Czechoslavakia' on the bottom of two of them. There used to be six in the set and back in the 50's when one fell apart, we discovered that the bushes were crumpled newspaper that was painted over--and the newsprint was printed in a foreign language and dated 1898. These are the three survivors. The mill is pretty much intact, but the paint is coming off the bushes in front and the cellphane is mostly missing. The smallest house is loose off the base, is missing a chinmey and the cellophane is mostly broken out of the windows. These appear to be made of lightweight wood (balsa?) painted and covered with a granular substance that was at one time white to resemble snow. There is some warping of the bases, but not extreme. These came out of my mother's Christmas boxes from her tree platform that dates to the 20's and 30's. Very unusual and old!" In my emails with the seller, she did say that one of the missing pieces is a church, which I presume to be your piece."

I thought the church piece was very unual for it's size and for the flat backdrop. It would appear this was meant as a mantle or even wall decoration - built to be up against something larger and flat. I'm guessing,of course, but I would bet there are backdrop pieces missing from both houses and possibly the mill. They are only half three-dimensional; the rest is illusionary.
Here are views of the back and bottom of the church:


You can see what I mean. I don't recall having seen such a set before.

The underside with Czechoslovakian marking and view of the construction. It's not obvious these were meant to be illuminated. Someone had to cut a piece out to allow a bulb. That price sticker and the price of $1.25 have me pretty much convinced that this series is from the '40s or '50s - not the '20s as the original owner believed.

Well , we have seen four of six of this set, leaving two more to be discovered. Keep an eye out, everyone, and thank you
-"les in Wisconsin."