BOX Dept 56 Potter's Potters Tea order Seller 1993 Christmas City light Original retired handpainted ceramic Heritage Village Collection new MINT

Dept 56 Potter's Tea Seller 1993 Christmas City Item # 5880-7 light Department Original Box retired handpainted ceramic Heritage Village Collection MINT

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This Old-fashioned Tea Room is hand-painted. As with all Department 56 Christmas village pieces, it is detailed. It includes a teapot-shaped "Welcome" sign above the door, and Christmas wreaths on the window and door, as well as green garlands along the top of the first story. It comes with a light string and light bulb so it can appear to glow realistically at night.

The "Christmas in the City" collection, part of the "Heritage Village Collection", is set in the 1930s and 1940s. Department 56 produced its first pieces in 1987. The village collection consists of such pieces as the Palace Theatre, the Toy Shop & Pet Store, the Ritz Hotel, Dorothy's Dress Shop, Wong's, and a rare limited edition – the Cathedral Church of St. Mark.

This is a retired piece. It is in Excellent condition. It makes not only a wonderful addition to any Christmas village, but is delightful for any tea drinker and makes a nice centerpiece for a tea party.


Box height: about 11 inches
Box width: a little more than 7 inches
Box depth: about 5 1/2 inches

As with all Dept 56 buildings and figurines, these are hand-painted. The painting is not perfect--every once in awhile, there's a little paint where it shouldn't be, or not where it should be. There are also sometimes white spots in the picture, which aren't chips but light reflections. If you have a question about something you see, please feel free to message me to ask about it.



About Department 56:
Department 56 was founded in 1976. Originally, it was part of Bachman's, a retail florist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bachman's employed a numbering system to identify each of its departments. The number assigned to the wholesale gift imports division was 56.

Founder Ed Bazinet (born 1943 or 1944) convinced the Bachman family to invest $50,000 in starting the division, and was appointed its first president when Department 56 was spun off as a $15 million subsidiary in 1984. He was a talented employee of Bachman's who won the Minnesota State Florist Association's 1964 Designer of the Year competition. Bazinet sold Department 56 in 1992, but remained in company leadership positions until his retirement in 1997. Bazinet was a 1996 Gift for Life honoree for his support of HIV/AIDS research, education, prevention, and treatment. In 2000–2001, Department 56 donated at least $25,000 to the Walker Art Center in honor of Bazinet (who also donated to the art center that year). Bazinet died on November 20, 2017, leaving a $54 million estate.

Department 56's product line consists of more than 3,000 different items; the company typically introduces approximately 600 new items each year, while discontinuing items from previous seasons, a practice that enhances the collectibility of Department 56 products. In 1984, the company introduced a variation on its Snow Village theme: the Heritage Village Collection. The first pieces in this collection became known as the Dickens Village and comprised porcelain homes, buildings, and accessories for recreating a Victorian Christmas village. Porcelain, as opposed to ceramic, allowed for greater detail, and porcelain's translucence gave a warmer visual effect to the pieces when lit.

In 1993, the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "DFS". At its peak in the 1990s, the stock traded for $40 a share. In 2005, after purchasing Lenox from Brown-Forman, the company changed its name to "Lenox Group Inc" and its ticker symbol to "LNX". After failing to meet the exchange's requirements, trading was moved to the OTC Bulletin Board under the ticker "LENX". Lenox filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and was acquired by the private equity firm Clarion Capital Partners. But Enesco acquired Department 56 from Lenox that same year.



Please note: antique crocheted tablecloth is not included in this listing.

Perceived variations in color are due to lighting. White spots are not chips. They're reflections.



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***PLEASE NOTE THAT I SOMETIMES MAIL PACKAGES VIA FEDEX. Even if Etsy charges you for USPS Priority, depending on weight and size, I may ship your purchase FedEx. FEDEX DOES NOT DELIVER TO US POST OFFICE BOXES. So if you have given me a order US Post Office address, I may not be able to ship your package. You will need to send me a message with an alternate address in order to receive it. ***