The "Lakkies" were made back in the late'20's/early '30s by the Japanese as
an economical way to fill up a tinplate train layout. Trains and accessory buildings of those days
were high-gloss enamelled sheet metal, and very expensive.
It took us collectors a while to figure what the "Lakkies" originally had been intended for, because over the decades even the best-preserved
had become warped and dingy to some degree. Karl has made the first new one in at least 70 years
and it proves the point. It looks exactly like high-gloss metal. You can even see
the side porch roof reflected in the shiny end-wall.
Not all people made winter-scene putzes, and the "Lakkies" also fit well into green summer themes where there
were no trains involved.
FLK-1000:
A smaller, but still good sized church ( 5 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" deep by 8 1/2" tall )with a metal cross atop the steeple as so many of the old ones had.
#F-2000:
The same church as above in different color scheme.
#F-2001:
The Side Entry with that delicate railing! Yes! Also quite large -8" wide by 5" deep by 5" high.
#F-1005:
"The Blue House:" The latest edition! Size is 7"wide, 5" deep and 5 1/4" high - a nice big one. Just look at the frontal structural details!
#F-1006:
A smaller house, but charming in yellow with it's large, rounded dormer. 5 1/2" wide by 3 1/2"deep by 4 1/2" high: about the size of most old Japanese classics.
#F-2002:
Classic smaller 5 1/2" by 3 1/2" by 4" double humped roof and arched "stained glass" windows.
#F-2003:
A variation in roof and color on #F-2003 above. Same size.
#F-2004:
Another 5 1/2" by 3 1/2" by 4" Classic in green.
#F-2005:
NOTE: All the houses have the large, round hole in back
for lights, just as the old "Made in Japan" houses do. The modern tiny clear
lights work fine. You can bunch several inside. Or, if you have the old 15-volt
C-6 type, they will fit, also.
Keep Watching! More houses to come!
Alas! The days of being able to pick up the
little cardboard Christmas houses in Woolworth's for a nickel or a dime are
forever gone, but Karl's "Dimestore Dwellings" are actually a great
bargain in these present times. If you think them expensive, just look at what
the old originals are fetching online!
( Counter installed Jan.13,2005 )
