 
Vintage Fisher Price Little People #997 Village Playset COMP. w/Box and Wooden LP/NR MINT-MINT! (P)
Here is an INCREDIBLE Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set that is 100% COMPLETE and in NEAR MINT-MINT condition! I have configured this particular playset to conform with the 1974-75 Fisher Price production run (source: www.thisoldtoy.com). 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 the beginning collector or some lucky child.
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 EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION. All of the original lithos are in place and intact. All of the original lithos have retained their original vivid coloration and entertaining graphics. After repeated scrutiny of this play base, I only spied the following "imperfections" on the EXTERIOR and INTERIOR lithos:
1. One, barely perceptible teensy bubble on the wall and one on the floor litho of the Barber Shop; the one on the wall is virtually invisible--I found it via touch; the one on the floor is approximately 3/8" L x 1/8" W; it too is extremely hard to spot.
That's it!!! All of the other EXTERIOR and INTERIOR lithos on both halves of the Village are in MINT condition! I have never run across a set with flawless lithos. Other than the aforementioned imperfections, these lithos are free of any creases, rubs, bubbles, edge wear, tears, fading etc. This is as close as you can get to lithos that look brand new unless you happen to find a set that is in its original box and has never been opened. These lithos are crisp, brightly colored, and firmly adhered to their underlying surfaces. In short, they are MAGNIFICENT!!!
NOTE: These are all the original lithos that came on this set. I do not use reproduction or replacement lithos on any of my sets as I do not want buyers to think I sell "doctored" sets. I do occasionally offer replacement or reproduction lithos to the buyer free of charge if I feel a particular litho has suffered considerable damage. This set does not need any replacement lithos.
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 hinge to the set has no cracks or chips and securely latches the two halves of the village together for transporting. The gas pump still has its original "hose" and nozzle. The nozzle is free of any chews or scuffs. The rubber strips adjacent to the Police Station and the Theatre are intact and free of any cracks or fraying.
The plastic surfaces are sublime (NEAR MINT). There are no "dings," chips, cracks, abrasions, discolorations or broken parts to any of the plastic pieces (e.g. no cracks between the slats of the Fire House and Garage sliding doors). Upon closer scrutiny, one can see a few light surface scratches on top of the Garage Roof and a circular rub where the red handle for the fire siren has rotated. That's it! Once again, the colors of these plastic surfaces are full-bodied, bright, and glossy. The rubber strips that are located on one end of each of the village halves demonstrate some scuffing and light peeling. There is no cracking between the strips and their plastic counter parts.
This offering also includes the following elusive accessories:
1 RARE, overpass or bridge with working traffic light (NEAR MINT--one scuff on upper margin of bridge);
1 VHTF telephone booth with the sliding red door (NEAR MINT--slight darkening of plastic edges of piece; litho is perfect);
1 VHTF dentist chair (MINT);
1 VHTF barber chair (EXC-minor edge wear on the front of the foot rest);
1 RARE yellow twin bed without original foam (VG+-- I will be inserting some hard foam to serve as a mattress for this bed; with the foam mattress, this bed will warrant a NEAR MINT rating);
1 VHTF blue and white mail truck with red lettering and closed top and Fisher Price written on its wheels (VG++--multiple scratches on roof; multiple indentations on left rear edge of truck; several "dings" on the front bumper);
1 HTF yellow three legged grill (MINT);
1 HTF yellow patio table with green umbrella (EXC-NEAR MINT: scallops are all intact; spring has darkened due to age; I believe I will be able to lighten this with a general application of Naval Jelly; spring is slightly bent to one side);
1 HTF small red fire truck with extension ladder and with Fisher Price written on wheels (EXC++--some light dulling on the wheel caps; I believe I will be able to remedy this with a generous application of Naval Jelly and a gentle buffing; once this occurs, this fire truck will garner a NEAR MINT rating);
1 HTF white/green two seater passenger car with side-by-side seating, a luggage rack, and Fisher Price written on wheels (MINT);
1 HTF green/ white two seater passenger car w/front to back seating, fins, and with Fisher Price being written on its wheels (EXC++--light surface scratches, particularly on the seats; some dulling of the wheel caps which should respond admirably to an application of Naval Jelly and a gentle buffing; once this is completed, I anticipate the car will be in NEAR MINT condition);
1 VHTF red/blue police car w/ Fisher Price written on wheels (EXC--a couple of"nibbles" on red light; slight dulling of wheel caps; once again, Naval Jelly and a gentle buffing should rectify this);
4 yellow captain's chairs with the triangles on the back (1 VG+--minor amount of edgewear on front of seat and small orangish discoloration on the front of the seat; I'm not confident this will come off with cleaning; I will try to find another yellow seat that matches the remaining three yellow seats; as you may know, FP produced several variations of yellow chairs--ranging from bright yellow, to butterscotch, to gold; if I can find a replacement, I will substitute it for the one in VG+ condition; if not, then the pictured chair will be the one you receive);
1 HTF yellow couch (MINT); and
1 VHTF yellow coffee table (VG+-VG++--some dulling on table top; also multiple surface scratches).
This set also features 2 WOOD/PLASTIC, 6 ALL PLASTIC, and 1 ALL WOOD Little People! The figures include:
1 RARE, ALL PLASTIC orange bodied "Rodeo" clown with black western hat (NEAR MINT-MINT);
1 RARE, ALL PLASTIC black bodied fireman clown with red hat (NEAR MINT-MINT);
1 RARE, ALL PLASTIC tall blue bodied clown with red fireman's hat (NEAR MINT-MINT);
1 VHTF, ALL PLASTIC Lucky the dog w/ a yellow collar with links (MINTY MINT); 1 EXTREMELY RARE, ALL WOOD, short, black bodied fireman with white hat, smiling face, freckles and white paddle arms (MINTY MINT);
1 VHTF, short, WOOD/plastic, gray bodied Postman (EXC-some scuffing on hat brim; probably due to the scraping of child's teeth on hat brim);
1 VHTF short, WOOD/plastic blue bodied Policewoman (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF, white bodied, ALL PLASTIC African American Barber (NEAR MINT--some minor roughness on rim of piece; I found this basically through touch); and
1 HTF, white bodied, ALL PLASTIC Caucasian Dentist (MINT).
Last but not least, this play set contains all 6 RARE pieces of mail. These pieces of mail range in condition from VG-VG+ (Barber Shop with multiple teeth marks) to VG++ (Theater, Garage and Police Station with surface scratches; Police Station also has a couple of "nibbles;" Garage has some edge wear on the lower right hand edge); to EXC-EXC++ (Fire House and Post Office; Post Office has two miniscule "teeth marks;" rest is great).
Although depicted in my photos, the original box is NOT included in this offering. I have changed the purchase price to reflect the omission of the box and the insertion of the three clown figures in lieu of the pictured blue bodied Mom, red bodied girl with blonde bangs and bob, and yellow bodied boy with red cap.
There you have it----the set of a lifetime. Don't miss out on this one! The overall quality of this set is INCREDIBLE! These Fisher Price Little People Villages are getting harder and harder to find---especially in this condition (NEAR MINT-MINT).
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- 5 1/2 hours cleaning each Vintage Fisher Price Little People play set I sell (except for 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 40 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). Due to the size of its original box, it will require an over-sized box for shipment. See my other listings for more great items!
Preferred payment is via PayPal. Payment is expected within 5 business days. 
The price listed is for the item itself. The total amount due will be the purchase price of the item + the ACTUAL shipping cost to deliver your item to you. All shipping costs or extra fees (in the case of Canadian shipments) are the responsibility of the buyer. I will do everything in my power to find you the cheapest shipping rate—-whether it’s the USPS (First Class, Parcel, or Priority), Fed Ex, or UPS. I DO NOT PAD MY SHIPPING COSTS—-NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL! I SHIP WITHIN 48 HOURS OF A CLEARED PAYMENT. I primarily utilize Fed Ex Home Delivery for items exceeding 5 lbs. in weight, measuring greater than 12 inches in any dimension, or traveling longer distances. I’ve been finding Fed Ex has been running @33% cheaper than the USPS (including Parcel Post) and UPS Ground. FYI, another benefit of using either Fed Ex or UPS is that their quote includes up to $100 worth of FREE insurance. Additional amounts of insurance may be purchased for a nominal fee (that is much less than the USPS). Fed Ex also provides automated tracking updates re: your parcel’s whereabouts directly to your personal e-mail account.
In order to ship Fed Ex (or UPS for that matter), I MUST have a residential or work place address, NOT a P.O. Box number, as well as a home or cell phone. Otherwise, they will not accept the shipping paperwork or transport your item.
Packages traveling to Alaska or Hawaii will be shipped Parcel Post via the USPS. Insurance and delivery confirmation are required.
I’m more than willing to combine multiple purchases into one box whenever it is safe to do so to decrease your shipping costs.
PLEASE wait to check out until I can combine your purchases on ONE INVOICE and can calculate their combined shipping rate via Fed Ex. If you pay for these items separately, I get charged multiple transaction fees by PayPal plus you get over-charged on your shipping. Of course, I will refund you any amount over $1.00 that you've overpaid on shipping. However, it's easier on both of us if you wait until I can send you the correct amount.
I’m more than happy to ship selected play sets to Canada and Australia. Remember that shipping to Australia can be quite expensive so please contact me for a shipping quote before you purchase an item. I will attempt to find the cheapest shipping rate possible. Also, Australian and Canadian customers will be responsible for any brokerage fees, Custom’s duties, or VAT’s imposed by your governments. I am not responsible for these charges. Insurance is required for all international shipments.
Last, but not least, I offer a 10% discount for orders totaling $125.00 or more.
ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO RETURNS ARE ACCEPTED. I have attempted to bring any noted "imperfections" to your attention prior to your purchasing the item. However, I'm only human. If I have missed something or you have a problem with your purchase, please contact me prior to leaving feedback.
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