{HISTORY}

If you are a collector of Christmas Villages, you'll recognize the Department 56 brand. They are the largest producer of lighted ceramic holiday houses. First founded in the mid-1970s, Department 56 became popular thanks to their themed villages which changed throughout the decades and evoked tender sentimentality of picturesque storybook holidays.

Their themes extended to dinnerware and kitchen collectibles too, which is where this vintage tea tin fits in. Featuring a colorful pattern of cottage-style teapots, this tin was part of their Tea Leaves pattern, which came in a wide variety of serving pieces including both ceramic dishware and metal storage containers.   

This one, meant for storing tea, contains a wavy square shape and a round button-style removable lid. Dynamic, with its black background and brightly colored pots, this tin features a rainbow of colors including blue, pink, almond, orange, green, mustard, red, walnut and coral all highlighting the pretty little teapots that make up the design.

A cute little storage box for all sorts of kitchen odds and ends as well as pantry staples, this little charmer contains lots of personality. It's uncertain as to when the Tea Leaves theme debuted as there is not much history recorded about it, but if we took a guess we would say it was made in the 1980s. Interestingly though, this tin thanks to its wonderfully aged appearance and color palette resonates with 1930s-style kitchen patterns too, making it a timeless little storage box with lots of vintage appeal. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Tea Leaves Pattern

- Unique shape

- Marked on bottom with pattern name sticker

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this tin is clean both inside and out. There are some minor rust spots in certain areas as expected with vintage tins. around the shoulder of the tin and inside the perimeter of the tin where the base and the side walls meet at the bottom. You probably wouldn't want to store tea in it any longer, but it is still fully functional for other non-food items. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 4.75" inches (height) x 4.25" inches (width) and weighs 5 oz.