DEPT 56 EXPERTS OUT THERE? HELP, I was sold a FAKE??

[a1tinkfans]

I purchased a set of Dept 56 heritage village pieces as a gift and after receiving them I am VERY skeptical whether they are indeed original pieces OR if I have been "had"!

This is the set of Dickens Heritage village, three carolers.
One piece is a man woman and child, he appears to be holding a box or book, in muted colors. The middle piece is two men with a child with an instrument, forgot the name, stands upright and looks like a big violin, pardon the brain freeze! The last piece is a man and woman with a street light between them.
So, heres the question... after receiving the pieces, which did not come in the dept 56 sleeve over the styrofoam, (though I knew she did not have the box and I was okay with that)
*I looked underneath each piece and no sticker that says dept 56
*I go online to do research and the colors are different ie, lamp post is soft grey on this set and black on others advertised. Also, clothing has subtle changes, ie scarf is blue on this set but brown on others, etc..
*The paint looks sloppy to me, not crisp and neat like other pieces
*I email seller and am told, they are "indeed originals, very old and they were different muted colors when they came out"

*SO, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN SEE OLDER PIECES AND/OR DETERMINE IF THESE ARE ORIGINALS????
I tried a message board and got no reponse, SO PLEASE if you can help, it'd be very appreciated!
I have been told she will take them back, with me losing my orginal shipping fee and then having to pay for the return ship, but refunding the purchase price. The ad said DEPT 56 pieces, AND I paid Dept 56 price point, by CC so I have options in that regard because if they are FAKES I will file a claim AND not be keeping these.
ANYONE??????

 

[robinb]

I don't know a thing about Department 56, but a quick search for "Deparment 56 retired carolers" got me this auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Retired-Dickens...6810412QQihZ007QQcategoryZ39584QQcmdZViewItem

Is this the one you won? If so, then I think that you have a rarer version of the carolers with a white lamp post instead of a black one.

I added "white post" to my search and found this:

Look here:
http://www.terisd56.com/dept56-variations.htm

65269 Carolers, 1984-1990

• White Post version: Viola is very light with dark brown trim, little detail in figures, and made in Taiwan. This version is difficult to find.
• Black Post version: Early pieces of the black post set have a viola that is one color and made in Taiwan. In the later pieces the viola has dark trim and was made in the Philippine

My uneducated guess is that you have the real deal.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I purchased a set of Dept 56 heritage village pieces as a gift and after receiving them I am VERY skeptical whether they are indeed original pieces OR if I have been "had"!

This is the set of Dickens Heritage village, three carolers.
One piece is a man woman and child, he appears to be holding a box or book, in muted colors. The middle piece is two men with a child with an instrument, forgot the name, stands upright and looks like a big violin, pardon the brain freeze! The last piece is a man and woman with a street light between them.
So, heres the question... after receiving the pieces, which did not come in the dept 56 sleeve over the styrofoam, (though I knew she did not have the box and I was okay with that)
*I looked underneath each piece and no sticker that says dept 56
*I go online to do research and the colors are different ie, lamp post is soft grey on this set and black on others advertised. Also, clothing has subtle changes, ie scarf is blue on this set but brown on others, etc..
*The paint looks sloppy to me, not crisp and neat like other pieces
*I email seller and am told, they are "indeed originals, very old and they were different muted colors when they came out"

*SO, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN SEE OLDER PIECES AND/OR DETERMINE IF THESE ARE ORIGINALS????
I tried a message board and got no reponse, SO PLEASE if you can help, it'd be very appreciated!
I have been told she will take them back, with me losing my orginal shipping fee and then having to pay for the return ship, but refunding the purchase price. The ad said DEPT 56 pieces, AND I paid Dept 56 price point, by CC so I have options in that regard because if they are FAKES I will file a claim AND not be keeping these.
ANYONE??????

ANYONE???

 

[a1tinkfans]

I don't know a thing about Department 56, but a quick search for "Deparment 56 retired carolers" got me this auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Retired-Dickens...6810412QQihZ007QQcategoryZ39584QQcmdZViewItem

Is this the one you won? If so, then I think that you have a rarer version of the carolers with a white lamp post instead of a black one.

I added "white post" to my search and found this:

Look here:
http://www.terisd56.com/dept56-variations.htm

65269 Carolers, 1984-1990

• White Post version: Viola is very light with dark brown trim, little detail in figures, and made in Taiwan. This version is difficult to find.
• Black Post version: Early pieces of the black post set have a viola that is one color and made in Taiwan. In the later pieces the viola has dark trim and was made in the Philippine

My uneducated guess is that you have the real deal.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! I so appreciate you taking the time to educate me on the this. I REALLY need to learn to use the internet better to get answers and not rely on this board. LOL!!
THANK YOU AGAIN< REALLY!!!!