This is a very special piece.
It is a Hallmark ornament set from 1991. Every year for several
years they did a set similar to this - little mice with a particular
theme. Gardening, sewing and yes, Tea Party-ing! I could not find
it the year that it came out. It was very sought after. I actually
got it a couple of years ago at a Hallmark
ornament show. A very dear, dear friend of mine had won a first
edition Star Trek ornament that she really had no need for, so
she gave it to me so that I could trade a dealer for it. One of
the happiest days of my collecting life. It is called "Tiny
Tea Party" and when I traded for it, it was selling for around
$150.
This is an example of the different materials that I have - clockwise
from the top - a carved tropical type of nut, terra cotta, porcelain,
wood (the red one), brass, silver plate, lead crystal, polyresin,
bone china and in the center plastic ( the gold one).
These are examples of my 'Souvenir' sets. They are sets that were
specifically made to be souvenirs of a particular city or attraction.
The two on the sides are probably from the 60s or 70s and are
typical of the sets mass produced for tourist shops at the time.
The one on the left is from Aquarena Springs (a natural spring
amusement park in San Marcos, TX, near Austin). The one on the
right is from Washington DC and shows the Capitol Building. The
ones at the top and bottom are more modern examples.
The large one at the top is from Stratford Upon Avon in England
(where Shakespear lived) and the other is from San Francisco.
