| HARDWARE & PHARMACY/DRUG STORE DH-2, 1611, 1853 |
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Hardware & Pharmacy/Drug Store was first established in 1953. It came in a one-piece box that has RED borders on the top and the bottom. In 1963, the No. 1611 was released in a two-piece box with nice artwork. This is a difficult box to find. Both of these kits have the BLACK front wall, but when Bachmann introduced the No. 1853 in 1974 in a Bicentennial box, they had redesigned the front wall that was now TAN in color. We’ve shown the color variations below. |
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These inserts are what is most often missing from this kit. The inserts illustrated to the left are from the DH-2 and No. 1611 kits, they differ from those issued later in kit No. 1853 shown to the right. Both of the types of inserts have been reproduced. |
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| Hardware/Drug Store Color Variations |
DH-2 Black Version |
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When initially released in 1953 this building came with a BLACK front and TAN sides and back wall. The roof and doors were colored SILVER. This is the only building that Bachmann produced that was BLACK in color. This version is the more common of the three variations. |
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1611 Black Version |
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Released in 1963, this is the most desirable of the boxes that were issued for this structure. What has recently been noticed is that in about 60 percent of these kits were issued with the DARK GRAY doors and roof that are normally found on No. 1853 kit that was issued 11 years later in the Bicentennial box (shown below). Because the doors and the roof can be substituted no extra value is given for this color variation that is tied up in the box that is highly valued by collectors today. |
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1853 Tan Version |
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This color variation occurred with the issuance of kit No. 1853. Not only were the colors different, but the "PLASTICVILLE" name was removed from the front of the stores. Bachmann also changed the name on the box from "Pharmacy" to "Drug." In addition to the inserts being different as noted above, the back and side wall color was changed to WHITE, and the door and roof color was altered to DARK GRAY. This version is more difficult to obtain. |
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