Post by mamared on Aug 11, 2019 20:45:25 GMT -5
Second Version (Menorah and Dreidel Set I)
“Hanukkah is Rebecca’s favorite time of the year, and she dreams of the honor of lighting her family’s treasured menorah during the Festival of Lights. This set includes:
A menorah with nine pretend candles, one for each of the eight days of Hanukkah and one to light them with
A metal dreidel, a toy that Jewish girls have loved for centuries—it really spins!
A set of shiny pretend coins, called gelt, that can be won in the dreidel game.”
This set was made 2016-2018 and retailed for $36, which I think is a little pricey although the set does seem well made. I would rate it an A at less than retail price and maybe a B+ at full price.
Here are all the pieces:
The menorah is made of a heavy brass-colored metal. It looks less shiny than pictures of Rebecca’s earlier Hanukkah Set, but otherwise very similar. Without the candles, it measures 3 inches tall, 3-3/8 inches across, and a little more than 3/4 inches deep at the widest points. There are a pair of lions flanking an image of the Hebrew menorah in the center, with eight candle holders (for the eight days of Hanukkah) in front and room for the ninth helper candle (shamash) above. Grade: A
The candles are a little under 2 inches tall and have a little lip near the bottom. It’s easy to stand them up in the menorah. I didn’t try to push them all the way in up to the lip on the candles, as they seemed secure already. They have about a 1/8 inch diameter. I wish there was some kind of wick detail on the opposite end, but it’s not that big of a deal to me. A couple of my candles were very slightly warped right out of the package, but again, not that big of a deal to me. Grade: B ( I don’t love them, but I think they’ll hold up to play just fine.)
The dreidel is made of metal rather than wood, which seems to be the main difference (other than the price) from Rebecca’s earlier Hanukkah Set. It’s just over an inch tall, and has the four symbols in the proper order embossed on the sides. At first I wondered if it might be too heavy for the dolls to hold, but it can actually be held snugly in the right hand. I haven’t read Rebecca’s books yet so I’m not sure whether wood or metal dreidels are more accurate to her stories, or if it makes a difference, but I think my personal preference would be wood. Grade: A-
The gelt consists of two wheat pennies and a Barber dime, all dated 1914 and made of a shiny lightweight metal. These look just like the pieces from the earlier set. Grade: A
Overall, I think this is a nice set with good play value. There seem to be relatively minor differences between this set and the earlier Hanukkah set, mainly the menorah’s shininess and the material that the dreidel is made of. FWIW, I bought mine new in store, but as both sets are now retired, I sometimes see secondary market listings mislabeled or with some combination of the Hanukkah and Menorah and Dreidel names.
“Hanukkah is Rebecca’s favorite time of the year, and she dreams of the honor of lighting her family’s treasured menorah during the Festival of Lights. This set includes:
A menorah with nine pretend candles, one for each of the eight days of Hanukkah and one to light them with
A metal dreidel, a toy that Jewish girls have loved for centuries—it really spins!
A set of shiny pretend coins, called gelt, that can be won in the dreidel game.”
This set was made 2016-2018 and retailed for $36, which I think is a little pricey although the set does seem well made. I would rate it an A at less than retail price and maybe a B+ at full price.
Here are all the pieces:
The menorah is made of a heavy brass-colored metal. It looks less shiny than pictures of Rebecca’s earlier Hanukkah Set, but otherwise very similar. Without the candles, it measures 3 inches tall, 3-3/8 inches across, and a little more than 3/4 inches deep at the widest points. There are a pair of lions flanking an image of the Hebrew menorah in the center, with eight candle holders (for the eight days of Hanukkah) in front and room for the ninth helper candle (shamash) above. Grade: A
The candles are a little under 2 inches tall and have a little lip near the bottom. It’s easy to stand them up in the menorah. I didn’t try to push them all the way in up to the lip on the candles, as they seemed secure already. They have about a 1/8 inch diameter. I wish there was some kind of wick detail on the opposite end, but it’s not that big of a deal to me. A couple of my candles were very slightly warped right out of the package, but again, not that big of a deal to me. Grade: B ( I don’t love them, but I think they’ll hold up to play just fine.)
The dreidel is made of metal rather than wood, which seems to be the main difference (other than the price) from Rebecca’s earlier Hanukkah Set. It’s just over an inch tall, and has the four symbols in the proper order embossed on the sides. At first I wondered if it might be too heavy for the dolls to hold, but it can actually be held snugly in the right hand. I haven’t read Rebecca’s books yet so I’m not sure whether wood or metal dreidels are more accurate to her stories, or if it makes a difference, but I think my personal preference would be wood. Grade: A-
The gelt consists of two wheat pennies and a Barber dime, all dated 1914 and made of a shiny lightweight metal. These look just like the pieces from the earlier set. Grade: A
Overall, I think this is a nice set with good play value. There seem to be relatively minor differences between this set and the earlier Hanukkah set, mainly the menorah’s shininess and the material that the dreidel is made of. FWIW, I bought mine new in store, but as both sets are now retired, I sometimes see secondary market listings mislabeled or with some combination of the Hanukkah and Menorah and Dreidel names.