Fontanini Carnival Figures from 1960s

This is a set of very rare Fontanini plastic figures, in the original box. They are each marked Depose Italy with the spider mark. The box has the word Maschere hand written in pencil, which means mask in Italian.

Due to the unusual nature of this item, we had it appraised. They said the figures were produced in the 1960s and represent characters in the annual masked carnival held each year in Italy. The figures are a bit over 2 inches tall, and molded of a flexible plastic. They have been lightly painted to simulate ivory. The figurines are in perfect condition, and the details are amazing. As shown in the photos, the box lid is discolored from water or other liquid.