This is the second antique wooden puzzle, from that lot I bought last week. Lovely, lovely. Even though old, worn on the edges and muted in color. This was a very engaging and calming puzzling experience, it really slowed me down with careful placement and enjoying the tactile quality of the wooden pieces. They’re quite thick at 1/4″. A sandwich of three different layers. Makes me think of a little layered cake. And for some reason the feel of picking up and moving them brought up a distinct memory of handling the cut dough shapes for sugar or snickerdoodle cookies. I guess because they’re usually rolled out to the same thickness.
A website I found about restoring old wooden jigsaw puzzles tells me this puzzle was probably made in the late 1940’s. And the company used cheap plywood to keep down costs. So that’s probably why these puzzles are rare now, as they tended to splinter and break. Mine had one fragmented knob- with a single layer broken loose:
You can see where it was on this photo of the back side (left of center, just below the line of lighter/darker wood). I glued it back on. Also can see here the piece shapes. Even though the cut is far more simple with very standard shapes and variety, this picture is nicer to look at in my opinion and so I enjoyed doing it just as much as the previous one.
There was also one piece with the picture layer missing.
Even though it felt a bit like I was defacing it, I went ahead and cut a piece of art paper to match the shape, colored it with colored pencils, and tacked it on with elmer’s glue.
Also for one piece that had picture layer missing on the knob.
I think I did a fair good job of it- my kid couldn’t find the repaired pieces at all in the completed puzzle, my husband did but it took him some close scrutiny over a few minutes! I wouldn’t have done this if I was planning to trade or re-sell this puzzle, but I’m keeping it. (And I think it would be fairly easy in future to pry that bit of paper off again, if someone thinks I’ve ruined it).
Completed size it’s a small puzzle, 9 x 12″. I have not been noting finished puzzle sizes in my posts but I probably should.
Assembly:
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I forgot to mention when I wrote this up, but also very nice is how this puzzle smells. It took me a while to put my finger on it, but it has a distinct- if faint- scent like old books. Soft old paper and ink. I liked that.