Jan van Kessel, 308 pieces, Optimago. Standard Optimago with lots of ducks. 3/5
About my ratings
Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Tulips by Robert John Thornton
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Puzzle for the Great Western Railway Co.
Chad Valley, 400 pieces. Not quite as interesting cutting-wise as the previous Chad Valley puzzle again (more likely, I just got used to the novelty), but it is nice to see a vintage puzzle that has retained its bright colors. 3/5
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, by Richard Dadd
Peach Rose, TurtleTeasers
260 pieces. The color gradations made this really challenging. I also liked the four turtles at the corners. 4/5
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Tapestries at Blenheim, by Sir Winston Churchill
Liberty, 478 pieces. I'm a huge Churchill fan, but sadly I didn't feel that I learned anything about him or his art by completing the puzzle--sometimes I do see more about how the art works by doing a puzzle. Great man, but maybe not a great painter. 3/5
Snowy Creek-Mallards, by Maynard Reece
Timber, 500 pieces. This is my second Timber puzzle and I liked this one a bit better; similar themes, but more fun piecing together the large light areas. 3/5
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Fowey Harbour, Cornwall
Master Craftsman Gold Box, 500 pieces. Very similar to Optimago (did I read they were related, or is it just that Optimago also has a Gold Box line?). 3/5
Long Trail, unknown
About 300 pieces. Vintage, curvy cutting like Penelope--I liked it a lot, though it's showing its age. 3/5.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Metropolitain, by Linnea Pergola
Liberty, 616 pieces. A lot of interesting stuff going on here, which made it a bit hard to work out where things went, but that's part of the fun. 4/5
Moose, unknown (maybe J.K. Straus)
474 pieces. Feels like a Straus puzzle--tight, pretty good condition piecewise. Sometimes it's hard to tell how much colors have faded over time, but here I think it's pretty clear that a bunch of detail has gone, which leaves the puzzler more reliant on piece shape. That's not a huge problem for me since I like relying on piece shape for sufficiently varied puzzles. 3/5
Monday, June 19, 2017
African Marketplace, Bogart's
584 pieces. A new maker for me--some very delicate protrusions on the whimsies, which were nonetheless in great shape. The cuts lacked the wit of the best Staves, but the difficulty and quality were comparable otherwise. Really glad to have found them! 7/10
animal whimsies |
more animal whimsies--repeating shape |
The flamingoes at the bottom are in the puzzle; those on top are the border |
one multipiece whimsy, an elephant |
The Sacred Egyptian Bean, Dr. Robert J. Thornton
Liberty, 496 pieces. Another puzzle with big areas of similar colors, and dancers in the petals. 3/5
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