I get the majority of my jigsaw puzzles second hand. A local greenhouse has a puzzle shelf where you can swap puzzles for free, and I have found some great puzzles at the thrift store. Most people expect that a second-hand puzzle will be missing pieces, but it’s rare enough that I’m always surprised when it happens. A recent used puzzle I solved had an entirely different sort of surprise.
I noticed it as soon as I dumped the pieces out of the box. There was handwriting on the back of some of the pieces. Being a “vintage” Springbok from 1995, the tight fit of the pieces made it easy to turn the completed puzzle over after I had solved it.
There on the back I found signatures and dates. It looks like a puzzler named Nan did this puzzle many times over the years with various friends for various reasons. And the idea caught on. So I also signed this puzzle, and used my puzzle spreadsheet to help me figure out that this was the 114th puzzle I’ve done since I started keeping track in November of 2023.
I love this idea, especially for puzzles that are being shared. It’s unfortunate that it can’t be done with all of them, but most modern puzzles have a “loosey-goosey” and fall apart easily. I’m not sure I would be willing to assemble a puzzle upside down just so I could sign the back!
Have you ever found a surprise in a used puzzle?
Note: Next week, I’ll be away at my annual writing retreat, so no blog post. See you after I get back!
I love this idea and how it turns a jigsaw into a community history.
Right? It’s unfortunate that for many puzzles this isn’t possible.