National Cherish an Antique Day
Do you have collections—other than puzzles, that is? I admit I collect a few too many things, and so it’s no surprise that I also enjoy perusing antique stores. Even if I don’t buy anything, I enjoy looking at and appreciating people’s diverse collections. April 9th is National Cherish an Antique Day, so it only seemed appropriate to explore some antiques in puzzle form!
Antique Row by Heritage Puzzles
I started my puzzling antique journey with Antique Row with art by William Mangum in 550 pieces from Heritage Puzzles. I enjoyed putting together the colorful antiques sitting outside the store and in the window. The bench, flowers, and brick were fairly distinct and came together pretty well, so filling in the rest of the sidewalk and blues at the end wasn’t too bad. Now if I had to guess, I don’t think I’d find anything for myself at this particular antique shop, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have good views! I seem to find more items for myself at the antique shops with large, peculiar items out front and, once you go in, you have to step over overflowing boxes and really look in all the poorly lit nooks and crannies.
This next puzzle checks the first box—large items out front—though fortunately the inside of the shop in Antiques for Sale looks a bit tidier!
Antiques for Sale by MasterPieces
back of box
This puzzle features art by Bigelow Illustrations and is 1000 pieces from MasterPieces. This puzzle is part of MasterPieces’s “Seek and Find” line, so there are several items pictured individually on the back of the box that aren’t shown on the box or poster image. I built that spinner/dart board as one of the first things and couldn’t figure out where it went for the longest time! Pro tip: the final image is on the Puzzle Warehouse website if you need a little help. I wish I had realized that sooner! There are lots of fun details in this image, and it was fun to discover them all—mystery or not.
Another fun looking puzzle that features what could be a display piece in an antique store is Ye Old Shoppe with art by Ciro Marchetti in 1000 pieces from Clementoni. You may remember from one of my previous blog posts that I am a Ciro Marchetti fan, so this one naturally caught my eye.
Of course, the heart of National Cherish an Antique Day is not necessarily finding new antiques to add to your collection, but perhaps contemplating and appreciating what you already have or what has been passed down to you. I personally have some glass swans from my grandfather’s collections that are waiting to find the right spot in my house, but for now are carefully stored in a box. Antiques and cherished memories hiding away in an attic seems to be a common theme in puzzles as well. For example, I also puzzled Attic Secrets with art by Steve Crisp in 550 pieces from MasterPieces.
This puzzle is also full of details, and I enjoyed trying to make out the individual board games stacked up in the back! I suppose these items don’t look quite as “antique” to me, but I’m sure they were well loved. I can only hope that they could be unearthed for a second life! I particularly enjoyed putting together the tiger and doll house in this puzzle.
Another puzzle on my wishlist is Antique Attic in 500 pieces from Educa, though, based on the window, it looks more like an antique shop to me! Either way, I love the mini dinosaur skeleton! I shared a picture of some of my skulls and scientific specimens in my curiosities blog post, so it may not come as a surprise that the skeleton is what appeals to me. But of course, to each their own!
There’s really no shortage of antique-themed puzzles out there, and it seems that every brand has at least a few options at a few piece counts. A quick search of the Puzzle Warehouse website for antiques, or even yard sales, brings up quite a few options! They all seem to have so many details and fun objects. What’s the strangest item you have found at an antique shop or in a puzzle of an antique shop?
- Gail, @jiggies_and_gems
