My Puzzle Collection

Part of My Puzzle Collection

I have been collecting puzzles for almost 50 years.  That of course includes the first Kumiki puzzles given to me as a child by my parents.  In the early days that was about it, obviously limited by opportunity, knowledge and most of all funding.

The second wave came after starting my profession as an architect, and moving to Madrid, Spain.  Traveling within Spain, the UK and Italy helped be rediscover puzzles.  It was trips to London and buying the Pentangle puzzles in Hamleys that got me truly hooked.  Most of Pentangles puzzles were burrs or a type often referred to as a chuck.  I collected most of what they had that over a few years of consistent travel to London.

Special and more LE Puzzles

And then the internet!  This single tool transformed my collection as I am sure it did for many reading this.  It was the combination of Ebay and individual sites that allowed my collection to expand.   In the beginning I was not the purist that I am now, but I did try to limit it to unpainted puzzles made of wood. So I do have some jigsaw types, string puzzles and oddities but I continued to find the burrs were my favorite.

I have about 180 or so now in my collection, ranging from about 2 x 2 inches up to 3 feet by 3 feet.  Most to them I have disassembled and assembled.  I will have to admit here publicly that I do have some puzzles that I have not dared to fully take apart as I doubt if I have the time or patience to be able to figure out how to put them back together.  They are beautiful pieces that I cherish and guard from the disassembling hands of my grandchildren.