IMG_7660
I think an early Holtzapffel ca 1907-1910. A rather good mahogany 410 piece semi-interlocking to push fit example from Holtzapffel with a blue box showing by appointment to HM The King and HRH The CrownPrince of Greece which probably dates it.
When this one came to me it had 4 replacement pieces, 2 virtually indistinguishable ones by The Puzzle Doctor and 2 that were not that good. Howard cut 2 excellently fitting white replacement pieces for these as he does, and with the help of watercolour and crayon, plus a bit of furniture polish on my part, they seem to have virtually disappeared in the image. It is the fairly common Ludovici image of The Election at Earonswell, but the colours are still glorious and it has brilliant colour-line cutting of course.
The box needed a some TLC and has had a lot of scellotape in its history, but at least it is present with its insert Holtzapffel label and is now back to sound with a properly fitting lid.
As an aside, Howard and I had a bit of fun with the replacement pieces. Somewhere along the way during the repair, 2 of the surrounding pieces disappeared and neither of us could track them down despite crawling. Over the carpet and emptying the vacuum cleaner. So I had to send off a new hole to him to cut a further piece. I was so proud of the replacement when I had finished painting it…..and then loo and behold a day later the missing 2 pieces turned up in quite the most inexplicable place in a disused bedroom. Despite endlessly thinking on how they could possibly have got there, it is still a total mystery. But at least the puzzle is once again back to it’s just 4 replacement pieces. but I shall keep the spare just in case the goblins whisk it off again.
IMG_7660
I think an early Holtzapffel ca 1907-1910. A rather good mahogany 410 piece semi-interlocking to push fit example from Holtzapffel with a blue box showing by appointment to HM The King and HRH The CrownPrince of Greece which probably dates it.
When this one came to me it had 4 replacement pieces, 2 virtually indistinguishable ones by The Puzzle Doctor and 2 that were not that good. Howard cut 2 excellently fitting white replacement pieces for these as he does, and with the help of watercolour and crayon, plus a bit of furniture polish on my part, they seem to have virtually disappeared in the image. It is the fairly common Ludovici image of The Election at Earonswell, but the colours are still glorious and it has brilliant colour-line cutting of course.
The box needed a some TLC and has had a lot of scellotape in its history, but at least it is present with its insert Holtzapffel label and is now back to sound with a properly fitting lid.
As an aside, Howard and I had a bit of fun with the replacement pieces. Somewhere along the way during the repair, 2 of the surrounding pieces disappeared and neither of us could track them down despite crawling. Over the carpet and emptying the vacuum cleaner. So I had to send off a new hole to him to cut a further piece. I was so proud of the replacement when I had finished painting it…..and then loo and behold a day later the missing 2 pieces turned up in quite the most inexplicable place in a disused bedroom. Despite endlessly thinking on how they could possibly have got there, it is still a total mystery. But at least the puzzle is once again back to it’s just 4 replacement pieces. but I shall keep the spare just in case the goblins whisk it off again.