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‘1950s Advertising Jigsaw’ By Past Times

1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Product Dimensions – 41.8 x 30 x 6 cm

Manufacturer Recommended Age – 8 years and up

Clicking on the box image will take you directly to the item’s Amazon ‘buy’ page.

Image Of A 'Past Times' Shop Front

Past Times was a United Kingdom high street retailer, specialising in gifts, as well as retro goods. In 1986, it was established as a mail order company, by John Beale, who was also the developer of the Early Learning Centre. In June 1987, the company opened the first branch in Oxford.

In January 2012, the firm went into administration, and in March 2013, the brand name was bought by WHSmith, a United Kingdom high street Stationery and book retailer.

As there was no accompanying box blurb, or information sheet, I can’t say with any certainty, which decade this jigsaw was actually meant to illustrate. Amazon simply describes it as 1950s style, although looking at some of the products advertised, it might well be the 1960s. There is only one product, ‘Or-Lem’, which I failed to recognise, although of course many of the other products have long since changed their name, or disappeared from our shopping baskets completely.

I particularly liked the insert at the centre bottom of the picture, which simply says ‘T.V. time’, as this evoked an entirely different set of memories and emotions. Television programmes were aired only at specific times during the day and the BBC closed down at 10pm sharp, when the UK National Anthem was played as a ‘Goodnight’ finale. Childrens programming was only scheduled around the tea-time period and was deemed to be over when the 6pm news hit the screen for the adult viewers. We would all sit, very much like the family in the picture, close to the small screen and huddled into a very tight group.

Overall, this jigsaw was good at highlighting some of the happy memories from my childhood, although it would have benefited from a few tangible facts and information. The quality of ‘Past Times’ products in general, was very high and this puzzle is no exception. The pieces were of good quality, with clear and bright imaging and excellent ‘click’ fitting. It is such a shame that the company fell victim to austerity, the first time around!

This item was purchased by me from the charity shop where I volunteer, supporting my local hospice.

Whilst I personally do not agree with ‘rating’ a purchase, as the overall experience is all a matter of personal taste, which varies from person to person, some review sites do demand a rating value, so when this review is posted to such a site, it will attract a 5 out of 5.

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Written by
Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

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Written by Yvonne