YvonneI am not sure if this piece should be titled ‘Vintage Dissectology’ or ‘Vintage Dissectologist’!
This all stems back to the fact that I am a bit of a skinflint, when it comes to my jigsaw puzzles. I really do begrudge paying easily in excess of £10 ($16 USD), for a good quality, 1,000 piece jigsaw.
Therefore I tend to scour the charity shops (but mostly the one where I do my voluntary work), in search of my favourite advertising jigsaws.
There are just a couple of flaws in my reasoning here … Firstly, this specific style of jigsaw is rarely donated, so I generally buy them whenever I see them, resulting in something of a stock-pile at home … Secondly, it is of course, always rather hit and miss as to whether the jigsaw will actually be complete, with all its pieces intact. So far I have been very lucky in this respect, although I suppose it is only a matter of time!
My latest completed jigsaw, titled ‘The Vimto Advertising Collection’, I purchased not so long ago and despite the box being a little worn at the edges, the jigsaw was clean, bright and complete. Imagine my surprise however, when I discovered that not even the mighty ‘Amazon’ had this particular jigsaw in its catalogue, so I was unable to review it!
I really should have guessed from the phrase in the description on the box, which kind of gave the game away … “This jigsaw is a montage made up from the collection of the present day firm, J.N. Nichols (VIMTO) plc.” … The corporate name was changed way back in 2000, so that gives you some idea of the age of the jigsaw.
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In 1908 John Noel Nichols set up a company in Manchester, UK making and selling pills and potions, herbs and spices, essences and soft drinks.
The unique flavour of Vimto was popular from the beginning, in both the sparkling and cordial form.
Advertising showcards and promotional novelties were supplied to the Herbalist Shops, Temperance Bars, Corner Shops, Cinema Cafes, Ice Cream Parlours and other outlets where the company’s products were sold.
The showcards were hung on the wall or propped up on the counter.
This jigsaw is a montage made up from the collection of the present day firm, J.N. Nichols (VIMTO) plc.
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Actually, ‘Vimto’ is still one of the most popular drinks, now selling worldwide, although if you check out their YouTube page, I doubt whether you will see any correlation between the modern advertisements, with those depicted in the jigsaw.
If you visit the official ‘Vimto’ website and follow the ‘history’ link, the information is well presented, interesting and colourful.
I’m off now to select my next puzzling project, but don’t forget to stop by ‘JigZone’ each day, click on ‘Puzzle Of The Day’ and pit your wits against the clock and your fellow Dissectologists. It’s a great way to wake up those ‘little grey cells’ and start the day.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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I’ve never been a puzzle lover, not enough patience. But my hubby and daughter love to do them.
I’d hang on to that puzzle, you may have found a gem!
Hi Vicki,
I am generally not all that patient either, I tend to flit from one thing to another and can’t sit still for long without getting very fidgety and itching to be doing something. Relaxing isn’t really a word in my vocabulary
Jigsaw puzzles I find strangely therapeutic though, although my subject habits have changed drastically over the years. I used to be all for the chintzy, chocolate box images, of quaint country cottages. Now however, I prefer the multi-faceted, multi-coloured, advertising images, with a story to tell.
The one type of jigsaw I can’t do are the ‘Wasgij’, where the finished puzzle isn’t that which is on the box. These I just don’t have the patience for, so perhaps I haven’t changed that much after all!!
Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely weekend.
I’ve never tried the ‘Wasgij’ puzzle either – oh, typing the name made me realise what it is!
I just started a jigsaw yesterday – 1,000 pieces of a puzzle that is mainly different shades of one colour making the picture of a golden retriever puppy. I’m not at all sure I like this type of puzzle but it was the third one I chose in a ‘3 for £10’ offer some years ago – so long ago that I can’t remember where I bought it or what the other 2 puzzles were. I’m treating it like my to-be-read books – I should get round to reading them, or in this case doing the jigsaws, someday. After this one I just have one more jigsaw I haven’t done, which is much better than the huge number of unread books I have still to read.
Hi Margaret,
Unfortunately my jigsaw TBD pile also seems to be growing, so I really must do something about it, as the jigsaw boxes are substantially more bulky than the equivalent number of books.
‘Wasgij’ puzzels are a complete mystery to me, although to be fair, I have never actually sat down and tried one. They obviously aren’t ‘rocket science’ to work out, it’s just that they never look like a relaxing and peaceful way to pass the time, whereas I can quite easily lose myself in a conventional jigsaw.
Your ‘Gold Retriever’ puzzle sounds as though it could be quite challenging, however it always works out, that if something is on offer, then the selection is not always the best. I always manage to find the first couple in an offer quite easily, but when it comes to making up the bundle, I find myself struggling to make a choice. That goes for most commodities, not just jigsaws, but I still haven’t learned after all these years, that the secret is to simply walk away from the offer and but only what I really want.
There are some truly beautiful puzzles around these days, however at full price, they make for quite an expensive hobby, especially if you buy the superior makes which offer better quality and fit of pieces. Me, I think I shall stick to my charity shop purchases and hope that I continue to get lucky with them being complete!
It is definitely jigsaw weather here in Somerset today. Very wet and windy, although deceptively mild for the time of year.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comments.
Hi Yvonne. How nice that you do volunteer work over at the Dorothy House.
I know you are a fan of jigsaws. That Vimto puzzle looks like a nice find, I like the look of the vintage ads. I admire your having the patience for these puzzles! Hubby and I worked one up when we started dating. There is just something about sitting down and concentrating on puzzle pieces that gives me a headache. My mother in law does love them though. I do give her a puzzle here and there when I come across one I think she’ll like. She especially enjoys ones with angels. Happy weekend and enjoy the puzzle 😉
Hi Naida,
I have been volunteering at Dorothy House for over 10 years now, not always in the same shop, but always with the same manager, as we seem to work well together. I really enjoy the diversity of the goods we get donated and finding the odd ‘gem’ amongst them, which is worth something substantially more than the basic amount of money. That doesn’t happen all that often, but the satisfaction when it does, is immense.
I love the look and interest of the vintage advertising puzzles, although it isn’t always so comforting when I start to remember more of the original campaigns than I wish to!!
It is a coincidence that you should mention your mother-in-law enjoying angel jigsaws, as they are not a subject which I often see come through the doors, depicted in jigsaw form. This past week we have had three beautiful angel jigsaws donated though, although as yet they just haven’t sold, which surprises me, as they are truly lovely and very intricately detailed, so they would make quite an engrossing project for someone.
It is definitely jigsaw weather here today, very wet and windly, although surprisingly mild.
Enjoy your Sunday.