Do You Collect Puzzles?

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling

Are you a collector? Or do you just like to assemble a puzzle once and then sell or donate somewhere and move on to the next one? I’m a little bit of both, actually. 😁

There aren’t any series of images that I collect (except one, but it’s more for sentimental reasons), but I know that many people do. Almost every cardboard puzzle that I’ve assembled has been packed up and donated – either to friends, a local senior center, charity shop, or school. There are a few puzzles that I’ve kept because they belonged to Mom or Grama, or because Mom and I assembled them and loved them so much that I cannot bear to get rid of them. Other than those, cardboard puzzles aren’t ones that I keep or collect.

*I have kept all The Talking Jigsaw Puzzles because they’re so unique and interesting, and because Mom and I adored working on them together. The Fitness Center, The Hospital, The Office Building. If I find any of the rest of the series in the thrift stores I will definitely be keeping them too; I don’t have The Beach, City Hall, High School, or Heartbreak Hotel.*

As you can see from the above picture, I do keep almost all of my wooden puzzles. (These are just a few of my micro puzzles from Wentworth, I also have almost every larger puzzle from every company I’ve tried.) There have been a few that I’ve given to friends, and a couple that I’ve sent to others from giveaways on the blog, but otherwise I still have all of my wooden puzzles.

I wouldn’t say I’m a “collector” though – making sure I have every one of a certain series or from a particular artist isn’t something I’m interested in. I buy wooden puzzles that have images or interesting cuts that I think would be entertaining to assemble, that’s it. “Collecting” just to have them isn’t me.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a collector; it’s a hobby or a passion, just like any other. I’m interested in whether or not any of my readers are collectors of puzzles – no matter the kind. Do you collect all puzzles from a certain brand, artist, or series like The Talking Jigsaws? If you do, where do you keep them, and do you assemble them over and over or keep them unopened and pristine like those who collect comic books?

18 thoughts on “Do You Collect Puzzles?”

  1. Tall Terra's avatar Tall Terra

    Like you I tend to do a puzzle once and give them away. I am more likely to hold on to the ones that I have bought brand new.
    I collect lighthouse puzzles but storage is becoming a problem so I will be letting some of the lesser quality and more generic ones go. By generic I mean pictures of shore seasons with non specific lighthouses in them. I plan to keep the ones with lighthouses that actually exist.
    I also keep some of the cat puzzles for my daughter.
    I do not own and have never completed a wooden puzzle. If I did I would likely keep them simply because of their higher cost.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. hurrayforpuzzles's avatar hurrayforpuzzles

    I’m not a “one and done” puzzler. I almost always keep all the puzzles I’ve bought (or received) and assembled.

    I don’t collect specific puzzles from a brand, artist, or collection. I buy a puzzle because I like the image but I do take into consideration the puzzle company. We all know that there are puzzle companies that consistently put out excellent quality puzzles while others don’t.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
      3. hurrayforpuzzles's avatar hurrayforpuzzles

        My husband and I don’t have kiddos so I suppose we have more storage space available in our home compared to a husband and wife who do have kiddos.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. What an interesting question! I think, if I had unlimited space, like an enormous mansion or something, it would never have occurred to me to get rid of any of the puzzles I’ve done. I would probably keep all of them. As it is, I have no option but to get rid of most of the puzzles that I buy, and the question I ask myself is, am I going to be doing this again? I do enjoy redoing puzzles, but I keep fewer and fewer.

    The only time I can remember actually deciding to collect all puzzles in a series was the Kaj Stenvall duck puzzles (https://puzzler1909.home.blog/the-kaj-stenvall-collection/), but even with them, I’ve now decided that after I’ve done them all, I will be selling them. I probably wouldn’t do them again, but I did enjoy collecting them, and I’ve usually found them enjoyable as puzzles as well.

    So, I guess I’m a bit of a collector, but on the other hand, I don’t find it hard to part with most of the puzzles I’ve done. The wonderful wooden Artifact puzzle that you sent me I’m definitely keeping forever ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. kazzatheblankone's avatar kazzatheblankone

    I have a few family puzzles, and a handful of others that I’ve kept, but otherwise I tend to buy second hand, do them once, then give them away. I’ll probably sell my 32000 piece “Life” jigsaw after doing it again, and will sell the Disney behemoth after I get around to assembling and photographing it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Tayo G's avatar Tayo G

    Well I think I have become a collector by default.
    I don’t really have a lot so I redo my puzzles often.
    I have given a couple to my kids school and also some friends.
    I wish I can give out some more but not many jigsaw loving people around these parts😊
    But I think I will always hold on to my wooden jigsaw puzzle. It’s a keeper.
    That’s about it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Alice's avatar Alice

    I usually give mine away, except for the wooden ones. I got involved in a wonderful program a few years ago that made the question moot for a while. One of our local thrift shops “certifies” that their second-hand puzzles have all the pieces before selling them. How do they do that? All the donated puzzles go to a local retirement community, and the seniors put them together to see if any pieces are missing. I was doing some volunteer work at the retirement community and got connected with the woman who coordinated the program. Most of the seniors like doing 300- or 500-piece puzzles, so the 1000-piece puzzles would get stuck in the queue. So, a win-win-win situation emerged! I got 1000-piece puzzles to do for free, she got her puzzle queue unjammed (slightly), and the eventual purchaser at the thrift shop got certified puzzles. My participation ended during the pandemic when I couldn’t go there anymore. I could resume now, but I got addicted to shopping for and selecting images I really like, versus just taking whatever. Anyway, I might get involved again at some point. It’s a great idea for involving seniors and ensuring happy purchasers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

What do you think? Leave a comment here