Come find puzzles with me in Auckland New Zealand - Thrift to fancy jigsaw puzzles from AOTEAROA

So excited to be back in New Zealand after a 2 week overseas and ready to share more adventures with you puzzlers, in this new video I'm having my sister's help and we will be driving from Bayswater (North Shore, Auckland) to the Auckland war memorial Museum shop to find AMAZING JIGSAW PUZZLES. Will I buy any puzzles? Are you ready? let's go!!!
Enjoyed this video? Please snash that Like button! It helps my channel immensely, thx!
Please note that the Puzzle hunt video style is original to @thepuzzledmandy so all credits to this kind of video go to her, not me.
Thanks for watching and please remember to share and like this video! :-)
#jigsawpuzzle #vintagepuzzle #quebracabeças #rompecabezas #puzzle #puzzles #jigsawpuzzles #ricpuzzles #cliché #expressions #puns #funnyvideo #brownsbay #puzzles #aucklandmuseum

[@ruzicas.5819]

Oh Ric!!!! Jumbo is great very high quality brand from NL. You found one ancient puzzle ftom 70ies all the way there in NZ and you spit on the brand. 😢 You need to better investigate about what you re talking.

[@RicPuzzles]

Thanks for your feedback Ruzicas! yes it seems like Jumbo is a good brand, based on many and many comments in this video - I had never heard of Jumbo before filming this and haven't seen any other jumbo puzzle ever since, so unfortunately I cannot sugar-coat this puzzle and give a positive feedback on it, regardless of what the current or global opinions are on the brand, I worked with what I had at the time, and sadly the puzzle did not live up to the box claims, regardless of the age of this puzzle. I was honest and stand by what I said - the puzzle was blurry, not fit for purpose. But thank you for your feedback, it is appreciated.

[@kajsamelen]

About the Jumbo puzzle, it’s mostly due to the motif, paintings not produced specifically for puzzles tend to come out blurry regardless of manufacturer. I’ve never found Jumbo/Wasgij/Falcon lacking in quality regarding material or fit. Funny that you say you don’t like fairy motifs and then come home with an Anton Pieck, look him up on Wikipedia. :) Fun to see the second hand market in other countries, thank you for the video!

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi Kajsamelen Thank you so much for your input, indeed it's so sad eh that some paintings come out so blurry. haha yes! I didn't know Anton's work, and thank you pointing out, very interesting story!

[@niak361]

Ric I lean so much watching your channel. I am a senior citizen in America . I am homebound and when you show me your country. I started doing puzzle about a year ago. Thank you very much. Now I want to learn about New Zealand.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Niak! Thanks mate and sorry to hear you are home bound, glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Tou may indeed hear a bit more about nz! But i will try to take it easy 😅

[@praisepuzzle]

Gorgeous video, Ric. It was sooo nice to go shopping with you. More please!

[@RicPuzzles]

Thank you very much buddy!!!

[@pushplay987]

I would do all puzzles here, thank you Ric for another amazing video!

[@RicPuzzles]

Glad you like them! thank you so much!

[@speterson6292]

The first three I would buy😁

[@RicPuzzles]

oh nice! good choice too mate, thank you so much for coming in!

[@markb933]

Welcome home Ric. We would have gone for the Art Deco puzzle which was your first part of the video. I’d have picked the garden video as I am a garden nut😃. However your 1500 piece puzzle , with those brown colours um… 😱😱nope, that would be incredibly hard to do. Great haul and looking forward as always to more videos. We’ve been to NZ and it’s a beautiful island. You get more rain than we do 👍. Happy puzzling from Mark+Chris🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Mark and Chris! so nice to hear from you, and thank you for the welcoming, i'm glad to be back to my normal routine again. as to the puzzles, indeed I have already been warned that the 1500 antiques puzzle will be a real challenge - and Im looking forward to it! :-) as to the puzzles you liked, I loved them as well but Im on a tight budget so had to pass, I loved the Picasso puzzle by the way, and the garden puzzles. hope you liked m Jupp's gardening puzzle - that will also be a HUGE challenge i'm sure ! tell me about rain mate, it's raining yet again today.

[@ramenaddict91]

Fantastic new video Ric! Nice to meet your sister and to see so many puzzles from New Zealand. What a beautiful town! The museum ones were pricey i wouldn’t buy them either.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Ramen! wow thanks for checking in today, always great to hear from you mate. and hey what a nice city isn't it?

[@vigeish]

really like seeing the local shops!

[@RicPuzzles]

hello Vigeish! so nice to hear that, thank you so much!

[@Puzzlesinthewood]

Such a wonderful place, beautiful puzzles. I think my favourite here is the worlds most difficult: imperial, reminds me of dungeons and dragons, the original cartoon.

[@RicPuzzles]

That’s great to hear mate, indeed now that you’ve mentioned the similarities i can definitely see them too 😀

[@TQG3]

🙌 hands down Ric, your best video yet. All puzzles look amazing. This is a beautiful town too. Sunset puzzle for me.

[@RicPuzzles]

Oh hello mate! Thank you for enjoying this!! Sunset puzzle is so nice isnt it?!

[@Laura.jigsaw_journey]

Great video and great haul Ric. Very interesting puzzles. It is wonderful to see New Zealand in real life, the shops, the streets, the birds, the bay, so nice. I love the sea do that is fantastic. Thank you for this mini trip to NZ 😃❤️🧩

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Laura, thank you so much for enjoying this vid! glad to hear that it was an interesting thing for you to watch :-)

[@wyverntv4892]

Fantastic video Ric! So many puzzles to choose from, i have to agree that the most difficult puzzles are not so difficult, but they are definitely super fun to solve. I would love to have the Picasso puzzle.

[@RicPuzzles]

oh Thank you so much Wyvern! so nice to hear from you and your thoughts on this collection of puzzles! the Picasso, oh so beautiful isn't it?!

[@Lumpalumper]

Hello Ric! fantastic video. You never disappoint! my favourite puzzle is the 1500 Guild as well, a manly puzzle fit for you.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello mate! Oh thank you so much for checking in!!

[@Addicted2Puzzles]

The Leprechaun puzzle! 😍 I'm so glad you got it! I bought it back in high school when it first came out, I've done it twice, I think. It's probably my most treasured puzzle in my entire collection! Have fun with it, it is tricky! 🧩😊

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Judie! Omg tou did do this one? Thats so cool! I think its an ugly puzzle though 😂 bit so cool to hear tou recognise something here!! Do you mind if i ask why it is so special to you?

[@Addicted2Puzzles]

@RicPuzzles It was my first ever Buffalo Games puzzle and it was the first time I had ever seen a double-sided puzzle! I was so wowwed! It was also one of the first puzzles I bought with my own money while working at Wendy's. It was also the first (and only) puzzle I had put together where, at the end, the last piece didn't fit! 😅 And I love that the Leprechaun is putting a puzzle together. I have a pretty good collection of these double-sided puzzles and it all started with a Leprechaun. 🧩🥰🥰🧩

[@RicPuzzles]

oh my, now I understand why this is so special for you, it makes me look at it now with different eye, now there's a very cool story behind it and I will appreciate it more now. so cool. I also have my first puzzle ever that I bought withy money, I am working on a surprise video at the moment and that puzzle will be featured, hope you can come by when it's here! thx again for the explanation Judie! Much appreciated to have you, a super star here! @@Addicted2Puzzles

[@Addicted2Puzzles]

@RicPuzzles Thanks Ric! There's an 80s song by Howard Jones called No One is to Blame. The second verse has a line, "it's the last piece of the puzzle but you just can't make it fit." That song came out around the same time I was doing the Leprechaun, either before or after, I can't remember. But that song always reminds me of the Leprechaun puzzle! 🤗 Life's fun! I'll check out your video for sure! I'd love to see your first puzzle buy! 😍😍🧩

[@RicPuzzles]

@@Addicted2Puzzles that is so cool! No wonder why the puzzle is so special to you 🫠 omg what a nice coiscidence or the universe speaking to you 😊

[@lavernehodge3320]

Enjoyed this so much! It was fun going puzzle hunting with you, Awesome photography. It was great meeting your sister. It's fun when you have someone to go hunting with. You picked up some great finds. The puzzles at the museum had beautiful images, but I agree with you that they were pricey. The ones by WH Smith are really nice. I think they'll be fun to put together. I had the Leprechaun one many years ago. I never got up the nerve to do it and gave it away. Lol. That was a great buy on the Golden Guild puzzle. I was glad to see you picked up the one Buried Blueprints one. I have two from them. I have Dracula's Castle and Noah's Ark. They were both so much fun to do. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Laverne! Thanks mate for your awesome input today, much appreciated :-) indeed those expensive puzzles were EXPENSIVE as F..k! omg...65 dollars? they must be made of gold LOL...so yep...back to second hand ones, which I love even more hehehe. so cool that you liked the Golden Guild as well, I loved it very much. and hey how very awesome that you not only recognise the Buried Blueprint puzzles but also have 2 of them! I should definitely look into solving that one very soon! thanks again Laverne for the comment!

[@jackieli805]

Love the eeBoo puzzle that was in the Paper Plus shop

[@RicPuzzles]

hi Jackie! these are nice eh? I just found a NZ bird with shells puzzle on a second hand shop and it looks just like one of the ones I found in the museum!!! happy puzzling!

[@thegoodchicken1078]

Looked like the Jumbo was an Anton Pieke, I love his art.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi there! That’s right, and i only just heard of him, such a talented artist isn’t he!?

[@HazletNJ]

Greetings from New Jersey. Thanks for your video! I really enjoyed seeing the streets of Browns Bay. I like the last puzzle of the sunset best. I look forward to your next video. Peace

[@RicPuzzles]

Greetings hazletnj! Thank you very much for enjoying this with me! So cool to hear from you 👍🏻 the sunset is indeed a beautiful puzzle isn’t it!? Im very happy with it 🤗

[@TimRachel]

Nice haul. I'm a huge fan of the world's most difficult puzzles. I have a good collection of them, including the leprechaun one. I know I've done (and should have) the other one, but I didn't find it in my collection when I recently put them together. I'll need to have another look. Be careful with the leprechaun one. The pictures look the same, but they are all different.

[@RicPuzzles]

Good day TimRachel! wow thank you so much for the comment, it's so nice to know others recognise some of our puzzles, it makes it a lot more meaningful to do them when we know others have seen or done the same puzzle doesn't it? Im now officially scared to even start the Leprechaun puzzle haha! just kidding, looking forward to that challenge!

[@waynebennett745]

WOOHOO!!! 2 new videos with that handsome face & amazing accent! 😁

[@RicPuzzles]

😂 thanks Wayne

[@Quanjerpuzzles]

The seashells at the museum 😍 The price 😱😵‍💫💸

[@RicPuzzles]

haha yep! welcome to NZ prices, isn't it greed? like total greed isn't it? they cant be that expensive to make. I think it's more of a "we will charge as much as possible"

[@thepuzzledmandy]

I love a good puzzle hunting day 😁 NZ looks sooo beautiful, I'd love to visit one day. I also wish I can find an area where there's a lot of shops lined up on the streets around where I live. I need to do more discovering. You got a fantastic haul, we definitely have the same taste in puzzle images. I love that gardening puzzle!

[@RicPuzzles]

hello Mandy! wow thank you so much and hope to have given you all the credit in the video as this is your idea. glad to hear you like NZ and hey if you guys ever come I would be glad to show you around! aha that gardening puzzle eh, so beautiful im very tempted to do it next!

[@Quanjerpuzzles]

The blurry Jumbo is very rare and the art is by a famous Dutch painter. You should hold on to it. Sending it to me would be another option, but the postage to Denmark would be crazy.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi QuanjerPuzzles! wow I wasn't aware this was a rare puzzle, I may indeed hold on to it for a while longer, it's actually in my car waiting to be dispatched already, but after seeing your comment, I may indeed hold on to it and even try to solve it. Thank you for the very helpful feedback! indeed it would be like 200+ USD to send im sure. so not worth it hehehe

[@billeyler7041]

1. "Worlds Most Difficult Puzzles"--I got one in a trade back in 2020. I thought it was going to be truly hard, but once I discovered that I could pair the matching parts from both sides (with the 90 degree offset), I put them in columns and was able to crank through it fairly quickly. I think I gave it a 6/10 in difficulty. 2. The 1500 Guild you got. I did a similar art one from Bruegel on Milton Bradley last year and it took about three weeks--I nearly gave up a couple of times. Good luck! I enjoy seeing the NZ brands, always different from the ones we have here in the US.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Billie! so nice to hear from you and your experience with the Most Difficult puzzles, thanks for the awesome tip by the way I will surely mention you when I do those puzzle, I will definitely remember that tip! omg the 1500 is officially one of my favourite puzzles of all times, I cant stop starring at the picture. I definitely will remember your advice! Thanks again for the very useful feedback!

[@Puzzler402]

I recently completed a “Worlds Most Difficult Puzzle”. It was a picture of lots of cartoon people playing golf. I too pared up the pieces and then offset them the 90 degrees. It was a fun different way to do a puzzle. But that leprechaun puzzle is going to be a beast! Ric, I love how you show close up shots of the puzzle pieces for the different puzzle brands. It really helps show the quality and uniqueness of the brand.

[@RicPuzzles]

That is so cool to know! Thank you so much for the valuable tips 👍🏻👏

[@spoon3413]

I don't know if this is about puzzles...or an ad to visit new zealand...either way I'm jealous.

[@RicPuzzles]

hehe Thx Spoon, I suppose it wa a bit of both and you are very welcome to come for a visit! hope you enjoyed the video :-)

[@PondPuzzles]

Nice haul mate!! 🎉🎉🎉

[@RicPuzzles]

Hey there! Glad you liked it!

[@Maggie-tr2kd]

Thank you for letting us tag along on your jigsaw puzzle hunt ! Of the puzzles you bought, I like the Sunsets puzzle best. If I could have reached through my computer screen and bought the puzzles that appealed to me along your journey, it would be Harborside at the first shop, Shepherd's Lane by Trevor Mitchell and Sunsets at the Hospice shop, Harbour Cornwall by W.H. Smith at the Op Shop, and the white kitten puzzle at the Red Cross shop. The seashell puzzle at the museum was quite beautiful but I already have lots of seashell puzzles and I would have passed on getting another one. Loved the scenery along the way ! Does your sister like jigsaw puzzles and did she buy any? By the way, Anton Pieck was a Dutch artist famous for illustrating Grimm's Fairy Tales and The Arabian Nights. He was a romanticism artist who painted with delicate and soft lines and his works show his impression of a romantic view of village life. Many of his art works are featured on greeting cards. I'm sorry that the puzzle pieces in Carol Singers (Jumbo) are blurry. Maybe a misprint/mistake by Jumbo or, as another person here commented, maybe as the result of his art not being designed for jigsaw puzzles. Jumbo has produced some of his other works in puzzles also and the reviewers have not noted blurred images in those.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi Maggie, wow thank you so much for the insight into Anton's work, I was not familiar with his body of work and someone has already mentioned how ironic that I said I was not into fairies and ended up with Pieck's puzzle! indeed I think it must have been a one-off mistake and we get those from time to time, like I recently bush a Ravensburger that was as blurry as this as well, so go figure, - S...t happens! heheh so nice to know the puzzles you liked, funny high I have the Shepherd's lane already which I bough last year and completely forgot about it, and also the cat I have in a bag without a box because it came inside another box! might try it one of these days!

[@wyverntv4892]

Hi Ric! This was a fantastic vid, you never disappoint! 🙌 loved all the puzzles and for me it is difficult to pick one, i have to say the Museum choices look stunning but way too pricey!

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello mate! Wow thank you so much. Indeed it seems like everyone here agrees that the museum puzzle prices were complete greed werent they

[@Candlechatbliss]

I hope you bought the one where the people had black top hats on. that was beautiful

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi Candle! Thank you for the comment, sadly I bought but I will let you decide for yourself if it was worth it, please watch the video part at 17:28

[@Candlechatbliss]

Oh no. All blurry. 😢. Well at least the others are beautiful!!

[@RicPuzzles]

😂 so sad isnt it!?

[@50sRockChick]

I love the WH Smith ones. I like retro jigsaws like this. And that Jumbo one is gorgeous. Shame it’s blurry. I can’t do Mike Jupp jigsaws. My head can’t figure out busy puzzles. 😂 Oh and thanks for vlogging your day. New Zealand looks lovely.

[@RicPuzzles]

hello 50sRockchick! so nice to hear from you today, this was a cheeky fun video to do and so glad you enjoyed it. I knew that Jupp's work could be a challenge but now you have just reassured me haha I might have some trouble doing them as well! yep...I loved the Jumbo's image, so sad it's no good.

[@Marlene7388]

I absolutely love the two WH Smith puzzles. Your 1500 Guild looks amazing, I like all the trinket type things in it, that one should be a lot of fun! The Sunsets puzzle is beautiful! Thank you for sharing 🙂

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi Marlene! me too, I am in love with all the WH puzzles as well, I recently got a 1500 about London city and it's as beautiful as these two 500s. also I have now most of the Sunset puzzles and they are so beautiful! aren't they? Have you completed any of those sunset ones? Thx for the awesome comment Marlene!

[@waynebennett745]

1 - I wish we had a bunch of shops so close together that had that much variety & # of puzzles. I usually have to check "name brand" stores (like Wal-Mart) etc.. Although, I've heard to check places like Goodwill & Salvation Army. I did have a huge find once at GW. Think I got about 10 1000 piece puzzles for under $20. They were Disney puzzles from that "Villainous" board game. 2 - A tip for that "World's Hardest" double sided puzzle: I don't know if this is "cheating", but look at the pieces & see what side the edges are "curved down". That is the TOP side when the puzzle was cut. It'll help some with the sorting. 😉

[@waynebennett745]

What happened to that 1 with the "blurry" pieces?

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Wayne!!! Thanks mate for the comment. I know what u mean about being far from puzzles, this place browns bay is the only one i know of that has so many second hand shops literally just a walk away from one another. Apart from that, they are always scattered around. And hey wow thank tou for the amazing tip! I will make note of it for sure!!!

[@RicPuzzles]

Yep it is!

[@SortaSnoopy]

Wow, that „Sea Treasures of Aotearoa“ puzzle is incredibly beautiful! It really looks like a piece of art!

[@RicPuzzles]

hello Sorta! tell me about - what a beautiful puzzle wasn't it? I was mesmerised too!!!!

[@GregoryFache]

Hi Rick, I'm trying to find my two puzzles Louis from Holdson Games made in 2004 , They don't have any files in 2023 .small puzzles But Amazing that he chose 2 of my Artworks to create puzzles. 2500 only made , and my ones got lost . 'Monster Mix ' 'Crazy Faces' 250 piece each . 😊

[@RicPuzzles]

Omg Gregory! You had your own puzzle made by Holdson? Wow mate that must be an amazing feeling!! Hope tou find some of them and please let me know if you do! If you like i can look around see if i dig one up!

[@lisa-r4w]

I loved seeing shops you went to. Glad to see I'm not the only one who goes to charity shops for puzzles. Those round puzzles that were so expensive would've made me 😢. Those were gorgeous. You got some great puzzles. Enjoy your new puzzles. Happy Puzzling!

[@RicPuzzles]

hi Lisa! so cool that you enjoyed it, and indeed some of these were way too expensive, imagine! I could easily 10-20 amazing puzzles for 69 nz dollars LMAO so no brainer, the fancy ones were not meant for me at lest for now! thanks again for enjoying this, I really appreciate the feedback!

[@paisley9782]

Unusual that a Jumbo brand is blurry, i have never had an issue with that brand at all.

[@RicPuzzles]

yes I think it seems like this was a one off bad puzzle as everyone here is surprised about that! thank you for letting m know as well, I was ready to assume all Jumbo's were bad.

[@PipsDk]

What wonderful puzzles you found on your trip. Normally, Jumbo is a very good brand in fine quality. I think maybe it's because the theme of your game is like a painting that the print is of poor quality. I hope to see your World's Hardest Puzzles and your Moses Puzzle in a later video or more

[@RicPuzzles]

hello Pips! thanks for the awesome comment, You will definitely see those 2 puzzles here, for sure, already making plans for videos! :-) as to the unlucky blurred puzzle, indeed, as I mentioned to other viewers, it may have been a bad batch, so I will not generalise Jumbo as a bad brand and you just confirmed that their puzzles are normally really good!

[@stchurch5750]

This is absolutely so cool to see, so often living in New Zealand you often feel like you are missing out on things but sometimes you just have to search them out!

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi stchurch 😁 thank you very much for enjoying this! Indeed i think if we look we may find some very interesting puzzles here! 😁

[@paisley9782]

The Catherine Marion bird puzzles were gorgeous but yes, too expensive. Personally i'm not into photographic puzzles, although that was all that was available when i was growing up so have done my fair share. Nowadays i am more into art and illustration style.

[@RicPuzzles]

hi Paisley! thats ok, I also grew up wth photo puzzles, but for me I enjoy them still today I dont mind them. indeed those new puzzles were way too greedy if you'd ask me...they probably cost a dollar to print but most of the price goes into the rent which is beyond...so nice to hear from you b the way, thank you so much!

[@danish_puzzler]

I just did a Mile Jupp puzzle by Gibsons, I Love Winter, so would definitely have picked the Gardening. I also just found a BePuzzled Buried Blueprints titled Lost City of Atlantis at a charity shop, so would probably have picked that one too.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Danish_puzzler! so cool to know you also like the Gardening puzzle, I honestly feel like all of Jupp's puzzles are a HUGE challenge and Im also up for it. hat Gardening one looks so cool, I loved it the moment I laid eyes on it. The Lost Atlantis sounds awesome! and they are really nice as well in terms of quality aren't they? If I find the same as you have I will let you know! Thx again for the comment Danish_puzzler!

[@thegoodchicken1078]

Jumbo do WASGIJ in Europe (your side of world I think Holdson do them) and the quality is great. I could be wrong but I don’t think it’s Jumbo quality causing the blur, I think it’s related to the artist’s style.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi there! Thank you so much for the comment, indeed i think that sadly this was a one off bag jumbo, everyone seems to agree this was not the standard for the company 👍🏻 hope to find something similar in the future that has a good image 😁

[@Rebecca.G]

Did you hear that NZ is starting a Puzzle Association? I heard about it in the last Australian National's live stream. It's very very new, I'm not sure if it's properly launched yet. Donnalouise from For the Love of Puzzles was at the Aussie nationals and she is a Kiwi puzzler and can probably give you info if you're interested.

[@RicPuzzles]

oh wow nope I didnt know that! thats awesome indeed, I hope (as a very slow puzzler who dont care about timing) that it's not another heavily speed-puzzling-focused association Lol, those are not my crowd sadly...I would never engage with speed puzzling...but I will check it indeed! thank you so much for letting me know!

[@RicPuzzles]

indeed I know / heard of DonnaLouise! such a nice puzzler! I believe she is mostly about speed-puzzling which is something I stay as far from as possible as I dont like competitions, I enjoy taking all the time in the world as a relaxing activity, but thank you so much for letting me know! she is an adorable person

[@Rebecca.G]

@@RicPuzzles I assume they will be doing speed puzzling competitions, but I don't know if that's the only focus they'll have. I can imagine puzzle swaps and meet ups. I'm not into speed puzzling either, but love watching the live streams of other people doing them lol.

[@RicPuzzles]

😄 that would be very cool indeed! I will keep an eye on it and see where it takes us! It’s cool that you are not too fussed about watching the competitions! I am of the idea that if something is good why rush through it or make it a stressful thing? It’s another mindset. 😅

[@rebekahnerad4900]

I am not far in, so I don't know, but I hope you got that Banksy puzzle, ( first one you picked up) i 4:00 n spite of the fact that it's very different from your usual.

[@RicPuzzles]

hello Rebekah! ah thats ok, and hey thank you so much for coming by, the Banksy one was nice but I ended up with the good old cheap second hand ones :)

[@puzzlepiece9509]

You certainly had plenty of jigsaws from which to choose, too many probably! I always enjoy doing W H Smith jigsaws and I had done the two you bought, but as 1000 piece and different company. Being in the UK means it is easy to get them either new or second hand. I wouldn't have any interest in the Guild puzzle as the image has no appeal for me. Definitely would not do the World's Impossible, too mind bending for me! I shall be interested to see how you get on with the paper clips one. 📎 I was interested to see that you visited Auckland as my great-grandfather's brother emigrated there in the early 1900's. Look forward to your next video.

[@RicPuzzles]

Hi Puzzlepiece! so cool that you have taken a minute to come say hi today! Thank you! as for the puzzles indeed a lot of choices eh? hard not to buy any hehe, but again I must be careful not to horde, so once I finish one it has to go unless it was a gift or something of sentimental value. I can only imagine being in the UK and being a puzzler, puzzle heaven isn't it? we only get very few choices here or pay 3x as much as anyone else for different brands. indeed you shall see the impossipuzzle at some stage! it's ok that you dont like the 1500 guild, totally understandable, taste is taste! I loved it, thats my kind of puzzle but definitely a challenge! :-) hope you enjoyed the video and I shall see you shortly in a new vid!

[@lock-kulla]

Hello Ric, I found your channel though The Puzzled Mandy and the Battle of the Slower Puzzlers, which I found a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek take on the whole speed puzzling thing. I saw your video where you talk about a Jumbo puzzle, The Carol Singers, and a couple of things caught my attention. The box you showed on camera appears to be quite old. I can’t give you an informed opinion about older Jumbos, but I can’t tell you that the Dutch brand’s quality today is terrific. Among the best in Europe, right up there with its German competitors. You also mentioned that the image looks blurry, but I wonder if that is not the result of the artist’s style. Anton Pieck’s work has been described as nostalgic, fairy-tale like, and by examining pictures of his prints on art websites one can observe the soft, delicate lines in his book illustrations. Now, it is possible that what you’ve got is a substandard Jumbo. I’ve heard that old Ravensburgers are quite terrible, nothing comparable to their current production, so it conceivable that Jumbo has had to climb that hill as well, to make better jigsaw puzzles. All the same I would recommend you give the Carol Singers a try. It might surprise you. Tess from Sweden

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Tess! Thank you for the feedback and for coming by! So nice. Indeed, this is one of the puzzles that really bugged me as i only hear good things about the brand. I have been working on a video where i talk about the puzzle that really disappointed me and this was amongst the top on my list - i honestly think this was a bad quality puzzle not the artists touch, but i havent completed it, so maybe im completely mistaken!!! sadly we do get some very dodgy puzzles in nz, that were produced i guess outside the main factory, subsidiary smaller factories? That happened a few times with kodak puzzles produced in Australia- omg they were the worst quality ive ever seen! So blurry you can only make the picture out if looking 1 meter away from the puzzle 😂 i still have the carol singers here and i might - cant promise! Might look into it to clear the doubt - that would make an excellent standalone video! Again Thank you so much for your feedback!

[@lock-kulla]

Hi again Ric, You have so many great puzzles to go through, I won’t blame you if you keep this one on the back-burner. Sorry to hear that you are saddled with low quality jigsaws. Among the puzzles you went through I saw a Wasgij published by Holdson. Clearly Jumbo has licenced the line, and it stands to reason that the sets are produced in NZ. Is Holdson the only local puzzle maker? Our puzzling community is, as far as I know, not very large. However, puzzle producers in Scandinavia (not many of those) can’t get away with delivering shoddy products because of geography. If they want to compete with the kings of the game, they either step it up a notch, or sell their jigs at a very low cost. Being as your islands can’t move north (why would you, you lucky ones), Kiwis should start puzzling more, to expand the customer base. Keep on fighting the good fight! I am looking forward to watching more of your videos. Tess @@RicPuzzles

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Tess! Thanks again for the excellent feedback! This is what is needed more here. Sometimes it is very quiet 😂 as to Holdson, nope, there are at least a dozen brands in nz but the only affordable one is the Holdson. All others are luxury brands (selling at $50+) and they almost never end up on op shops or second hand shops which i where i normally get mine from for literally a few coins each. Holdson has been around since the 1930s here and is by far the most affordable, available and reliable brand i know and moat of my puzzles are indeed holdsons (i have at least 60 of them in my shelves 😁👍🏻) thanks again for the comment and plz make yourself comfortable here there are a few videos to be watched!! Some are good some are not as good. Im surprised to know the puzzles in your part of the world are not the best quality, i always assumed they were!!

[@lock-kulla]

Sure and thank you, I’ll stick around and see what else you come up with🙂 As for the brands up north, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. Some are good, some are less so, some are great, and I have not tried them all yet. Most are quite affordable. There’s Kärnan, Peliko, Tactic, all of them toy companies that have puzzles for grownups as a side gig. A couple of companies specialize in jigsaws with cities and small town vistas, and if Nordic minimalist design is your thing, there’s Vissevasse. And the fantasy prices attached to their products. You should definitely check out Water & Wines and their New Zealand puzzle. It’s beautiful… but a cool 70 NZD + shipping. I just watched your video about AI tech. I’ll comment on it as soon as my husband stops chanting “I told you so”. @@RicPuzzles

[@RicPuzzles]

oh Thanks again Tess for the excellent suggestions, I have written down the names you mentioned and will look them up. The NZ water and wine as well. I am currently working on some "NZ secret project" that is very dear to my heart as it is about a theme thats close to me., hope everyone will enjoy it and get to know more about nz. oh my, the AI video, I never got so many negative thumbs down like that video, hahah I guess people dont like being told that ai will replace artists...looking forward to hearing your opinion. the video could have been better done but I prefer to keep it real and spontaneous so plz never mind the kind of "all over the place" speech.

[@waynebennett745]

Is that shelving with puzzles in the background?

[@RicPuzzles]

Yep!

[@ThirzaTumTum]

Oh blurry printed puzzles are no good!!!🧩🧩🧩🧩🧩 There's too many to choose from! I would probably pick a brand i had never tried before 🧩🧩🧩🧩🧩🧩

[@RicPuzzles]

Hello Thirza! hope you have had a great week so far! and thank you for the input in this new video! yeah me too always so nice to try new rands isn't it?! have you got many blurred puzzles as well? thats a shame isn't it? it bugs me that they dont run a quality check before selling those, it's really bad for their reputation!

[@ThirzaTumTum]

@@RicPuzzles a couple of puzzles had very blurry printings. There's one i haven't solved yet because of the blurry image. The previous owner had written on the box that it was complete/hard. I saw how pixelated and blurry the image was and decided that must be why. It's very sad.🧩🧩🧩🧩

[@RicPuzzles]

😁 oh nooo! Indeed, and i know exactly what you must have felt! So bad isn’t it…some puzzles are not meant to exist! 😭 thx for the comment Thirza!