Victory jigsaw puzzle facts for kids
Victory was a special brand of jigsaw puzzles. These puzzles were made from plywood. A company called G. J. Hayter & Co. produced them.
Contents
Different Types of Victory Puzzles
G. J. Hayter & Co. made many different kinds of puzzles. They often used the name "Victory" in the puzzle's title. This is why people today call them "Victory" puzzles.
Common Puzzle Series
Some of the most popular puzzle types included:
- Plywood, Popular, and Topical Series: These puzzles were cut in straight strips.
- Artistic Series: These also had strip cuts but included some simple, shaped pieces.
- Super-Cut Series: These puzzles had a more random cut. They also featured simple shaped pieces and edges that were not perfectly straight.
How Big Were They?
Victory puzzles came in many sizes. Some were small with bigger pieces, perfect for younger puzzlers. Others were very large, with up to 2000 pieces! Most common puzzles had between 100 and 300 pieces.
- Gallery
-
Topical Series: Trooping the Colors
-
Artistic Series: Roman Baths
-
Super Cut Series: Concarneau
-
Cathedral Series: York Minster
A List of Victory Puzzle Series
Here are some of the different series of puzzles that G. J. Hayter & Co. made:
- Artistic
- Cathedral
- Children's
- Constructional
- English View
- Geographical
- London View
- Plywood (This was the main series)
- Popular
- Super-cut
- Topical
- Vintage (These were made in the early 1930s)
The Gold Box Puzzles
After 1970, another company called Spears and Sons took over. They focused on a new series of puzzles. These were similar to the older Artistic series but had a looser cut. They came in a special gold box. Eventually, the company just called them the "Gold Box Series." Spears continued making these puzzles until 1988.
What Made Them Special?
One cool thing about Gold Box puzzles was their unique pieces. Many had shapes that looked like familiar objects. You might find a piece shaped like a boat, a plane, a sword, or a heart!
Another interesting feature was that the box did not show the finished picture. The label on the box explained why: "NO GUIDE PICTURE is provided with this Gold Box VICTORY Jig Saw puzzle. To do so would destroy much of its absorbing interest. The greatest pleasure is derived from not knowing beforehand the subject which the Puzzle will make and then to see the picture gradually form as the pieces are assembled." This made solving them a fun surprise!
How Many Gold Box Puzzles?
Information found inside the puzzle boxes shows that there were a total of 126 different puzzles in the Gold Box Series.
