18,000-pcs. – 4 Historic World Maps – Ravensburger

4 Historic World Maps – 18,000 pieces – Ravensburger

I saw this puzzle quite some time ago, even before I bought the Life puzzle, and I loved the looks of it.  My house is decorated with an Old World style and I knew the artwork from this puzzle would fit right in with my decor.  The main reason I never purchased it was because of the solid gold border around each map.  It looked impossible with so many pieces being one solid color.  Still being so new to large format puzzles, I got really put off by this border and thought there was no way I would ever do that one.  Then I “met” Tom the Mad Puzzler and his wife, Mercedes, who just recently completed one section of this 18,000 piece map monster.

I started seeing their pictures and descriptions of their progress on their blog and I started re-thinking it a bit.  Maybe I could do it….just maybe!  I have to say they are quite the motivators when it comes to getting people passionate about jigsaw puzzles.  I officially owe two puzzle purchases to them now…thanks a lot, guys!  LOL

So, even though they both thought putting the first section of this puzzle together was a big pain, they really liked the end result.  The puzzle really is beautiful.

Also due to Mr. and Mrs. Mad Puzzler, I quickly found a great deal on a slightly used version of this puzzle on Craigslist from someone in Columbus, OH. I think this puzzle, if it weren’t out of print already, would probably be close to $200 new.  I got mine for $30 plus shipping – woo hoo!

Kind of a funny story (I think, anyway) with the purchase of this puzzle.  Like I said earlier, I found the puzzle on Craigslist through the nationwide search Mad Puzzler showed me to do.  I couldn’t believe the cheap price and the ad said that the puzzle was practically new as only one of the four bagged sections was open.  So I contacted the seller and they wrote back immediately.  As I learned, it was the wife selling the puzzle that she had bought for her husband at one point.  He’s a big historic maps kind of guy and thought the puzzle would be really fun and something he would like to keep afterwards.   Well, apparently, the husband had never actually put together a jigsaw puzzle before!  Now why on earth a person would go from 0 to 18,000 pieces in one shot is beyond me!  I cannot even fathom the idea of never having done a puzzle before and to start with one that is 18,000 pieces with a nasty solid gold border to boot….was he nuts?!?!  :o)

Luckily for me, he determined after only working with 100 or so pieces that it wasn’t for him.  LOL  So, Bag A is open, but all the pieces are in three separate and sealed ziplock bags.  The wife assures me all the pieces are there, and I believe her.  Everything that originally came with the puzzle was also intact….all the paperwork and the poster look new.  I am really looking forward to starting on this one.