AGPC Meeting re Jigsaw Puzzles (a/k/a Puzzle Parley)
The eighth meeting since 1994 of puzzle cutters, collectors, enthusiasts, dealers was held Thursday evening and Friday, April 12-13, 2007 at the Holiday Inn Golden Gate in San Francisco, CA. Nearly 60 people attended the all-day session on Friday. The meeting was held immediately preceding the Annual AGPC Convention, so many attendees at the puzzle meeting stayed over for the Convention, some for the first time and some as new AGPC members.
On Thursday night attendees arriving early met at the Hotel lounge to be greeted by the organizers and meet the other attendees, followed by a buffet dinner at the Hotel. After dinner, Bob Armstrong reviewed his remarks about Ebay from the 2000 puzzle meeting at Katonah, NY and introduced the audience to the latest fad on Ebay: “mega-bidding” through Esnipe. The audience were intrigued by Bob’s analysis of how a bidder, with “deep pockets and nerves of steel”, can virtually guarantee being the winning bidder on the better quality puzzles listed on Ebay.
Friday’s all-day session featured:
- Two hour round table discussion of cutting issues among puzzle makers
- Presentations by Melinda Shebell and Joe Seymour honoring the contributions to the American jigsaw puzzle world of Anne Williams and Bob Armstrong (see below) followed by Melinda’s story of the making of the special puzzles for Anne and Bob
- Power-point presentation by Melinda Shebell on planning for and making the first cuts in a puzzle, with extensive images of patterns in old puzzles
- Presentation by Joe Seymour about the effects of humidity and heat on wood, glues and sealants used in puzzles today
- Review by Bob Armstrong of the special collections displayed on his website (www.oldpuzzles.com) emphasizing the importance for puzzle enthusiasts to focus their collecting on areas of special interest to themselves
- Table sales of jigsaw puzzles, many cut by makers in attendance
The highlight of the meeting was the presentations to Anne Williams and Bob Armstrong of two enormous puzzles brilliantly designed by Melinda Shebell for which approximately 15 puzzle makers from around the country had cut individual sections. Anne’s puzzle (3’ x 3’) featured a collage of images of leading puzzles divided into four eras depicting the history of American puzzles to which Anne has contributed so much: pre-1900, 1900 to 1930, 1930 to 1960, 1960 to today. Bob’s puzzle (2’ x 5’) featured images of all 16 of the Ludovici Dickens coaching scene puzzles which Bob has collected for many years, cut employing nearly all the special cutting techniques which Bob analyzed in his series of articles for the AGPC Quarterly published in 2002. Both Anne and Bob, who had cut sections for each other’s puzzle, were totally surprised when each was presented with their own puzzle and astounded that Melinda could “engineer” two such spectacular puzzles at the same time. A separate section of this website will be devoted to more pictures and a fuller description of the two puzzles.
April 13, 2007, Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, San Francisco, CA
A “specialty” meeting of the American Game & Puzzle Collectors (AGPC) devoted entirely to jigsaw puzzles will be held at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway in San Francisco, CA on Friday, April 13, 2007. This will be the eighth jigsaw puzzle parley since 1994, which Bob Armstrong, Melinda Shebell, Pagey Elliott, Joe Seymour and others have helped organize. The meeting will be an opportunity to bring together people interested in making, collecting, displaying, discussing, buying, selling and assembling puzzles. Anyone interested in jigsaw puzzles (whether members of the AGPC or not) is invited to attend and participate.
This Puzzle Parley precedes the AGPC Annual Convention commencing at the same hotel with dinner Friday evening, April 13, 2007 and lasting through brunch on Sunday, April 15. All attendees are welcomed to stay through the weekend, register, and attend the AGPC convention events focusing on games, mechanical and jigsaw puzzles and providing a broader forum to buy, sell and display puzzles.
Proposed Program for Puzzle Parley
| Thursday | |
|---|---|
| 7:00p.m.-8:30p.m. | Buffet dinner at hotel ($40 charge) followed by Bob Armstrong’s retrospective on his remarks presented at 2000 Katonah puzzle meeting re impact of ebay on buying, collecting and selling puzzles. Was Bob right or wrong? |
| Friday | |
| 8:30a.m.-9:00a.m. | Meet other attendees, set up your puzzles to be displayed |
| 9a.m.-noon | Round Table discussion of puzzle cutting issues led by Melinda Shebell, Mark Cappitella and others. |
| Noon-1:00p.m. | Buffet lunch (part of registration fee). Cutting demonstrations. Cut your own puzzle! |
| 1:00p.m.-3:30p.m. | Presentations by Melinda Shebell on how puzzle makers planned their puzzle cutting: Bob Armstrong on importance of focusing your puzzle collecting; Joe Seymour on effects of temperature and humidity on jigsaw puzzles. |
| 3:30p.m.-4:00p.m. | Show & Tell by participants. Talk about your favorite puzzle or show us your new work. |
| 4:00p.m.-5:00p.m. | Table sales of jigsaw puzzles (outside sellers and buyers welcome). Cutting demo continues. |
| 5:00p.m. | Adjournment. Registration for AGPC Annual Convention followed by drinks and dinner. |
| Saturday & Sunday | |
| AGPC activities including presentations, auction, Show & Tell, table sales. For puzzle parley attendees, a second opportunity to buy and sell puzzles! Parley attendees not signing up for AGPC Convention may participate in convention auction and table sales on Saturday. | |
| 2:00p.m.-4:00p.m. | Display at hotel of Joe Seymour’s 18th to 20th century puzzles. |
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway until March 13, 2007 at $140/night (single or double). Call 1-415-441-4000 for reservations and tell them you are “members of the AGPC group”. Room reservations must be made directly with the hotel. Charge for the puzzle meeting will be $50/person. Registration fee includes lunch, tables for displaying and/or selling puzzles. AGPC Convention registration forms will be sent upon request. Information re transportation from San Francisco Airport to hotel will be provided to all registrants. Hotel parking is $28/day and limited.
Further information is available from:
- Bob Armstrong, Tel: 508-799-0644, Email: raahna [at] oldpuzzles [dot] com
- Joe Seymour, Tel: 707-795-5067 (H), 707-577-4681 (O), Email: SeyE [at] aol [dot] com
Important: RSVP with Registration Form and Check by April 1, 2007 Download the Registration form (72KB PDF)
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