When I saw this vintage puzzle on Ebay, I had to have it for my collection of California map puzzles hanging over my kitchen bar area. It's copyright 1977, only three years after I was born, and made by The Great American Puzzle Factory Inc. from artist George Gorycki. The Ebay listing showed it new in box, with the shrink wrap still on. I opened it during a zoom conference call and had it complete in about six hours.
Though the box looked fine, there is some moisture damage, mostly in one corner. Because the water damage is on adjacent pieces, I think the puzzle was assembled at some point and put back into the box, then later shrink-wrapped and sold as new. Whether it was the seller who shrink wrapped it or a past owner, who knows. But I feel misled about the sale. There's even one edge piece missing! Since I completed the puzzle in one sitting, I don't feel there's any chance that I lost the piece. I think it was not in the box. Because the puzzle is vintage and I was so in love with the design, I decided to overlook it.
At 550 pc, The box says the finished size is approximately 18" x 24". The key word is approximately. I had to shave a half inch from one side of the puzzle when I went to frame it, or spend the money on custom framing after I had already purchased a frame. Since there was one edge piece missing, I shaved from that side and left it at that. With the overlap from the frame, the missing piece is hardly noticeable. But the design is no longer centered as it was intended to be. Still, I love this puzzle and the details that are highlighted in the state! I'll amend this post with a photo once it's hung in my kitchen.
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