GWR jigsaws
Puzzle boxes
The boxes containing the jigsaws differed in artwork and design. Between 1924 and 1934 puzzles were sold in boxes with lift-off lids. The box lid labels varied with some listing other jigsaws that were available. From 1930 to 1932 the larger 375 piece puzzles were in a slightly larger box with a more elaborate deep blue label which carried a map of GWR routes. All these box labels featured the GWR company crests and a very ornate 'GWR' cypher. From 1932 to 1934 some puzzles were also published in a plainer slip case type box. In 1934 the box changed to a book design folding open and secured shut with a ribbon tie continuing in this form until production ceased in 1939. The labels on these boxes also varied in size and design whilst remaining very simple overall, and carried either the earlier ornate GWR cypher or the later shirtbutton roundel. All boxes of whatever form carried a small picture of the original artwork, either monochrome or coloured, printed or stuck on, to guide the completion of the puzzle.
It is believed that all the boxes used to hold GWR jigsaws were manufactured by Chad Valley themselves in a special departmentClick or tap to see a box being made which also made boxes for their other products.
When sold, all jigsaw boxes would have been sealed with a security tape or ribbon which had to be cut or removed to open the box. Included in the box would have been a packing slip, sometimes a descriptive pamphlet, and often advertising material for other jigsaws or books. Whilst the packing slips varied in designClick or tap to see some examples and wording, all were initialled by an overseer.
1924
The very first jigsaw produced by Chad Valley for the Great Western Railway was of the new locomotive 'Caerphilly Castle', published to coincide with the display of the actual engine at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley during 1924. The box for this puzzle was about 10¼"x6¼"x1½" and was overlaid outside with semi-glossy blue paper. It was stapled at the corners and had a lift off lid upon which was glued a large monochrome label, almost as large as the lid. The illustration on the label was based on a photograph of the real engine, rather than showing the picture used for the jigsaw. When new, the box would have been held closed by a security tape fastened to the top and bottom of the box with red stickers. Remains of these stickers can be seen on the lid and underside on our example.
The early editions of this title are unique in being the only GWR puzzles to have been sold in this style box. At first the label carried neither GWR branding nor any indication that it had been manufactured for them by the Chad Valley company, although at some point the labels gained a light border below which was also added Manufactured by the Chad Valley Co., Ltd., Harborne, and Published by the Great Western Railway Co., Ltd. but still carried no other form of GWR branding.
1925
The second jigsaw produced by Chad Valley was initially sold in a red or blue box with a full size white label printed in red with a large monochrome guide picture illustrating the completed jigsaw. The label carried the words Manufactured by the Chad Valley Co., Ltd., Harborne, and Published by the Great Western Railway Co., Ltd. although it does not carry any other form of GWR branding. The box for this puzzle was slightly larger than that for the previous puzzle being about 10½"x7½"x1½" and was overlaid outside with either red or blue semi-glossy paper.
The early editions of this title are unique in being the only GWR puzzles to have been sold in this style of box and label.
1926
This year saw the introduction of yet another style of box, one that would however become standard from that point for all 150 piece puzzles until 1933. These boxes were made from varying quality of card, but were all overlaid with buff coloured paper. The large box lid labels were printed predominately in brown, but featured the twin shields of the GWR in full colour, one on each side, with the number of pieces repeated in red below each. The very ornate initials of the company were printed in shaded red and outlined with brown. The lids were lift off, as with the previous boxes, and all corners stapled. Generally about 10¾"x 6¾"x1½" there were some slight variations in size however.
Up until the end of 1929 all the guide pictures were monochrome and printed directly onto the box label
It would appear from those boxes in our collection that many of the box labels for those 150 piece puzzles available in 1929 listed possibly all of the 150 piece puzzles available at that time together with the 300 piece King George V and the 375 piece Torbay Express puzzles.
The only puzzle which strayed from this box standard was the unique 300 piece King George V which was first published in 1928. This title was already available with 150 pieces later increased to 200 pieces, so possibly to differentiate it from the others, it was sold in a standard sized box which was overlaid with red paper. The long monochrome guide picture sticker, again uniquely, carried a description of the puzzle.
In 1930 more new jigsaw titles were being introduced and, probably as a cost saving measure, the box labels were updated and standardised across the range. Now printed on a black background with a narrow blue border they retained the colourful shields and ornate red company initials but no longer carried a pre-printed guide picture. The layout and content of the wording was amended and the lettering used modernised. Full colour guide pictures were now applied according to the box contents for all new releases leaving just one or two puzzles which retained a monochrome image
Britain's Mightiest monochrome guide picture.
The guide picture stickers varied in size and shape, and also in wording with any combination of title and/or size, and sometimes neither. Small red ‘BRITISH MADE’ stickers started to be applied to the front of the boxes.
1929
A series of 375 piece jigsaws was introduced in 1929, starting with The Torbay Express. This series eventually comprised just three titles and was produced in a much larger box with lift of lid measuring about 12¼"x7¼"x2¼" wrapped in blue paper. The blue label followed the existing basic design with the two shields in full colour and the ornate GWR shaded red outlined in brown. These were printed on a light brown ground to make them stand out from the dark blue of the label. Partly hidden by the monochrome guide picture, which was printed on the label, was a stylised map of the GWR system. This series of puzzles are the only ones not to include the word 'About' when describing the number of pieces.
The other two titles followed in 1930 and 1931 but their labels had full colour stickers
The Vikings Landing at St. Ives glued on, much like the 150 piece jigsaws of the time. As far as we can tell, The Torbay Express puzzle went on to have a glued on monochrome guide picture which was also used on the later slip case editions.
1932
This year saw a major change in the packaging of the GWR jigsaws. All puzzles were from now on packaged in slip case, or sleeve, type boxes. Larger 400 and 375 piece puzzles had boxes about 8¼"x10"x3", and the smaller 200 and 150 piece ones had boxes about 5¾x9¼x2¾". These boxes did not have an overall paper wrap, but rather three pieces, one each for the back and front and one for the spine, the top and bottom being left plain. The cardboard used for the inner box had a slightly waxy finish. The rear sticker was plain, and the spine was quite simple with just the jigsaw name at the top and the initials G.W.R. at the bottom printed in black. Small red ‘BRITISH MADE’ stickers were applied to the rear spine of the boxes.
Blue paper was used for the larger size and orange for the smaller, but there are always exceptions to the rule and we have one 400 piece jigsaw in our collection with orange paper on the spine. As with all our jigsaws, sun and time have served to fade many of the colours on the boxes.
1934
This year saw the final change in box design. Two sizes were used, a large (about 8¾"x9⅞"x2¾") and a small (about 6⅜"x9⅜"x2⅝") size box. Only 400 piece puzzles were offered in the larger box, all the other 200 and 150 piece puzzles used the smaller one. The boxes were designed to open up like a book with the box like lid folding over the base container. The spine carried a glued on label at the top with the puzzle title, and one lower down with the GWR logo. The insides were white cardboard and, instead of staples, the boxes were held together by their white paper wrap.
The cover papers utilised a huge variety of designs and colours but the labels attached to the front and spine generally echoed the main colour of the paper cover, being blue, red or green based. As with the other boxes many of these colours have faded and changed over time. The boxes were held closed by tying two short tapes together. When new, one tape would have been fixed with a security seal
to the box base. The coloured guide picture labels applied to this style of box had a plain white border. There are always exceptions to any rule however, such as this one in our collection
GWR Locomotives In The Making
Borderless guide picture which is borderless.
Early editions saw a return of the ornate GWR initials, as used on the lift off lid boxes until 1932, which were printed on both the spine and main lid labels. However, also in 1934, the GWR adopted the now familiar roundel logo and this began to be used on the jigsaw box labels instead. This led to boxes with a mix of labels when an old stock label bearing the early ornate GWR initials was used on the front of a box with the new GWR roundel on the spine label. Examples of the two styles of box label can be seen above, and the different spine labels are illustrated below. We have a number of boxes with a mix of old and new logos in our collection.
The only known example to deviate from these standard labels was the short lived Carter Patterson branded
London Highways London Highways puzzle which was branded as such to publicise the railway owned road carrier.
Just some of the many different patterned papers used on the book style boxes
~~~~~~ ooooooOOOoooooo ~~~~~~
As a footnote to this page it should be noted that during the changeover of the number of pieces in a puzzle old stocks of boxes and labels were sometimes used up. A small label with the correct number would be applied covering the original jigsaw size. Sometimes these small labels would become detached revealing the original, and therefore incorrect, size.
