For the record, there's nothing wrong with just buying something from someone. It felt like you had some reservations as if there was something unfair about buying it without an auction. There's no unwritten rule that collectables must go through ebay.
The potential conflict of interest here is that she also helped them evaluate the puzzle. Whenever the person evaluating something also offers to buy it, there's the risk they're lowballing the price for their own benefit. But luckily she caught her mistake here and paid them what it was actually worth.
Usually it IS badly done to sell to an appraiser. They're different jobs, and that presents a conflict of interest. But if the other girls wanted to trust her, that's up to them.
The only downside to buying private is if you find out you've not got what you've paid for you are not covered. But that can be solved via PayPal. I do not buy anything on Market places etc unless uts through PayPal and only business never friends and family. It covers both of us if there is issues.😊
You're such an honest and stand up person for recognizing your error and amending said error. Thats the thing with online correspondence. You dont always have all of the information until you can see it in person ya know? I know some collectors (though not puzzles) that would have noticed their error and not even said anything knowing they got away with it. But you have a good conscience and wouldn't do that to those sisters.
I don't really think you have to always tell, it's up to the seller to know but I absolutely love that Karen is so honest and tell the seller even when the puzzle cost almost 1000 dollars.
@@teijaflink2226 In this case, the seller was asking Karen for advice cause they didn't know what it was worth... So in that case, it would be a little deceptive if karen found out what it was actually worth after the fact. I think your comment would be correct if she didn't ask karen for advice
Thank you for being such an honest person and paying the sisters for the true value of the puzzle. We stan a respectful puzzle queen! P.S. CONGRATS on your team silver!!
Your integrity as an honest person is very commendable. 👏 I don't think you could have taken any joy from the BEAR puzzle if you had not been so honest and forthcoming to all of us and The Sisters. I commend you! Bravo! ❤
Karen we are so proud of you and the rest of the Misfits. Congratulations on such amazing performances. Because of you so many around the world have notice the art of puzzling. You did amazing and can't wait to see whats to come. GO KAREN!!!
It was really amazing like I also watched it and I was so thrilled by the community in the chat with us talking. I can't believe this is something I look forward to now. I teared up and felt so proud
We collect old springboks and wooden puzzles, recently I found the 1966 "Silver Blaze" puzzle in a antique store for $4.50, (currently $259 for incomplete on Ebay). When I got it home it had all the original paperwork and had never been assembled!
Karen needs Little Boy Blue! I look at every estate sale just in case. If I ever find it any of the rare puzzles they will go to Karen. I love the smell of old puzzles... my daughter calls me a weirdo... but she calls me a weirdo about 2x a week about something or another.
The tension must have been un-BEAR-able watching that on eBay! Congratulations on your success and your team's in Spain. I did watch but didn't glue myself to the screen, just checked at various points. I shall await your videos and thoughts when they become available. How right you were about round puzzles, they did indeed make an appearance.
Congratulations for your great performances in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships! I actually got up a 3 in the morning to watch y'all take 2nd place in the team competition! It was so nice to have English commentary for it this year! What a great discovery for the Close Up of the three BEARS puzzle. I once attempted a Red Riding Hood's Hood puzzle at a party in the late 60s so maybe I worked on a first edition one. We were unable to even find one piece that night! Good luck on these three!
Your editing is SO good, like when the image is set back in a frame to show that you’ve taken a step away from the script or the main flow. For this reason I’m not watching the world championships live. I’d rather just wait for your edited versions.
I never thought id get my hands on any vintage springbok puzzles being based in the uk, but somehow a local charity shop had one from the 80s just sittting there. The hype held up and since then ive been a vintage springbok collector!
I dont do puzzles and I dont know how I ended up at this channel. But I love going through the videos and seeing Karens energy and love for puzzles. Learned a lot about puzzles after watching her videos. Keep on doing these fun videos Karen!
I commented on Instagram about how I was so relieved the puzzle went to a collector rather than a reseller searching to profit of such a rare puzzle just for the sake of it instead of appreciating this piece of history. This follow-up video about the rare puzzles was so exciting! 🐻 I was so scared it was a fake or something, oof! It was very honest of you to fix the situation after you realized the confusion!!! And congrats on your performances at the puzzle competition! You rock, Karen!!! 🥳
I wouldn't ever imagine that the competition in Spain would be such a delightful thing to watch! Really wonderful people giving their very best with much talent, style, happiness and friendship. Congratulations Karen, Misfits, Ravensburger, people from Valladolid and all competitors. Beautiful and thrilling moments. Thank you so much!
I agree - I never expected I would watch entire live streams. I even surprised myself by not looking at the results of those that were on while I was asleep until I had watched them back. Thanks Karen for introducing this to us - and, of course, what amazing results!
Same I knew my mom would wanna watch with me. My mom doesn’t really do TH-cam so she hadn’t ever heard of Karen but she loves puzzles. My dad was like that sounds boring but actually ended up watch the entire teams final with us and really got into it.
No clue why I didn't think about this, but going to go through my long packed up and stored-in-a-box, Springboks. They were an escape as a kid (I'm 60), bought from a pittance allowance, usually from a yard sale back then or the local bookstore in the Moravian area in Bethlehem. Would most likely never sell, but have me now 100% curious.
I wish I had the thought to save mine. I did a lot of puzzling as a teen in the 80s. It would’ve been so fun to see what puzzles I did because I honestly have no idea. The only one I know I would’ve owned because I was obsessed with jukeboxes is Eaton’s Wurlitzer.
In this *bear* market, it's refreshing to see another honest collector. Kudos. Speaking of refreshing, seeing those three puzzles in one stack makes me think of Neapolitan ice cream.
I collect Nancy Drew PC games.. I had them all except the 1st one and and one that was discontinued because people complained about certain things in it.. I thought I would never get my hands on these games again.. And then 1 day, I just happened to look on market place and someone was selling the whole collect in my town.. I bought them and they were in such great condition they looked like brand new.. Made me happy for a month.. 😊😊
This was so exciting, congratulations on the first edition! You are an absolute gem for owning up and telling the sisters what they really had and gave them a little extra.
11:24 Have you tried cleaning the pieces with alcohol prep wipes (like diabetics use to prep for a shot)? The alcohol prep wipes will remove the pen marks very easily without (hopefully) damaging the original paint. I do this all the time for books that have pen marks on the covers. Alcohol prep wipes takes the pen ink right off without damaging the cover because usually the covers have a protective gloss over them. So the ink comes right off.
Well yesterday I received an old puzzle that I had as a kid from 1987 off of eBay 2000 pieces I had my doubts that it was the right puzzle but when I held the box and then the pieces I knew it was the right one. I hope you have a good rest when you get home before you tear into the footage! Great video glad you got your BEAR finally!
I just found your channel and I am so pleased to know there is so much love for puzzles. My mom is 90 years old and her dining room table always has a puzzle out. She started my love for puzzles and we are always buying puzzles and working puzzles. Thanks for sharing your puzzle addiction!
I was really surprised you even put a video out this sunday! I love these kind of videos where you give us a glimpse of all the rarities in puzzle history. I watched all your competitions. Congratulations!!! You did so well in all of them! And congratulations to your teammates! You all did a wonderful job! And it was so entertaining. I am looking forward to next year! 🥰❤ And of course I watched til the end: Bear 🐻
Ohh you must try the Orange hell puzzle from the championship it seemed soo hard and painfull as well as other fun puzzles that you didnt get to put together in the championships.I also saw people attempting to do the guiness record, maybe you can also try it sometime ❤
I really love seeing your passion for these vintage puzzles. Makes me hope to stumble across one of these just so I can help increase your collection to the point where you can't 'bear' it anymore. 😆 So happy for your and your team at the World Championships!!
Wow! That is what pure honesty and empathy looks like. You wouldnt have to do that, the sisters could have looked things up for themselves, like you did, so if you didnt pay extra it woud have been ok too. But your consciousness said this was the right way and thats beautiful ❤. Thank you for sharing this reaction on screen
I remember doing the Snow White puzzle back in the late 60's and what a pain that was to complete. I felt good if I had found several pieces in a 30 minute sitting. It stayed on the dining table for weeks before completion. Good times to you when you piece together the 3 bears.
I sew a lot and have a bit of a sewing machine collection. I’d always wanted the manual table singer my grandma had had but it wasn’t in working condition and she got rid of it. Fast forward to my mid 30’s and my mother in law finds one at a garage sale. $5. Perfect condition, longingly used. That thing makes insanely consistent lock stitches.
Congrats on Worlds! You did amazing! Also what a fun find, your bear puzzle goes great with the rest of the collection! Definitely not in the same class as this find, but I collect books and while I could find most of the ones I'm looking for fairly easily online, I love hunting them down in used book stores, garage sales, places like that. The last time I was in my favorite used book store, I found 4 of the 5 books I was looking for in an old series and they were all in amazing condition. I've been looking for them for about a decade, slowly filling in my gaps over the years and then in one shot, I basically completed it! Such a fun find.
I fully did not expect you to upload today, considering I assume you're currently in spain or on a flight back from spain! Congratulations on the rare puzzle and the amazing weekend you just had, I'm so excited to see what recap videos you make!
I like that the imperfections don't bother you - there's something about the proof of other people loving something you own that makes me cherish items like this!
@@georgehoyle8797 I think she was ranked around 30th in the US before the WJPC. But at Worlds, after reaching the Finals in all three categories offered, Karen got 36th in Individual, 10th in Pairs and 2nd (almost winning) in Teams!
I think something that makes these videos truly interesting is her deep zeal for the subject. I don’t think I could ever be as interested in jigsaw puzzles as this young lady is, but it’s really cool to see her get excited about these puzzles. People like to see other people genuinely happy and I think that’s what makes these videos so interesting. Maybe something similar to watching your kids open their Christmas presents.
I think it was so cool that Karan got this puzzle. She's a collector who is willing to do a documentary and an entertaining video about it. It's super fun.
I collect dolls and there is one monster high doll that came out a year or so ago with a $75 price tag but she was limited. today she's worth over $600!! I never want to sell her but it's nice knowing I have something with value like that . bear-y exciting for me 😂
🐻. The look on your face as you realised what you actually had in front of you is worth it all. It's because of your honesty that we keep coming back to watch you Karen. Well done on your score. Love from down under.
I found a 1967 springbok called George Went Swimming at Barnes Hole, but it Got Too Cold. Modern art by Joan Mitchell and so different. It looked like a BEAR to assemble but it went really well and it was complete and in great shape. Man those old springboks lock tight! I didn't take it all apart because the pieces would bend!
I’m glad you made this video now. It will be nice to see them solved later but I’m happy to find out about you getting something that’s so special for you.
The show lost had 4 puzzles that when put together if you fliped them over on the back was secret writing you could only see in black light. If you connected all for together it created the image that was on the blast door in the show. Wich including writing that was in code. To de code the message you needed a copy of the book a turn of the screw. There was a bunch of seeming ly random numbers. For each set of 3 numbers one was page number one was sentence number and one was word number in that sentence. The level of complexity to the extra puzzle within the puzzle i always thought was cool
Congrats on getting your hands on the puzzle! It's always such an amazing feeling as a collector to get something rare instead of someone looking to make a profit. Congrats on the championships! I couldn't bear to see you not there :P
Bear- I collect Furbies! It wasn't a super rare find, but I found an exact copy of the first generation Furby that started it all for me. It came with an intact manual, the tags still on and even a printing error, which I found endearing.
Maybe 8 years ago i bought a springbok puzzle ( Silver dollar ) in a " good will " in Paris suburb, for like 3€. The box was in a really bad condition, the puzzle was really hard to do, but in the end was complete. Unfortunately i will never know how it came from across the atlantic ocean to Cergy Pontoise.
I look forward to your recap video from worlds. Regarding the puzzle for the pairs final: the commentators talked about it was hard to sort any pieces out. Personally I thought about sorting after buildings with squares and lines in two areas, and then there would be much fever pieces to look through for the individual buildings. I'm not a speed puzzler, so I dont know if that would have been helpful
I can appreciate your excitement because, though I don't collect puzzles, bear or otherwise, I do have what I've been told is a one-of-a-kind collection of "Cemetery Dance Magazine". I have all 78 issues, which is itself very special since the first 7 issues only printed a thousand copies, and many of those were probably lost/ destroyed since they were printed in the late '80s. It took me 9 years and thousands of eBay/ Amazon/ Craigslist searches to get them all. But my collection is bettered by the fact that I went to a book signing by CDM Editor-in-Chief, Richard Chizmar, so of course I brought my collection... and he was gracious enough to sign every one of them. According to Richard, my complete collection is only the 3rd or 4th he's ever seen/ heard of, and it's definitely the only collection he has autographed. Anyway, congrats on getting your hands on this rare find, and kudos to you for sending the sisters the extra $ they rightly deserved. You are a stand-up person, and this video helps restore my faith in humanity.
Thank you for being you. Honest and sweet. You could have said nothing and let it go. But you made a video and put it in and than paying them extra. Just love that.
My dear Karen! I watched NON-STOP the Jigsaw Puzzle Competition and let me tell you, I AM SO PROUD AND EXCITED FOR YOU AND THE MISFITS! Congratulations to you all 🎉👏👏👏 Sending BEAR hugs 🫂
Thanks for talking about the Bear and other solid color Springboks. I was gifted the Snow White puzzle around 15 years ago. I worked it and sold it on Ebay in a day. I had forgot about the various editions. Good Karma being honest with the sisters. I have pointed out some underpriced collectibles in thrift stores more than once.
I'm not really financially in a place to collect anything, but if I were, I'd probably collect editions of War of the Worlds. Nothing like some bear-sized Martians to make my day. I didn't watch Worlds, but I see from the comments that you placed well - huge congrats! Can't wait to see your video on it!
Bear! I collect nail polish. There's a pretty popular brand called Zoya, several years ago they put out a trio of matte polishes called the Mod Mattes (if you're familiar with Zoya, these weren't from the MatteVelvet line.) I had two of them, Lolly and Mitzi. I was struggling to find the third, Phoebe, at a reasonable price. I saw it on ebay for anywhere between $87 and $119. US dollars. I'm in Australia so I would have been looking at $135 to $185 in my currency. Then one day on Facebook, I found it for $1.50. Pretty sure I broke the sound barrier with how fast I moved on that.
I was a bit worried there, but I guess this is the kind of mistake that's allowed. A happy little accident. How wonderful of you to share the news with the sisters, too. Can't wait until next year for the actual puzzling. Oh, and Bear.
Been watching the World JP Champs on and off -- GO Karen, but love that you giftd us with this ep while away. That said, I LOVEEEEE your "deep dives" into histories of puzzles. No idea how I stumbled upon your channel a few months back but I'm stuck on it. Love your vids! :) Keep rocking it in Espana!
Bear. Thank you for dropping this gem today! Especially because I didn't expect a video for at least a week. I am still riding the high from watching the World Puzzling Championships. Girl!! You did amazing! And it was so fun to watch all the excitement. I can't wait to hear all about it. 💗💯🎉
You and the Missfits did so well at the Championships, congrats! I watched online all the way from South Africa. Hopefully my country will also be represented some day. Hope to see you again competing in next year's championship.
Karen, you are such a sweet and honest person. I bet your parents are so proud of you for being a great person that they raised. Maybe your sister will let you hold her American Girl doll now. 😂
I just finished the hardest puzzle I've ever done in my life last night, it was a Simpsons photomosaic, the one with Homer's head and a donut in a thought balloon, there was so much blue and repeating patterns that it mentally exhausted me, but great feeling of accomplishment and great fun.
I‘m not really a collector, but i love old cameras. My favorite is the Plaubel Makina 3R. I was looking for one for about a year but then bought a broken one.. a year later i decided that it was worth it to pay a huge amount of money for one in a very good condition. I found one, bought it and love it so mucht, as much as a Bear lovey homes(😅). I intend to use it to start my hopefully new hobby as a photographer =) Congrats on your second place in the teams by the way! the competition this year seemed so stacked, alejandro and kirstin were so neck on neck, extremely exiting! Looking forward to your comprehensive review of the event and hopefully also to some interviews with the stars! 😊
this is some of the most wholesome stuff i have seen lately on this platform. the sheer joy and your honesty is refreshing and astounding. pip pip cheers! love from Maine. keep smiling and keep that joy.
I collect model horses, everything from plastic to porcelain. Every year, Breyer (one of the brands I collect) has an annual event called Breyerfest, which has a selection of limited models (about a couple thousand of each made). This year, they decided to throw in surprise variations of quite a few of them with much lower run numbers around 200 or so. All of them were basically gambler's choice, so you didn't know which one you were getting until you opened them. One of them, named Buggy, who I really liked was one with a rare variation. He was also one you had to order online, so you couldn't just trade at the in-person part of the event for one. There were 2,000 total, 1,800 normal and 200 gold. The event lasts three days, but they were gone in a couple hours. I bought two just to see if I could get both since I have pretty much every other horse on his mold (same pose) due to it being one of my favorites they make. Knowing my luck, I was fully expecting to still get two normal ones, so I was shocked and just incredibly happy when I opened my second and found out it was the gold one. This dude, who was $15 directly from the event, and is literally just a couple inches tall currently sells on eBay for $300-400. I would not own him if I had to try getting him second hand. I adore him, but I can't justify spending that on any model right now personally, let alone the small guys.
2:00 - Ah, this brings back memories! I remember Brentano's in Boston in the late 1960s. To me, it was 'The Puzzle Store that Also Happened to Sell Books' :) 'Adoration of the Magi' was the 2nd Springbok I received as a Christmas Gift in 1966, the first being 'Equivocation II' (op-art) that I got the previous year. What can I say? No cutsy cats or dogs -- my parents had taste! Lord & Taylor before they turned into a women's clothing store! We used to refer to it as 'Loud & Tacky' :)
I collect minature kits. I only just started but I found a Harry Potter one at the flea market a few weeks ago still wrapped up. It had all it's pieces and I know someone will be upset but I started making it and it's much better made than most sets I usually make. Finding old kits is very hard and often they have missing portions. The most annoying one I dealt with was an old Japanese minature that was insanely tiny. It was stressful but fun and I am hoping I can do more soon. Every new kit is so exciting. I even customize them. Rn my current project is Hannibal's office from the show and the pre-made Potter kit. The joy you have for this puzzle is infectious and I only hope I can feel the same years from now. Also I never manage to finish puzzles so your resilience and very calming.
Karen - I had both Red Riding Hood and BEAR in 1968-69, carefully stored at my mother’s house while I was far away at grad school. She remarried and her new husband tossed them out. (He also tossed out several other Springboks of that era like Shakespeare quotations and so on.) I was a big Springbok fan then but haven’t had the heart to try to replace them….so enjoy the ones you have!
I had so much fun watching the competition in Spain …. thanks to you! Congratulations on coming in second in the teams competition, 10th in pairs, and 36th in individuals! ❤ I only wish they showed you more during individuals and pairs. Love your honesty. Your reaction to the mistake, though, was priceless. 😊 Music 🎵 is funny! 🐻🐻🐻
I’m a dexterity puzzle collector, in particular I have a ton of Ball-in-the-Maze games with a brand called Perplexus being my most sought after: I own one that’s very hard to come by, and another that is extremely exclusive to the designer of these games. I also have a bunch of vintage/rare dexterity games in my collection. I run a group on Reddit for others who are interested in these types of puzzles.
Your honesty & frankness is so refreshing! I can't top the bear puns in the comments, but if you'll bear with me, I'll tell you the short & sweet story of the coolest piece in my library. I was only 10 when we stumbled upon this gem in a hole-in-the-wall used bookstore in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. My Dad and I loved to go on adventures and explore the cute little towns between lunch & dinner when we would be camping during the summer. So many core memories. Anyway, this gem is one I wouldn't have purchased it. It's not a story that would have intrigued me and it felt very much more like something my older brother would have enjoyed, but my dad bought it for me. He knew. He knew, someday I'd have a deeper appreciation for books than I already had. On that muggy summer evening, he pulled The Hobbit off the shelf. Thanks to my dad, I have a first printing, of the first edition, of the first American printing, in paperback, of the Hobbit from ballantine books in 1965. It's the first authorized edition sold in paperback in the US... yup. I couldn't afford to buy it today. It honestly probably wasn't worth near as much in the summer of 1998 and probably had been sitting on the shelf for at least a decade given the layer of dust atop it. To this day, lives on my bookshelf, alongside every other treasure (sentimental or financial), even though it's worth considerably more than any signed edition of any book I own. It's one of the last unpractical gifts my dad ever gave me. It's worth more than what I could sell it for, which is why I've never sold it.
It’s really cool learning about the vintage puzzles and the collector’s side of things! I LOVE to collect Department 56 houses and have multiple family members who collect them too so we have quite a large collection going. My great grandfather built shelves in their basement so my great grandma could display most of her collection. It was on display year round but during Christmas time people would come visit their house to see the Christmas villages display. I hope to have my collection on that level one day!
The Three Bears puzzle! What an absolutely amazing find. Thank you for sharing the story about how you found it and for being honest with the sellers. I am always on the search for Heye Rosina Wachtmeister cat puzzles. Some are quite rare in the states. But I have found some on eBay that will ship internationally. And congratulations at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships. ♥️♥️
Thanks for a great video, I'm happy that you were able to get a first edition puzzle. Oh, and my husband will LOVE seeing your picture of your dad's anvil collection...he LOVES anvils...and would love to someday have that size of collection!
Good on you for being honest about the sale and offering more when you knew you had the rarer version. The item in my baseball memorabilia collection that comes to mind is a set of three balls from McDonalds honoring George Brett. My grandmother was a big fan of his and I happen to be visiting her in Missouri at the time they were doing the promotion. I thought, oh I won't be able to get my hands on all three, but by sheer chance after getting one of them, I stopped at another McDonalds basically on the way out of town, who had the the other two. I was so excited after getting home to CA to be able to tell her I'd got them.
🐻🐨🧸🐻❄️Bear! I collected vintage Beaded Purses. I'm done now and looking forward to sharing my collection with someone who will appreciate them too. If I had it to do over again I would have collected paper weights, crochet hooks, or vintage cat things (not just statues or art but cat things that did things - like cat shaped thimbles or salt and pepper shakers or oven mitts or light switch covers). The funnest collection I ever heard of was a box of postcards of cows looking to the left. 😀🐄🐮🤠
Great job at Worlds! I spent most of the weekend watching the English feed (live or recorded); it was amazingly captivating. I feel like I know all these new people now: Not only the superstars I remember from last year like Alejandro, Kristin, Tereza, Yvonne & Tammy, and your team, but also incredible new (or new to me) faces like Mercedesz, Marketa, the Pengs, the Roiters, Tiffany, Gisela, Vanda, Chiara, Delia and of course Gabriel and the amazing Alma. Can't wait for your recaps!
I collect kpop albums and obviously my favourite group is the one with the rarest and most expensive albums ever. (Basically they started from a small company and then went viral a few years later. Their old albums were printed in much smaller quantities and a lot of them didn't even go into sale.) So with their fanbase growing exponetially and kpop fans being avid collectors, I had a hard time the last year finding the older albums. Especially since they're still active and growing which is not a given and makes the competition for rare albums even bigger. Ebay helped a lot but now I'm at a point where I have the "easy" albums and getting into more and more expensive territory. But I'm happy with my little collection and will just wait. Patience is key and I'm just proud bc I made some great finds on a budget (scalpers everywhere but I've learned my lesson) in just a year. 😊
I also collect K-pop albums. I Stan about 12 groups so obviously I can’t get everything. But yes depending on how long the group has been around and what label they debuted under finding their older stuff can be hard especially if it’s a Japanese album.
@blakekaveny omg 12 groups is a lot. I collect for 2 and then I buy ones that I like from other groups randomly. My collection has gotten a bit out of hand, not compared too others but it's a lot😂yah Japanese is a nightmare, especially if they release like 7 versions for the same album. Thank god I don't stan one of the big groups, albums have gotten crazy. 8 versions just for the comeback, and then a few months later a Japanese ver. Anyway I'm actually on the hunt for Japanese albums rn as I'm pretty much done with the cheaper Korean ones. But now they start with English albums....😭 Do you collect older 3rd gen / before that? Because I can imagine that's also really difficult just finding it. I actually like seeing expensive ones bc that means they exist but albums that I just can't find anywhere (like Kits / Kihno or now even the new Poca / QR) are so frustrating.
@@moongirl8807 The only older group I collect is SHINee. Every other group I follow debuted 2013 of later. Seventeen just released all of their older albums and I’m glad for that. But theirs some SHINee albums you just can’t get. I’m hoping they release them soon.
@blakekaveny oh that's great, my company is too small to do a re-release or they won't. That's the only downside, they are really cryptic about their business decisions😂 I found that even around 2017 and earlier it gets hard, sometimes I don't even know if the companies did any marketing back then. It's so ridiculous for such a capitalistic industry😂
Wow, what a crazy story! I can bear-ly believe it worked out so well! ;) But really, I'm glad it all came together and that you did the right thing when you realized your mistake. I think my rarest item are some collector Disney dolls, although there's still one more that I've always had my eye on that only came in a set, and the sets usually go for several thousands. I did see it individually a year or two ago on eBay, but actually just like the Bear puzzle, it ended up going for over a thousand dollars and I just couldn't justify nearly that much.
Great job on the red dog puzzle! Need more solid colors? Pink, Red, White, Blue, Black, Transparent Black, Gold, Glow in the Dark, Textured. From 36 to 2,000 pieces. Beverly Jigsaw Puzzles from Japan. These are the puzzles I started with (108 and 300 count, still can't complete the 1000 piece, I know you could even do the 2000 piece. Have fun!!!
🐻 I don’t have any rare collections, but I had a large assortment of rubber ducks before I moved out of the country. I love finding new unique designs and got quite a few when I first moved to Japan. There was a capsule toy sauna duck set here and my friend gave me the last two for my birthday a few years ago.
Its true that not every video has to be a big production... I love following along on your collector's journey, and I am so glad you finally found this puzzle. 🤞for the blue one! Good luck bear!
I'm a collector of fabric. Congrats - I watched the Misfits!!! Thanks for all the info about the World Jigsaw puzzle competition. I'd never have known about it without your videos.
I don't collect bears but I do collect mice. I'm not fussed by a specific company and ive picked up many cool things over the years. My favourite is probably a macneil british wildlife woodmouse statue not because of rarity but because i got it the day I got engaged.
me - not knowing anything about these puzzles - thought the little scratches on the puzzle were "the little bears", one a bit bigger than the other and everytime there was a close up on the puzzle I was trying to find the third one. The disappointment on my face when you showed the scratched up pieces into the camera was immeasurable😂 But I finally understand why you kept saying "these solid colored puzzles" hahaha
I'm just someone who rediscovered her love for puzzles during the pandemic and that love your content and style. I watched a lot of the Worlds streaming, well done you and your team. ❤ Bear
This video just randomly showed up in my feed. I must say I am seriously impressed and love your genuine enthusiasm and honesty, especially when you discovered the discrepancy in what you were expecting vs what you received. Stay awesome :)
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I was so concerned you found out it was a fake when you had a reaction, but what an amazing turn of events!
Same. Then I thought, no wait she’s teasing us. 😆
That was my thought too. I’m glad I wasn’t alone
wdym fake?
I've never seen a counterfeit vintage Springbok, but now that the puzzles have become so valuable, maybe someone will start trying it 😬
Me too! This was so fun!!
For the record, there's nothing wrong with just buying something from someone. It felt like you had some reservations as if there was something unfair about buying it without an auction. There's no unwritten rule that collectables must go through ebay.
She probably just wanted to make sure the people she bought it from didn’t feel pressured to sell it to her. Which I get that.
The potential conflict of interest here is that she also helped them evaluate the puzzle. Whenever the person evaluating something also offers to buy it, there's the risk they're lowballing the price for their own benefit. But luckily she caught her mistake here and paid them what it was actually worth.
@@vanyadollyyou remind me of pawn stars
Usually it IS badly done to sell to an appraiser. They're different jobs, and that presents a conflict of interest.
But if the other girls wanted to trust her, that's up to them.
The only downside to buying private is if you find out you've not got what you've paid for you are not covered. But that can be solved via PayPal.
I do not buy anything on Market places etc unless uts through PayPal and only business never friends and family. It covers both of us if there is issues.😊
You're such an honest and stand up person for recognizing your error and amending said error. Thats the thing with online correspondence. You dont always have all of the information until you can see it in person ya know? I know some collectors (though not puzzles) that would have noticed their error and not even said anything knowing they got away with it. But you have a good conscience and wouldn't do that to those sisters.
Definitely win/win for both parties!
Yeahhhhh I wouldn't have said anything. Karen is an angel 😭 Her karma matches. Jeez.
I don't really think you have to always tell, it's up to the seller to know but I absolutely love that Karen is so honest and tell the seller even when the puzzle cost almost 1000 dollars.
@@teijaflink2226 In this case, the seller was asking Karen for advice cause they didn't know what it was worth... So in that case, it would be a little deceptive if karen found out what it was actually worth after the fact. I think your comment would be correct if she didn't ask karen for advice
I'm just remembering that puzzling contest where Karen was asking "Did someone lose a piece? I found a piece on the floor." "Karen! Keep puzzling!" (
Thanks for keeping us fed with content while you're busy slaying a puzzle competition in Spain 🎉 not having your videos is un-bear-able 😅
🐻well done!
I love your use of bear here 😂
Thank you for being such an honest person and paying the sisters for the true value of the puzzle. We stan a respectful puzzle queen! P.S. CONGRATS on your team silver!!
Your integrity as an honest person is very commendable. 👏 I don't think you could have taken any joy from the BEAR puzzle if you had not been so honest and forthcoming to all of us and The Sisters. I commend you! Bravo! ❤
I love that your dad has an anvil collection... it seems so random but awesome! Also this whole story was so cool! I'm glad you got your puzzle.
Karen we are so proud of you and the rest of the Misfits. Congratulations on such amazing performances. Because of you so many around the world have notice the art of puzzling. You did amazing and can't wait to see whats to come. GO KAREN!!!
It was really amazing like I also watched it and I was so thrilled by the community in the chat with us talking. I can't believe this is something I look forward to now. I teared up and felt so proud
KARENNN I saw all your matches on the championship, you were soo good. Especially the 4 team finals was soo close and fun.
I watched too. It was all so exciting!
She did so well!!
Ahhh! I haven't seen anything on it yet. Can't wait for her video to come out.
We collect old springboks and wooden puzzles, recently I found the 1966 "Silver Blaze" puzzle in a antique store for $4.50, (currently $259 for incomplete on Ebay). When I got it home it had all the original paperwork and had never been assembled!
Can't wait for the sequel: Little Boy Blue finally comes home 💙
It would be amazing if she could get her hands on that and do a 4 part series
Karen needs Little Boy Blue! I look at every estate sale just in case. If I ever find it any of the rare puzzles they will go to Karen. I love the smell of old puzzles... my daughter calls me a weirdo... but she calls me a weirdo about 2x a week about something or another.
@@miss_lilyanneI do the same!!! I even asked for my daughter to look for me when she was out!😊
I’m going to be looking for these puzzles at my thrift stores!
I'm so excited for her to find it one day. Unless she has very good luck it will probably be very expensive though.
I love collectors. It doesn’t really matter what you’re collecting, I just love the passion and the niche knowledge. 🥰
10:20 - Whew! When I saw your reaction starting out, I was assuming it was a counterfeit! I'm glad everything worked out!
The tension must have been un-BEAR-able watching that on eBay! Congratulations on your success and your team's in Spain. I did watch but didn't glue myself to the screen, just checked at various points. I shall await your videos and thoughts when they become available. How right you were about round puzzles, they did indeed make an appearance.
Congratulations for your great performances in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships! I actually got up a 3 in the morning to watch y'all take 2nd place in the team competition! It was so nice to have English commentary for it this year! What a great discovery for the Close Up of the three BEARS puzzle. I once attempted a Red Riding Hood's Hood puzzle at a party in the late 60s so maybe I worked on a first edition one. We were unable to even find one piece that night! Good luck on these three!
Your editing is SO good, like when the image is set back in a frame to show that you’ve taken a step away from the script or the main flow.
For this reason I’m not watching the world championships live. I’d rather just wait for your edited versions.
I never thought id get my hands on any vintage springbok puzzles being based in the uk, but somehow a local charity shop had one from the 80s just sittting there. The hype held up and since then ive been a vintage springbok collector!
I dont do puzzles and I dont know how I ended up at this channel. But I love going through the videos and seeing Karens energy and love for puzzles. Learned a lot about puzzles after watching her videos. Keep on doing these fun videos Karen!
Ditto
I commented on Instagram about how I was so relieved the puzzle went to a collector rather than a reseller searching to profit of such a rare puzzle just for the sake of it instead of appreciating this piece of history. This follow-up video about the rare puzzles was so exciting! 🐻 I was so scared it was a fake or something, oof! It was very honest of you to fix the situation after you realized the confusion!!!
And congrats on your performances at the puzzle competition! You rock, Karen!!! 🥳
I’m sorry but your dad with his anvils was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. 😂
I wouldn't ever imagine that the competition in Spain would be such a delightful thing to watch! Really wonderful people giving their very best with much talent, style, happiness and friendship.
Congratulations Karen, Misfits, Ravensburger, people from Valladolid and all competitors. Beautiful and thrilling moments. Thank you so much!
I agree - I never expected I would watch entire live streams. I even surprised myself by not looking at the results of those that were on while I was asleep until I had watched them back. Thanks Karen for introducing this to us - and, of course, what amazing results!
Same I knew my mom would wanna watch with me. My mom doesn’t really do TH-cam so she hadn’t ever heard of Karen but she loves puzzles. My dad was like that sounds boring but actually ended up watch the entire teams final with us and really got into it.
No clue why I didn't think about this, but going to go through my long packed up and stored-in-a-box, Springboks. They were an escape as a kid (I'm 60), bought from a pittance allowance, usually from a yard sale back then or the local bookstore in the Moravian area in Bethlehem. Would most likely never sell, but have me now 100% curious.
I wish I had the thought to save mine. I did a lot of puzzling as a teen in the 80s. It would’ve been so fun to see what puzzles I did because I honestly have no idea.
The only one I know I would’ve owned because I was obsessed with jukeboxes is Eaton’s Wurlitzer.
In this *bear* market, it's refreshing to see another honest collector. Kudos. Speaking of refreshing, seeing those three puzzles in one stack makes me think of Neapolitan ice cream.
I collect Nancy Drew PC games..
I had them all except the 1st one and and one that was discontinued because people complained about certain things in it..
I thought I would never get my hands on these games again..
And then 1 day, I just happened to look on market place and someone was selling the whole collect in my town..
I bought them and they were in such great condition they looked like brand new..
Made me happy for a month.. 😊😊
This was so exciting, congratulations on the first edition! You are an absolute gem for owning up and telling the sisters what they really had and gave them a little extra.
11:24 Have you tried cleaning the pieces with alcohol prep wipes (like diabetics use to prep for a shot)? The alcohol prep wipes will remove the pen marks very easily without (hopefully) damaging the original paint.
I do this all the time for books that have pen marks on the covers. Alcohol prep wipes takes the pen ink right off without damaging the cover because usually the covers have a protective gloss over them. So the ink comes right off.
Well yesterday I received an old puzzle that I had as a kid from 1987 off of eBay 2000 pieces I had my doubts that it was the right puzzle but when I held the box and then the pieces I knew it was the right one. I hope you have a good rest when you get home before you tear into the footage! Great video glad you got your BEAR finally!
I just found your channel and I am so pleased to know there is so much love for puzzles. My mom is 90 years old and her dining room table always has a puzzle out. She started my love for puzzles and we are always buying puzzles and working puzzles. Thanks for sharing your puzzle addiction!
I was really surprised you even put a video out this sunday! I love these kind of videos where you give us a glimpse of all the rarities in puzzle history.
I watched all your competitions. Congratulations!!! You did so well in all of them! And congratulations to your teammates! You all did a wonderful job! And it was so entertaining. I am looking forward to next year! 🥰❤
And of course I watched til the end: Bear 🐻
Ohh you must try the Orange hell puzzle from the championship it seemed soo hard and painfull as well as other fun puzzles that you didnt get to put together in the championships.I also saw people attempting to do the guiness record, maybe you can also try it sometime ❤
I really love seeing your passion for these vintage puzzles. Makes me hope to stumble across one of these just so I can help increase your collection to the point where you can't 'bear' it anymore. 😆 So happy for your and your team at the World Championships!!
Wow! That is what pure honesty and empathy looks like. You wouldnt have to do that, the sisters could have looked things up for themselves, like you did, so if you didnt pay extra it woud have been ok too. But your consciousness said this was the right way and thats beautiful ❤. Thank you for sharing this reaction on screen
Glad you are so honest with the sellers and with the audience. Hope you can complete your whole collection. Can’t wait for the bear puzzle
I remember doing the Snow White puzzle back in the late 60's and what a pain that was to complete. I felt good if I had found several pieces in a 30 minute sitting. It stayed on the dining table for weeks before completion. Good times to you when you piece together the 3 bears.
I sew a lot and have a bit of a sewing machine collection. I’d always wanted the manual table singer my grandma had had but it wasn’t in working condition and she got rid of it.
Fast forward to my mid 30’s and my mother in law finds one at a garage sale. $5. Perfect condition, longingly used.
That thing makes insanely consistent lock stitches.
Congrats on Worlds! You did amazing! Also what a fun find, your bear puzzle goes great with the rest of the collection! Definitely not in the same class as this find, but I collect books and while I could find most of the ones I'm looking for fairly easily online, I love hunting them down in used book stores, garage sales, places like that. The last time I was in my favorite used book store, I found 4 of the 5 books I was looking for in an old series and they were all in amazing condition. I've been looking for them for about a decade, slowly filling in my gaps over the years and then in one shot, I basically completed it! Such a fun find.
I fully did not expect you to upload today, considering I assume you're currently in spain or on a flight back from spain! Congratulations on the rare puzzle and the amazing weekend you just had, I'm so excited to see what recap videos you make!
I got this one scheduled and ready to go a week ago! Thank you for watching!
I like that the imperfections don't bother you - there's something about the proof of other people loving something you own that makes me cherish items like this!
Congratulations on your performance at World's! You did so well in every round.
You've been an absolute rock star at the World Championships! Congratulations to you and your team mates!
What’s their current rank?
@@georgehoyle8797 I think she was ranked around 30th in the US before the WJPC. But at Worlds, after reaching the Finals in all three categories offered, Karen got 36th in Individual, 10th in Pairs and 2nd (almost winning) in Teams!
2 is amazing in teams.
I think something that makes these videos truly interesting is her deep zeal for the subject. I don’t think I could ever be as interested in jigsaw puzzles as this young lady is, but it’s really cool to see her get excited about these puzzles. People like to see other people genuinely happy and I think that’s what makes these videos so interesting. Maybe something similar to watching your kids open their Christmas presents.
I think it was so cool that Karan got this puzzle. She's a collector who is willing to do a documentary and an entertaining video about it. It's super fun.
Can't wait to see what has been drawn on the white puzzle (a polar bear, maybe?). Wouldn't it be cool if it turned out a famous artist drew on it!
I'm pretty sure it's just lines dividing it into quadrants.
I collect dolls and there is one monster high doll that came out a year or so ago with a $75 price tag but she was limited. today she's worth over $600!! I never want to sell her but it's nice knowing I have something with value like that
. bear-y exciting for me 😂
🐻. The look on your face as you realised what you actually had in front of you is worth it all. It's because of your honesty that we keep coming back to watch you Karen. Well done on your score. Love from down under.
Karen thx for this week and for all what u did ur awesome we r proud of you congratulations 🎊 I'm on my nerves to see the competition vid
I found a 1967 springbok called George Went Swimming at Barnes Hole, but it Got Too Cold. Modern art by Joan Mitchell and so different. It looked like a BEAR to assemble but it went really well and it was complete and in great shape. Man those old springboks lock tight! I didn't take it all apart because the pieces would bend!
Im adored by how honest Karen was about the first print puzzle. honest to the people she bought it from AND to us!
I’m glad you made this video now. It will be nice to see them solved later but I’m happy to find out about you getting something that’s so special for you.
The show lost had 4 puzzles that when put together if you fliped them over on the back was secret writing you could only see in black light. If you connected all for together it created the image that was on the blast door in the show.
Wich including writing that was in code.
To de code the message you needed a copy of the book a turn of the screw.
There was a bunch of seeming ly random numbers. For each set of 3 numbers one was page number one was sentence number and one was word number in that sentence.
The level of complexity to the extra puzzle within the puzzle i always thought was cool
Congrats on getting your hands on the puzzle! It's always such an amazing feeling as a collector to get something rare instead of someone looking to make a profit. Congrats on the championships! I couldn't bear to see you not there :P
I see your code word, lol
Bear-
I collect Furbies!
It wasn't a super rare find, but I found an exact copy of the first generation Furby that started it all for me. It came with an intact manual, the tags still on and even a printing error, which I found endearing.
Maybe 8 years ago i bought a springbok puzzle ( Silver dollar ) in a " good will " in Paris suburb, for like 3€. The box was in a really bad condition, the puzzle was really hard to do, but in the end was complete. Unfortunately i will never know how it came from across the atlantic ocean to Cergy Pontoise.
I look forward to your recap video from worlds. Regarding the puzzle for the pairs final: the commentators talked about it was hard to sort any pieces out. Personally I thought about sorting after buildings with squares and lines in two areas, and then there would be much fever pieces to look through for the individual buildings. I'm not a speed puzzler, so I dont know if that would have been helpful
I was literally sitting around looking at puzzles yesterday and thought “I hope Karen is able to find that brown bears puzzle” 🤣
I can appreciate your excitement because, though I don't collect puzzles, bear or otherwise, I do have what I've been told is a one-of-a-kind collection of "Cemetery Dance Magazine". I have all 78 issues, which is itself very special since the first 7 issues only printed a thousand copies, and many of those were probably lost/ destroyed since they were printed in the late '80s. It took me 9 years and thousands of eBay/ Amazon/ Craigslist searches to get them all. But my collection is bettered by the fact that I went to a book signing by CDM Editor-in-Chief, Richard Chizmar, so of course I brought my collection... and he was gracious enough to sign every one of them. According to Richard, my complete collection is only the 3rd or 4th he's ever seen/ heard of, and it's definitely the only collection he has autographed. Anyway, congrats on getting your hands on this rare find, and kudos to you for sending the sisters the extra $ they rightly deserved. You are a stand-up person, and this video helps restore my faith in humanity.
Thank you for being you. Honest and sweet. You could have said nothing and let it go. But you made a video and put it in and than paying them extra. Just love that.
My dear Karen!
I watched NON-STOP the Jigsaw Puzzle Competition and let me tell you, I AM SO PROUD AND EXCITED FOR YOU AND THE MISFITS!
Congratulations to you all 🎉👏👏👏
Sending BEAR hugs 🫂
I love that you shared this with us! The bear puzzle is such an exciting addition to your collection!
Thanks for talking about the Bear and other solid color Springboks. I was gifted the Snow White puzzle around 15 years ago. I worked it and sold it on Ebay in a day. I had forgot about the various editions. Good Karma being honest with the sisters. I have pointed out some underpriced collectibles in thrift stores more than once.
I'm not really financially in a place to collect anything, but if I were, I'd probably collect editions of War of the Worlds. Nothing like some bear-sized Martians to make my day.
I didn't watch Worlds, but I see from the comments that you placed well - huge congrats! Can't wait to see your video on it!
Bear! I collect nail polish. There's a pretty popular brand called Zoya, several years ago they put out a trio of matte polishes called the Mod Mattes (if you're familiar with Zoya, these weren't from the MatteVelvet line.) I had two of them, Lolly and Mitzi. I was struggling to find the third, Phoebe, at a reasonable price. I saw it on ebay for anywhere between $87 and $119. US dollars. I'm in Australia so I would have been looking at $135 to $185 in my currency. Then one day on Facebook, I found it for $1.50. Pretty sure I broke the sound barrier with how fast I moved on that.
I was a bit worried there, but I guess this is the kind of mistake that's allowed. A happy little accident. How wonderful of you to share the news with the sisters, too. Can't wait until next year for the actual puzzling.
Oh, and Bear.
Been watching the World JP Champs on and off -- GO Karen, but love that you giftd us with this ep while away. That said, I LOVEEEEE your "deep dives" into histories of puzzles. No idea how I stumbled upon your channel a few months back but I'm stuck on it. Love your vids! :) Keep rocking it in Espana!
Bear. Thank you for dropping this gem today! Especially because I didn't expect a video for at least a week. I am still riding the high from watching the World Puzzling Championships. Girl!! You did amazing! And it was so fun to watch all the excitement. I can't wait to hear all about it. 💗💯🎉
You and the Missfits did so well at the Championships, congrats! I watched online all the way from South Africa. Hopefully my country will also be represented some day. Hope to see you again competing in next year's championship.
Karen, you are such a sweet and honest person. I bet your parents are so proud of you for being a great person that they raised. Maybe your sister will let you hold her American Girl doll now. 😂
I don't know if that will ever happen 😂
I just finished the hardest puzzle I've ever done in my life last night, it was a Simpsons photomosaic, the one with Homer's head and a donut in a thought balloon, there was so much blue and repeating patterns that it mentally exhausted me, but great feeling of accomplishment and great fun.
I‘m not really a collector, but i love old cameras. My favorite is the Plaubel Makina 3R. I was looking for one for about a year but then bought a broken one.. a year later i decided that it was worth it to pay a huge amount of money for one in a very good condition. I found one, bought it and love it so mucht, as much as a Bear lovey homes(😅).
I intend to use it to start my hopefully new hobby as a photographer =)
Congrats on your second place in the teams by the way! the competition this year seemed so stacked, alejandro and kirstin were so neck on neck, extremely exiting! Looking forward to your comprehensive review of the event and hopefully also to some interviews with the stars! 😊
this is some of the most wholesome stuff i have seen lately on this platform. the sheer joy and your honesty is refreshing and astounding. pip pip cheers! love from Maine. keep smiling and keep that joy.
I collect model horses, everything from plastic to porcelain. Every year, Breyer (one of the brands I collect) has an annual event called Breyerfest, which has a selection of limited models (about a couple thousand of each made). This year, they decided to throw in surprise variations of quite a few of them with much lower run numbers around 200 or so. All of them were basically gambler's choice, so you didn't know which one you were getting until you opened them.
One of them, named Buggy, who I really liked was one with a rare variation. He was also one you had to order online, so you couldn't just trade at the in-person part of the event for one. There were 2,000 total, 1,800 normal and 200 gold. The event lasts three days, but they were gone in a couple hours. I bought two just to see if I could get both since I have pretty much every other horse on his mold (same pose) due to it being one of my favorites they make. Knowing my luck, I was fully expecting to still get two normal ones, so I was shocked and just incredibly happy when I opened my second and found out it was the gold one. This dude, who was $15 directly from the event, and is literally just a couple inches tall currently sells on eBay for $300-400. I would not own him if I had to try getting him second hand. I adore him, but I can't justify spending that on any model right now personally, let alone the small guys.
2:00 - Ah, this brings back memories! I remember Brentano's in Boston in the late 1960s. To me, it was 'The Puzzle Store that Also Happened to Sell Books' :)
'Adoration of the Magi' was the 2nd Springbok I received as a Christmas Gift in 1966, the first being 'Equivocation II' (op-art) that I got the previous year. What can I say? No cutsy cats or dogs -- my parents had taste!
Lord & Taylor before they turned into a women's clothing store! We used to refer to it as 'Loud & Tacky' :)
I collect minature kits. I only just started but I found a Harry Potter one at the flea market a few weeks ago still wrapped up. It had all it's pieces and I know someone will be upset but I started making it and it's much better made than most sets I usually make.
Finding old kits is very hard and often they have missing portions. The most annoying one I dealt with was an old Japanese minature that was insanely tiny. It was stressful but fun and I am hoping I can do more soon.
Every new kit is so exciting. I even customize them. Rn my current project is Hannibal's office from the show and the pre-made Potter kit.
The joy you have for this puzzle is infectious and I only hope I can feel the same years from now. Also I never manage to finish puzzles so your resilience and very calming.
Karen - I had both Red Riding Hood and BEAR in 1968-69, carefully stored at my mother’s house while I was far away at grad school. She remarried and her new husband tossed them out. (He also tossed out several other Springboks of that era like Shakespeare quotations and so on.) I was a big Springbok fan then but haven’t had the heart to try to replace them….so enjoy the ones you have!
I am so looking forward to seeing your solve of the BEARs puzzle, et. al. ;-)
I’m glad you posted this video. It was so exciting to see your reaction. You are so genuine. If I see any of these puzzles I will send them to you
What a lucky break for everyone involved! I'm glad you caught the mistake and paid the sisters for the actual worth of the puzzle. Everyone's happy!
Dad's anvil collection looks pretty sweet!
I cant bear to wait any longer to see you complete the puzzles!
I had so much fun watching the competition in Spain …. thanks to you! Congratulations on coming in second in the teams competition, 10th in pairs, and 36th in individuals! ❤ I only wish they showed you more during individuals and pairs. Love your honesty. Your reaction to the mistake, though, was priceless. 😊 Music 🎵 is funny! 🐻🐻🐻
Congratulations Karen for your placements in Worlds.
Looking forward to seeing all the highlights and nerdy infographics.
I’m a dexterity puzzle collector, in particular I have a ton of Ball-in-the-Maze games with a brand called Perplexus being my most sought after: I own one that’s very hard to come by, and another that is extremely exclusive to the designer of these games.
I also have a bunch of vintage/rare dexterity games in my collection. I run a group on Reddit for others who are interested in these types of puzzles.
Your honesty & frankness is so refreshing! I can't top the bear puns in the comments, but if you'll bear with me, I'll tell you the short & sweet story of the coolest piece in my library.
I was only 10 when we stumbled upon this gem in a hole-in-the-wall used bookstore in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. My Dad and I loved to go on adventures and explore the cute little towns between lunch & dinner when we would be camping during the summer. So many core memories. Anyway, this gem is one I wouldn't have purchased it. It's not a story that would have intrigued me and it felt very much more like something my older brother would have enjoyed, but my dad bought it for me. He knew. He knew, someday I'd have a deeper appreciation for books than I already had. On that muggy summer evening, he pulled The Hobbit off the shelf. Thanks to my dad, I have a first printing, of the first edition, of the first American printing, in paperback, of the Hobbit from ballantine books in 1965. It's the first authorized edition sold in paperback in the US... yup. I couldn't afford to buy it today. It honestly probably wasn't worth near as much in the summer of 1998 and probably had been sitting on the shelf for at least a decade given the layer of dust atop it. To this day, lives on my bookshelf, alongside every other treasure (sentimental or financial), even though it's worth considerably more than any signed edition of any book I own. It's one of the last unpractical gifts my dad ever gave me. It's worth more than what I could sell it for, which is why I've never sold it.
It’s really cool learning about the vintage puzzles and the collector’s side of things! I LOVE to collect Department 56 houses and have multiple family members who collect them too so we have quite a large collection going. My great grandfather built shelves in their basement so my great grandma could display most of her collection. It was on display year round but during Christmas time people would come visit their house to see the Christmas villages display. I hope to have my collection on that level one day!
The Three Bears puzzle! What an absolutely amazing find. Thank you for sharing the story about how you found it and for being honest with the sellers. I am always on the search for Heye Rosina Wachtmeister cat puzzles. Some are quite rare in the states. But I have found some on eBay that will ship internationally. And congratulations at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships. ♥️♥️
Thanks for a great video, I'm happy that you were able to get a first edition puzzle. Oh, and my husband will LOVE seeing your picture of your dad's anvil collection...he LOVES anvils...and would love to someday have that size of collection!
My dad wrote a whole book about anvils he'd probably love. Check out fishernorris.com and maybe save it for a Christmas gift.
@KarenPuzzles thanks SO much!!!!! That's awesome!!
Watching you go through the moral thought process was so interesting (and showed character) I am so glad you kept it in the video.
Good on you for being honest about the sale and offering more when you knew you had the rarer version. The item in my baseball memorabilia collection that comes to mind is a set of three balls from McDonalds honoring George Brett. My grandmother was a big fan of his and I happen to be visiting her in Missouri at the time they were doing the promotion. I thought, oh I won't be able to get my hands on all three, but by sheer chance after getting one of them, I stopped at another McDonalds basically on the way out of town, who had the the other two. I was so excited after getting home to CA to be able to tell her I'd got them.
🐻🐨🧸🐻❄️Bear! I collected vintage Beaded Purses. I'm done now and looking forward to sharing my collection with someone who will appreciate them too. If I had it to do over again I would have collected paper weights, crochet hooks, or vintage cat things (not just statues or art but cat things that did things - like cat shaped thimbles or salt and pepper shakers or oven mitts or light switch covers). The funnest collection I ever heard of was a box of postcards of cows looking to the left. 😀🐄🐮🤠
Great job at Worlds! I spent most of the weekend watching the English feed (live or recorded); it was amazingly captivating. I feel like I know all these new people now: Not only the superstars I remember from last year like Alejandro, Kristin, Tereza, Yvonne & Tammy, and your team, but also incredible new (or new to me) faces like Mercedesz, Marketa, the Pengs, the Roiters, Tiffany, Gisela, Vanda, Chiara, Delia and of course Gabriel and the amazing Alma. Can't wait for your recaps!
I collect kpop albums and obviously my favourite group is the one with the rarest and most expensive albums ever. (Basically they started from a small company and then went viral a few years later. Their old albums were printed in much smaller quantities and a lot of them didn't even go into sale.) So with their fanbase growing exponetially and kpop fans being avid collectors, I had a hard time the last year finding the older albums. Especially since they're still active and growing which is not a given and makes the competition for rare albums even bigger. Ebay helped a lot but now I'm at a point where I have the "easy" albums and getting into more and more expensive territory. But I'm happy with my little collection and will just wait. Patience is key and I'm just proud bc I made some great finds on a budget (scalpers everywhere but I've learned my lesson) in just a year. 😊
I also collect K-pop albums. I Stan about 12 groups so obviously I can’t get everything. But yes depending on how long the group has been around and what label they debuted under finding their older stuff can be hard especially if it’s a Japanese album.
@blakekaveny omg 12 groups is a lot. I collect for 2 and then I buy ones that I like from other groups randomly. My collection has gotten a bit out of hand, not compared too others but it's a lot😂yah Japanese is a nightmare, especially if they release like 7 versions for the same album. Thank god I don't stan one of the big groups, albums have gotten crazy. 8 versions just for the comeback, and then a few months later a Japanese ver. Anyway I'm actually on the hunt for Japanese albums rn as I'm pretty much done with the cheaper Korean ones. But now they start with English albums....😭
Do you collect older 3rd gen / before that? Because I can imagine that's also really difficult just finding it. I actually like seeing expensive ones bc that means they exist but albums that I just can't find anywhere (like Kits / Kihno or now even the new Poca / QR) are so frustrating.
@@moongirl8807 The only older group I collect is SHINee. Every other group I follow debuted 2013 of later. Seventeen just released all of their older albums and I’m glad for that. But theirs some SHINee albums you just can’t get. I’m hoping they release them soon.
@blakekaveny oh that's great, my company is too small to do a re-release or they won't. That's the only downside, they are really cryptic about their business decisions😂
I found that even around 2017 and earlier it gets hard, sometimes I don't even know if the companies did any marketing back then. It's so ridiculous for such a capitalistic industry😂
Wow, what a crazy story! I can bear-ly believe it worked out so well! ;) But really, I'm glad it all came together and that you did the right thing when you realized your mistake.
I think my rarest item are some collector Disney dolls, although there's still one more that I've always had my eye on that only came in a set, and the sets usually go for several thousands. I did see it individually a year or two ago on eBay, but actually just like the Bear puzzle, it ended up going for over a thousand dollars and I just couldn't justify nearly that much.
Great job on the red dog puzzle! Need more solid colors? Pink, Red, White, Blue, Black, Transparent Black, Gold, Glow in the Dark, Textured. From 36 to 2,000 pieces. Beverly Jigsaw Puzzles from Japan. These are the puzzles I started with (108 and 300 count, still can't complete the 1000 piece, I know you could even do the 2000 piece. Have fun!!!
🐻 I don’t have any rare collections, but I had a large assortment of rubber ducks before I moved out of the country. I love finding new unique designs and got quite a few when I first moved to Japan. There was a capsule toy sauna duck set here and my friend gave me the last two for my birthday a few years ago.
Its true that not every video has to be a big production... I love following along on your collector's journey, and I am so glad you finally found this puzzle. 🤞for the blue one! Good luck bear!
I love puzzles, and I love your enthusiasm, when ever I need to pick up my mood I just go to one of your videos ❤ Thank you for sharing 🎉❤❤
I'm a collector of fabric. Congrats - I watched the Misfits!!! Thanks for all the info about the World Jigsaw puzzle competition. I'd never have known about it without your videos.
I don't collect bears but I do collect mice. I'm not fussed by a specific company and ive picked up many cool things over the years. My favourite is probably a macneil british wildlife woodmouse statue not because of rarity but because i got it the day I got engaged.
me - not knowing anything about these puzzles - thought the little scratches on the puzzle were "the little bears", one a bit bigger than the other and everytime there was a close up on the puzzle I was trying to find the third one. The disappointment on my face when you showed the scratched up pieces into the camera was immeasurable😂 But I finally understand why you kept saying "these solid colored puzzles" hahaha
I'm just someone who rediscovered her love for puzzles during the pandemic and that love your content and style. I watched a lot of the Worlds streaming, well done you and your team. ❤ Bear
This video just randomly showed up in my feed. I must say I am seriously impressed and love your genuine enthusiasm and honesty, especially when you discovered the discrepancy in what you were expecting vs what you received. Stay awesome :)