Chad Valley jigsaws
Individual promotional puzzles
As well as the larger series of jigsaws for Dunlop, Cunard, and the GWR for example, Chad Valley also produced individual jigsaw puzzles for companies to sell or give away for promotional purposes. We have in our collection a small sample of such puzzles and they are described below.
Imperial and International Communications Ltd.
150 pieces (approx. 18" x 10½")
The large boldly coloured label states that this puzzle was Published by Imperial and International Communications Ltd. Manufactured by the Chad Valley Co. Ltd., Harbourne, England. It is contained in the then standard brown lift off lid box which would have also contained a detailed pamplet describing the company's services, sadly missing in our example. One of the two round motifs on the label bears the name of 'Imperial and International Communications Limited', whilst that on the left shows Mercury with the words 'Cable and Wireless Limited'.
The jigsaw itself is also brightly coloured with those areas then forming part of the Empire shown in red. The wording inside the compass near the top of the image explains that the dotted green lines indicate wireless routes, whilst the solid green lines show cables of the I &IC. Within a smaller compass device towards the bottom left of the picture, it states that the map was made by Herry Perry for Imperial and International Communications Limited, and was completed in 1930. Anne Erica Thackeray "Herry" Perry was a graphic artist, illustrator, and printmaker best known for her prolific design work for Transport for London and London Underground throughout the 1920s and 1930s, eventually retiring in the early 1950s. We may guess therefore that the jigsaw was published sometime shortly after 1930.
Imperial Tobacco Co. (John Player & Sons)
200 pieces (approx. 9" x 13")
This cartoon style picture shows a very busy scene at a travelling fair with a large amount of advertising for Player's cigarettes, and is signed by the artist A.A.White. Published in about 1938 it is contained in a small book type box which is about 6 ⅛" x 7⅝" x 2" deep. The spine label
at the top echoes the Player's Please slogan which was used for many years.
The assembled size of the puzzle is not that great and so, being cut into about 200 pieces, some of the pieces are very small indeed and all are much smaller than those found in the other jigsaws in our collection.
John Player & Sons, commonly known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham who, in 1901, joined with the Bristol firm of W.D. & H.O.Wills, and others, to form The Imperial Tobacco Company. The constituent companies retained their own branding with the Player's Please slogan being widely used on packaging and in advertisements for products of the John Player division.
Wiggins Teape
100 pieces (approx. 14¼" x 13½")
This puzzle was produced for the paper-making firm of Wiggins Teape & Alex Pirie Ltd. in about 1935. It is contained in the then standard book type box which carries no wording relating to either Chad Valley or Wiggins Teape. The dark blue label does show a stylised jigsaw pattern with the 'Gateway' symbol and the puzzle name, both repeated on the spine labels. Glued to the inside of the box lid is a large explanatory label which does show the names of both companies, the gateway motif and the words The face of this puzzle is a watermarked sheet of paper consisting of 100 pieces. The key to the solution will be found in the folded duplicate inside this box. This puzzle has been produced entirely by watermarking - no print whatever has been used.
The pattern on the jigsaw is rather feint and so is difficult to see, but it is clearer on the full‑size watermarked sheet
Click or tap link for a larger image which was included in place of a smaller guide picture. Our example still contains that sheet but the booklet, Famous Watermarks
, which would also have accompanied the jigsaw has sadly been lost. Watermarks remain almost invisible unless backlit and this was done when photographing the specimen sheet to show it to best advantge.
The Gateway symbol was originally used by the paper-making company Portals who sold their trade paper business to Wiggins Teape in 1930 in order to concentrate on their core business of banknote and high security papers. Use of the Gateway symbol was passed on in the sale and it became used as the principle trademark of Wiggins Teape.
