Jigsaw puzzle:Sheer Bliss

Par Puzzles were called "the Rolls-Royce of jigsaw puzzles." Founders Frank Ware and John Henriques of New York City began cutting puzzles to amuse themselves when they were out of work because of the Great Depression. But a commitment to quality and workmanship soon led to a steady stream of well-heeled customers, willing to pay top dollar for a quality puzzle. Par puzzles featured brilliantly colored travel posters and modern art, intricate cutting, figure pieces, a seahorse signature piece, irregular borders, and drop-outs--blank spaces within the puzzle frame. And each came with a "par" time for assembly--usually impossible to match. Par made puzzles for heads of state as well as Hollywood stars and industrial magnates. Custom work for special orders included figure pieces personalized for the owner, often monograms or dates. Par Company's heyday lasted until the mid-1970s. Today John Madden of Coram, New York, runs it as a part-time business.