07/26/2026
Imagine my surprise yesterday when I opened a bag labeled miscellaneous items. I dumped the bag, and out popped this vintage handheld dexterity puzzle. Puzzles like these were produced in Germany under DRGM and then imported into the United States by a company called B Shackman. In my younger years, I would visit the Shackman booth at gift shows. I even had an account with them for my very first store. When this puzzle fell out of the bag, it freaked me out because of the face. It’s not a clown, but it fits perfectly in my clown collection, so I am keeping it. Seeing this brought back a lot of memories of the Shackman Company and how wonderful they were. This piece was made in Europe, brought back to the US, and distributed. Then it was purchased by someone and then found its way to France, only to sit in France until 2026 and find its way back to the US. Over the course of almost 100 years, this little piece has been on a wild traveling adventure. On a side note, the puzzle works great, and I can get the eyes done, but I can’t get the beads in the dimples or the mouth, so clearly I don’t have what it takes.
