Apple II Bits

Earlier this month, I came across some online purchases I’d made 5–6 years ago that were still in their shipping boxes. That era was the height of my YouTube channel, so I must’ve been saving these purchases for unboxing videos. But since my channel’s popularity has waned, I figured it was time to open them off-camera and free the space the boxes were occupying.

I couldn’t remember what it was I’d bought, so to allow myself a bit of surprise, I shook the boxes to see if I could guess what was in them. One sounded like it had dozens, if not hundreds, of loose pieces… a puzzle?! Yes!

I bought this Apple-1 puzzle on October 21, 2013, from Subatomic Puzzle Lab on Etsy for $22.22, shipping included. It’s a 500-piece puzzle that measures 19" x 13.5" when assembled. The paragraph on the front of the box matches the first paragraph of text in Apple’s original Apple-1 advertisement; the back of the box is blank. The top half of the box is taped to the bottom half; I’ve not yet opened it and inspected the contents.

If you’re surprised to find this product exists, you’re not alone. I haven’t been able to find any photos or news reports about it from that era, and it seems to no longer be available: the Etsy store is empty, the Facebook page hasn’t been updated since December 2013.

But the manufacturer’s website is still active. It describes itself as a small business whose services "allow owners and distributors of Video or Print media to monetize their content", so you might think the domain name has changed hands. But the company’s postal mailing address matches the return address on the box the puzzle shipped in, so this is indeed the same business, just taken in a new direction.

Six years later, this puzzle has gone from a hot commodity to a historical curiosity. I may still record a time-lapse video of me assembling the puzzle. In the meantime, if anyone else has one of these puzzles or can recommend similar products, please leave a comment!