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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
The Gem Puzzle
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

The Gem Puzzle

Object numberMO 2007.858q
Name Puzzle, Slide
Maker (American woodworker, 1831 - 1883)
Dateca. 1880
Mediumwood, ink, paper (paper, cardboard)
Dimensionsoverall (box) H 3/4 in x W 3 3/4 in x D 3 3/4 in (1.9 cm x 9.5 cm x 9.5 cm )
DescriptionA boxed sliding puzzle game. The cover of the two-piece cardboard box has an illustration of the game along with its title, a summary of the game, and the manufacturer’s information: The Gem Puzzle. No. 1. / Place the Blocks in the Box irregularly, then / move until in regular order. / MANUFACTURED BY / M. J. RICE / 19 WAREHAM STREET, / BOSTON, MASS. A handwritten pencil signature on the underside of the box reads: Walter C. Newell / Medway.

The box contains directions on a piece of white paper, and a wooden frame with 15 removable wood tiles each with an inked number (1 through 15) on the top.
Label TextThis sliding puzzle (also known as the 15 Puzzle) was made by Boston woodworker Matthias J. Rice who is credited as being the first person to introduce a commercial version of the game in 1879. Rice called the sliding game the Gem Puzzle.

The game is part of a collection of 19th century games designed for the amuseument and instruction of children (MO 2007.858a-r) purchased by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 for $97.50. The games, which were found together in the attic of an old house in Massachusetts, were put up for sale as a collection by The American Autograph Shop in Merion Station, Pennsylvania.
Additional Details
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPersonal Possessions of the Roosevelt Family (National Archives Identifier 782689)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
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