Liberty Puzzles

Liberty Puzzles was founded in 2005 by Christopher Wirth and his business partner Jeffrey Eldridge, after Wirth’s family inherited several hand-cut wooden puzzles from the 1930s.[1] Surprised by the value of hand-cut wooden jigsaw puzzles (which can sell for more than $1,000 each), Wirth decided to start a business using modern cutting technologies, with a goal of producing puzzles in the $100 range.[2] Wirth is the son of former Colorado senator Tim Wirth.[3]

Liberty Puzzles was the largest or second largest wooden jigsaw puzzle manufacturer in America as of 2011. In 2014, the company opened a retail location on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.[4] Liberty Puzzles experienced a surge in popularity during the early days of the covid-19 pandemic, and was forced to institute a waiting list to purchase puzzles of up to 60 days.[3][5]

The puzzles are made in Boulder with archival paper and inks adhered to quarter-inch maple plywood cut with computer-controlled laser cutters. As of 2020, the company owned 44 laser cutters, each capable of producing a 500-piece puzzle each hour.[5]

The company offers over 650 different puzzle images.[5] The image selections have an emphasis on fine art, vintage prints and Asian art. The puzzle designs are modeled after the puzzles popular in the early-twentieth century. Liberty's puzzles include a relatively large number of whimsy pieces (pieces shaped recognizably, for example, as storks or swans), reaching over 20% of the pieces in some puzzles.[1][3] Most Liberty Puzzles include the company's signature whimsy piece in the shape of an eagle.

• Liberty Puzzles official website