Sources page probability recreations

P. 307, no. 61: Der Ring der Nibelungen.

P. 307, no. 63: Spirale mit Nadel. This has a rod down the middle of the spring.

P. 310, no. 87: Ring mit Kette.

Western Puzzle Works, 1926 Catalogue. No. 9: Down and Out.

Collins. Book of Puzzles. 1927. The snake and ring puzzle, pp. 48-49.

11.K.2. STRING AND SPRING PUZZLE
A loop of string goes through the spring which has a few turns and long tails so the string doesn't come off obviously.
Western Puzzle Works, 1926 Catalogue. No. 1877: Loop and Chain.

Slocum. Compendium. Shows Magic Chain from Johnson Smith 1929 catalogue.

11.K.3. MAGIC CHAIN = TUMBLE RINGS
One holds the two top rings and releases the upper one which appears to drop to the bottom.
A magic chain. The Boy's Own Paper 12 (No. 581) (1 Mar 1890) 351. Good picture by Poyet, so this ought to be in Tissandier or Tom Tit, but I haven't seen it.

Der Gute Kamerad. Kolumbus Eier. 1890. ??NYS, but reproduced in Edi Lanners' 1976 edition, translated as: Columbus' Egg; Paddington Press, London, 1978; The magic chain, pp. 176 177, with good illustration on p. 177 -- an enlargement of Poyet's picture with his name removed.

Bartl. c1920. P. 308, no. 71: Konsilkette.

Western Puzzle Works, 1926 Catalogue.

No. 12: Drop Rings Illusion. 15¢. Picture shows 20 rings.

No. 334: Drop Ring illusion, chain of 35 Rings. 15¢. However the picture shows 26 rings??

Davenport's catalogue, op. cit. in 10.T, c1940, pp. 8 & 29, calls it The Wizard's Chain.

Gardner. SA (Aug 1962). = Unexpected, chap. 13. Calls it "tumble rings". Describes the chain with a good diagram for making your own, but gives no indication of its history.

11.K.4. PUZZLE RINGS
William Jones. Finger-Ring Lore. Chatto & Windus, London, 1877. Pp. 313-321 discusses gemmel or gemmow rings with two or three parts. He cites Herrick -- "a ring of jimmals", quotes Dryden's play Don Sebastian describing a two part ring, describes a three-part jointed ring, describes a two part ring excavated in 1800 (medieval??), describes 'a plain geemel wedding-ring' given by the Prince Regent to Mrs. Fitzherbert, describes the five-link wedding ring of Lady Catherine Gray, illustrates a 15C gemmel ring with a head of Lucretia of the type mentioned in Twelfth Night II.v, illustrates Sir Thomas Gresham's betrothal ring of 1544, describes and illustrates several other examples -- 16C, 13C. On pp. 321-322, he mentions an exhibition of some puzzle rings by Rev. John Beck at a meeting of the Archaeological Institute in Mar 1863. These had 7, 4 and 9 parts.

Ernest C. Fincham. Street Toys. Strand Mag. 10 (1895) 765-773. Shows: Oriental ring (ordinary four strand puzzle ring).

Dudeney. Great puzzle crazes. Op. cit. in 2. 1904. Says he believes it is of Indian origin.

George Frederick Kunz. Rings for the Finger. J. B. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1917; reprinted by Dover, NY, 1973 (with the two colour plates done in B&W).

Pp. 218 233 discusses puzzle rings. The earliest forms were gimmel rings which had two or three parts which could be separated for use at betrothal, with the parts rejoined at the wedding and given to the bride. These are known from the 16C -- e.g. the plate facing p. 219 shows a 16C German example from the BM and Sir Thomas Gresham's betrothal ring (c1540) is similar. P. 219 gives a quote from Dryden's play Don Sebastian which describes a two part ring. The plates opp. pp. 220, 221 & 230 show other examples including a three part one from 17C.

Kunz says "the so called 'puzzle ring' ... was derived from the East." The plate facing p. 220 shows examples of a three part ring and the common four part Middle Eastern ring, in gold, from the 17C in the BM.

The plate opp. p. 233 shows a six part gold betrothal ring from the Albert Figdor collection, Vienna. This forms a simple chain of six rings.

Stewart Culin. Korean Games. Op. cit. in 4.B.5. Section XX: Ryou Kaik Tjyo -- Delay Guest Instrument (Ring Puzzle), pp. 31 32. Says there are many Japanese ring puzzles, called Chiye No Wa, and shows one which seems to be 10 rings linked in a chain -- possibly the simple type of puzzle ring??

Slocum. Compendium. Shows The Lady's and Gentleman's "Wonderful Ring" from Joseph Bland's catalogue, c1890. This has four parts which form a simple chain. The Compendium also shows Puzzle Ring from Johnson Smith 1929 catalogue, which is the classic Turkish or Middle Eastern four part ring.
11.K.5. RING MAZES
These are plates with holes and perhaps raised sections. An open ring must be removed by working it from hole to hole.
S&B 92 says a version was sold by Hamleys in 1879 and appeared as The Boston In-and-Out Puzzle in 1880-1885 and as The Queen's Jubilee Puzzle in 1887.

Peck & Snyder. 1886. P. 250: no. 188 -- The order of stupids.

Hoffmann. 1893. Chap. X, pp. 353-354 & 392 = Hoffmann-Hordern, pp. 251-252, with photos.

No. 42: The Conjurer's Medal. Photos on p. 251 show an example from 1880-1890 and The Queen's Jubilee Puzzle, 1887. Hordern Collection, p. 96, shows a version labelled Boston In and Out, dated 1880-1895.

No. 43: The Maze Medal. Photo on p. 252 shows an example dated 1888. Hordern Collection, p. 97, shows the same.

Western Puzzle Works, 1926 Catalogue.

No. 52: Spider Web.

No. 123: Boxing the Check. (I'm not certain from the picture that this is a ring maze??)

Dudeney. Great puzzle crazes. Op. cit. in 2. 1904. "... the 'Conjurer's Medal,' that came out some years ago ...." Medal with five holes.
11.K.6. INTERLOCKED NAILS, HOOKS, HORNS, ETC.
I have just added this. The puzzle has two interlocked objects. One type has nails bent around a 270^o twist -- see S&B 96-97. A variation, called Wishbone Puzzle, has longer tails -- see S&B 97. A variation has one of the nails made longer with twists at each end, sometimes called Tangle Twister -- see S&B 96. A variation has two circular bits with tails, sometimes called Double Witch Key -- see S&B 97 & 102. Another type has two S-shaped pieces or two J-shaped pieces (hooks) -- see S&B 95.
Hoffmann. 1893. Chap. VIII, no. 10: The Eastern question, p. 307 = Hoffmann-Hordern, pp. 204-205. Interlocked circular bits with tails = Double witch key. Photo on p. 205 shows an example, with instructions, by Hamley Bros., 1890 1900. Hordern Collection, p. 86, shows two examples of Question Romaine, with their boxes, by W. S. and R. T., both Paris, 1890-1910.

Burnett Fallow. How to make an ingenious link puzzle. The Boy's Own Paper 16 (No. 777) (2 Dec 1893) 143. = Hoffmann no. 10.

Benson. 1904. Chap. VIII: Wire puzzles, pp. 236 240. The two crooks. (= Hoffmann no. 10.)

Walter S. Jenkins. US Patent 969,481 -- Puzzle. Filed: 16 Mar 1908; patented: 6 Sep 1910. 3pp + 1p diagrams. Interlocked nails.

Bartl. c1920.