Schmid unveils new line of NASCAR jigsaw puzzles

If you're a longtime NASCAR collector, you know that two of the rarest pieces of memorabilia from the 1970s are a pair of jigsaw puzzles featuring Richard Petty's famed STP Dodge and fan favorite Tiny Lund with his No. 55 Pepsi Camaro.

SUPERSTORE •   NASCAR puzzles

Truth be told, those puzzles were probably 30 years ahead of their time. Granted, they were high quality collectibles, and jigsaw puzzles have been around for what seems like an eternity. But NASCAR was still a largely regional curiosity back in the early '70s, and the collectibles market we know today was still two decades away.

Of course, things are a lot different nowadays. Jigsaw puzzles finally have a legitimate shot at earning a place in the market, and the new series of puzzles from FX Schmid is doing just that.

A division of the German-based Ravensburger conglomerate, FX Schmid is currently offering puzzles featuring four different drivers: Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick.

Puzzles are available in 1000-piece and 500-piece editions. The 500-piece puzzles measure 13 by 19 inches and showcase an image of the car at speed. The 1000-piece versions capture the urgency of a pit stop, or-in the case of Earnhardt Sr.-the driver posing with his car. This puzzle is slightly larger, 20 by 27 inches.

"The imagery on these puzzles is amazing," said Phil Aberbach, Vice President of Sales for FX Schmid. "We poured over hundreds of photographs before we found just the right shots to use. The images are vividly compelling."

FX Schmid puzzles are crafted from the finest materials, a fact that many puzzle builders probably take for granted.

"You have to have high-quality board," Aberbach noted, "so we import ours from Germany to maintain the same level of quality throughout our product lines. First of all, you want to make sure that the lamination doesn't come apart. You also want a material that is strong enough to make sure that all of the edges stay sharp and crisp and consistent. We've all seen some of the cheaper puzzles on the market where the edges will become frayed or ragged to the point that they don't fit together well once they've been put together a few times. You don't have to worry about that with FX Schmid puzzles."

FX Schmid-Ravensburger is the largest puzzle manufacturer in the entire world.

"We're second in the U.S., second to Hasbro," said Aberbach. "But worldwide, we're Number One, the largest. We actually have two puzzle brands, Ravensburger and FX Schmid. Ravensburger is our German brand, and we do a lot of kids' products with that brand. FX Schmid is more of adult brand, and we do a lot more American-type product development with that line."

The company designs and manufactures every type of puzzle imaginable, from 20-pieces for children to 2000-piece brain-teasers for the advanced puzzle builder, and covering a plethora of subjects.

"Some people like to build a puzzle over and over, some like to put it together once and frame it-which makes a nice addition to any wall," Aberbach noted. "Typically, the 500-piece puzzle fits a standard size frame available at most any store."

This is the company's first venture into the NASCAR market. It was the success of FX Schmid's motorcycle-themed puzzles that convinced the company to take a look at NASCAR.

"We became a licensee of Harley-Davidson in 2003," Aberbach elaborated. "We were pleasantly surprised by how well our Harley-Davidson puzzles sold. So we started looking at other potential licenses and thinking that a NASCAR puzzle line might be a great addition to our catalog."