2018.31

BIWO 225 Crossword Puzzle Board

Johann Renfer Sarl

(a) Black plastic backboard cast with faux leather finish; gray plastic front shaped with 15x15 grid of recessed rectangles, each rectangle has six horizontal slots fitted with a metal pin that can be moved in or out to form a braille character, the pins are backed with a pink foam under a clear plastic layer which holds the pins in place; a bright aluminum stylus is attached to a hole in the upper left corner of the board by a white cord; maker's mark cast into the backing board, "JOHANN RENFER/INT./BIWO 225/PATENT/2543 LENGNAU/CH"; (b) black naugahyde storage pouch, flap closes with velcro; in gold on flap, "biwo 225".

H-12.125 W-9.125 D-0.5 inches

ca. 1985

Johann Renfer GmbH

Biel, Switzerland

Crossword puzzles first appeared in 1916 and became a regular newspaper feature in the 1930s. The Howe Press introduced a braille crossword puzzle board as early as 1927, but all of the early board used a supply of simple pegs.

Johnann Renfer is a Swiss plastics and metal forming company founded in 1917 which specializes today in containers for the watch industry.

Gift of Mireille Duhen, 2018.31.