Thrift Treasure: Quiver Dexterity Puzzle

We tend to look for used games and puzzles in several places. Not only do we frequent our local Goodwill stores, we occasionally shop at Salvation Army or Stuff Etc. Every once in a while, we’ll stop in a smaller thrift store to see what goodies we can find. This week we went to one we hadn’t been to in over a decade – our local D.A.V. Thrift Store.

The D.A.V. Thrift Store in Davenport, Iowa is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization supporting disabled American veterans in the Quad Cities area. Nationally, the DAV assists more than one million veterans in life-changing ways each year. Locally, the DAV helps provide Davenport’s disabled veterans with housing and employment help, assistance with benefit claims, rides to medical appointments and much more.

Like most thrift stores they offer a wide variety of used goods donated by charitable citizens. Bicycles, clothes, housewares, and of course, toys and games are all well-represented. We managed to find a few games and puzzles to bring home, most of which we had never seen before. This copy of Quiver caught our eye because of its simplicity and cheap price (only $0.45)!

The premise of Quiver is simple. Inside the sealed acrylic box are three loose white plastic pieces and a larger black “L” permanently affixed to the center. The object is to maneuver the white pieces into the black piece to form a perfect square.

But not just any square will do – it must exactly match the configuration shown on the bottom of the puzzle. Quiver is aptly named since you’ll need a steady hand, and a little luck, to successfully complete the challenge. As previously mentioned, Quiver isn’t overly complex. It’s the exact opposite. A simple fidget puzzle that will occupy your hands and mind for a few minutes.

Quiver was originally published in 1974 and was still available new in the mid 80’s. You can find used copies on eBay for a few dollars, and if located at thrift or a yard sale, is worth picking up for a bit of entertainment.

Do you enjoy these types of dexterity puzzles?