All Hail The King

Update 26 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

The All Hail The King puzzle has been reviewed by different bloggers at one time or another. (eg; see Oli's Mechanical Puzzle Blog, Collecting Mechanical Puzzles, Jeff's Puzzle & Magic Reviews). While I probably can't add much more than what has already been said about the puzzle, well here are my own two cents worth.

The King is very tall at 6 inches!
Disclaimer: Coke Zero can displayed for size comparison purposes only.
This blog has no affiliation whatsoever with Coke Zero or The Coca Cola Company

I was very lucky to acquire the King from Oy Sloyd Ab. It was one of two remaining pieces they had which had been used as counter display items in their store in Vaasa, Finland. As far as I know, the King and other puzzles designed by Marcel Gillen are no longer available from any retailer anywhere and very difficult to find. My own version was made most likely by Bits & Pieces. Although the overall quality is generally good, nonetheless because it is made of cast aluminium, one or two tiny cast "joints" are still visible. To be fair this is not really a big deal because the joints are not obvious until you hold the puzzle up close and scrutinize thoroughly. The puzzle itself is large and heavy, measuring about 6 inches tall with a base of almost 2 inches in diameter.

M G for Marcel Gillen

The object of the puzzle is to remove a coin from within the puzzle. By just looking at the puzzle, one can deduce straight away that there must be some kind of a mechanism that will get the puzzle open. Solving this puzzle was not difficult for me and I managed to extract the coin (which turned out to be made of plastic) within 15 to 20 minutes or so of trying. Although I was able to solve the King quite quickly, I think it still presents a fair challenge as evidenced from one of my friends who gave up trying after a couple of hours.

The coin perched atop The King

Overall, the King is a handsome piece and feels solid. Besides being a puzzle, the King can also serve as a nice paperweight or an interesting coffee table conversation piece, as I seriously doubt anyone would mistake it for a real chess king. For its rarity, certainly a collector's puzzle. If you happen to come across one for sale, don't wait, buy it immediately!