Abraham's Whale is a difficult puzzle that I found frustrating and tough. Truth be told, I just gave up after the first few steps and I don't have any further desire to push deeper into this puzzle. So the internals are almost completely untouched by me and is pristine! I've decided to just let it go to a more deserving buyer.
Bluntly put, I think the first step or two are too difficult for puzzlers to guess at, and I'm planning on sending over some hints to make it a bit easier for the potential buyer to start with this puzzle. They will be encoded in rot13 so they can decide to accept the hints or not.
Additionally, there's a way to brick the puzzle that would result in the solver needing to ship it back to Israel for repair and replacement. Solvers are told not to insert a brass pin into a hole on the back of the puzzle. I've included an image from another person's copy of Abraham's Whale where he taped instructions to the bottom of the puzzle.
Idan even sent out instructions with the puzzle covering things solvers should or should not do:
1. The Allen screw should only be opened with an Allen key.
2. The small rod at the bottom of the puzzle (where the arrow is). No need to enter any hole at the bottom of the puzzle.
Despite how negative my comments on this puzzle is, I've taken the time to watch a solution video of this puzzle and Abraham's Whale does have some incredible steps and puzzling after the beginning. I just got too frustrated and stressed over potentially bricking this puzzle that I just didn't have the appetite to continue with the solve of this puzzle.
Furthermore, Idan has come out with a sequel to this puzzle, I Need
My Lunch, which he offered to current owners of Abraham's Whale first. I don't know if he still has copies of that puzzle or not. But as #56, I had #56 of INML reserved for me and I never "claimed" it. So if Idan still has it, he may sell that to the winner of this auction. But I don't speak for him and can't promise any such thing on his behalf.
The puzzle does have some very subtle markings on the outside despite my attempts to be as careful as possible and I don't think the camera is all that great at picking them up despite my attempts to do so. The lock also developed some severe patina that I cleaned off with multiple applications of metal polish. But some small spots still remain that look dirty to my eyes. I did not use any metal polish on the box itself though.
I accept and prefer using Zelle as my payment method of choice.
I
accept Paypal. I prefer Friends & Family due to the IRS tax rules.
But if you rather pay with Goods & Services, I will accommodate that
preference.I accept Wise for international buyers. Wise can also be used for domestic transactions.
I am willing to consider other desired payment methods.
Shipping is USPS or UPS
Buyer
chooses the shipping service and shipping speed, First Class or
Priority (assuming the package is under the weight limit for First
Class).
Insurance is optional, but buyer has to cover it if it is desired.
I ask the winner to hold off on paying until after I calculate and message final shipping costs to be added to the final bid.
Please
notice that with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, my shipping out
this puzzle may be delayed. It will still go out within the 5 day period
dictated by PuzzleParadise, but please be patient if I end up using
most of that time.
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