Monday, April 21, 2014

1938 Crams floor globe

     I own only one floor globe, a beautiful 1938 Crams political reality 16 inch globe. It is the newest globe as well as the largest globe in my collection.   The only globe I have ever successfully purchased in an antiques store. Actually an antiques mall.  It was 7 years ago and I was browsing the aisles of the Ontario antique mall in Canandaigua NY.  I walked by this globe and I was drawn to it, you might say I fell into it's orbit....  I looked at this thing,  walked away,  came back,  studied it, tried to date it with my limited geography knowledge, The best I could place it was pre WW2. I found my wife and showed her the globe she was impressed by it's condition, so we bought it.

1938 Crams floor globe 16 inch

     I was hooked on globes from that moment on, I remember I bought this globe early in the day of what was an all day finger lakes region antiques shopping trip, but I could not wait for the day to be over, and get home so that I could study this globe more.
     I studied this globe I learned all I could about the maker  ( Crams) as well as when it was made. I was able to date it by the European geography, this globe is indeed a snapshot of time it depicts an annexed Austria, as well as an annexed Czechoslovakia but a free Poland.  That puts it's manufacture after September 1938 but before Winter 1939  So I call it a 1938  or is it an early 1939  either way it shows Americas view of a world on the brink of war before our active involvement.  What would a German globe from 1939 look like?....   Here is a close up of Europe: late 1938
Europe on the brink of war.
     I mentioned that I only have one floor globe, obviously these are great statement making globes to have but space becomes a consideration when you start having too many large globes.  In fact I have noticed that sometimes in an auction setting an otherwise great floor globe will not perform as well as a similar desk globe just because of the space requirement eliminates some otherwise interested buyers.
     This globe got me hooked, but I'll tell you I could not have become a real globe enthusiast shopping for antique globes the way I found this one.  This globe was a fluke I was in the right place at the right time, because in 7 more years of antique stores, estate sales, and flea markets, I have seen precious few globes that I would consider collector quality.  The Internet enables this hobby.  I have had interesting conversations with another collector about the Internet, and we have both come to the conclusion that amassing a collection of globes would take an unbelievable amount of work and time without the Internet.   
     In my next post I want to explore globes on the Internet specifically Ebay.       

as always, comment, discuss, disagree with me!  all are welcome!


7 comments:

  1. Do you know if there were any globes made during WW2. Especially ones showing Axis gains in land?

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    1. Yes, there were globes made during the war, in the U.S. several companies actually offered a coupon to send in later and they would mail you adhesive updates for your globe when war ended. In Germany globes were produced showing axis advance, a propaganda tool. Also many German globes of the period did not recognize the Treaty of Versailles as it applied to Germany's African colonies after WW1. This globe pictured can be dated because of the boarder changes it shows in Europe.

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  2. Hi, my son has this same globe in excellent condition. Would you mind giving a ballpark value , thanks!

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    1. Hello, I would estimate in excellent condition this globe is worth $300 to $500. They are not uncommon, but condition is everything. A problem with this model or any floor globe for that matter is space, they take up a lot of it so when selling the price is sometimes depressed a bit due to some buyers not willing or able to devote the space. Also shipping is expensive. It's better to find a local buyer than try and ship one of these, it would cost over $100 to properly ship this globe across the US. I hope this helps.

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    2. Thank you!! I looked all morning on line. Thought maybe a bit more, yours is the Only one I found exactly like his. He just bought it at a yard sale in San Mateo for $30 !

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  4. I have the same Crams Globe which I inherited from my grandparents. I think I remember that it housed a lightbulb and could be lit up when I was a child, there is still a bit of electrical wire poking out of the metal base (South Pole). Unfortunately the screw housing in the wooden stand has become loose, do you have any advice about how to fix it? I guess I could just pour some epoxy around it, but I'd rather do a proper job.

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