Great antiquing can still be found in Lancaster PA

     This past week had me out on the antiques trail in Lancaster Pennsylvania. What a beautiful place to visit, yes thay are famous for the Amish but they are also a hotbed of antiques.  All along route 272 between Denver and Adamstown PA there are a string of great places to find great antiques still.  I suppose being an easy drive from Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia helps the flow of good merchandise as well as the monied buyers necessary to keep brick and mortar shops open.  A great experience that is getting harder and harder to find in the US and I suspect harder to find in many other places also.  A tip to would be hunters, Adamstown PA runs 3 weeks of what they call Extravaganzas the last full weekends of April, June, and September.  If you can hit this area during one of those weeks for even more variety !
     I want to share some globe highlights,  some real treasures were seen, none purchased  but that means they are there for you...!!

Above a rare globe toy and original box, above left a very nice if over priced Trippensee Tellurian. The tag says 1930's but the electric cord says 1960's.  Buyer beware on the antiques hunt
   On the left a real gem a pre 1900 Rand McNally 6 inch globe, the orb was in exceptional preservation, and a decent find at $380












On to another venue where I spotted this mid 1920's  French globe. Priced at $575 I was told that a 20% price flexibility was not out of the question, The orb was in nice shape and if you are looking for that quintessentially French globe then it would be hard to beat this one.





I love this shot, below none of these globes is particularly special, but this dealer obviously could not pass up a globe when they saw one, or a cocktail shaker for that matter!



Last but not least I want to air a grievance I have against the antiques industry, below I show you a Replogle globe game, with none of the original pieces and a nice but no where near perfect globe.  This thing is priced as if it is all there, and in much better condition.  It would be like selling a vintage Monopoly set but all of the money, and chance cards were missing.  How much is 1/4 of a game set worth?  well $110 apparently.  If you're going to charge over $100 for something isn't it worth the time to at least Google it......?










    I love getting out and seeing antiques close up, the internet is really a double eadged sword.  Antiques become more accessable, but at the expense of traditional shops where you can put your hands on the goods.  Such is life in the Amazon age.....

Weber Costello 8 inch full mount globe, lets examine a small treasure

     I've been on the lookout for an 8 inch full mount Weber Costello globe for quite a long time.  The smallest size that Weber produced in a full mount fashion is suprisingly difficult to find.
     Weber made quite a few 12 inch full mount globes for both home and school, and good examples come up for sale regularly, but the same cannot be said for the smaller 8 inch version.  Eight inch globes were produced in much smaller quantity and among those full mount examples were a small part of the output.

Weber Costello 12 inch left, and 8 inch right

     This picture above shows the huge size difference between an 8 inch and 12 inch globe, adding to the desirability of this 8 inch globe is the greater versatility you have when you are looking to display. The perfect size for a bookshelf or a mantle the 8 inch globe goes places a 12 inch globe just can't fit. 

     This would have been, at the time about 1928 the best 8 inch globe Weber Costello sold.  This globe was offered in a total of 3 configurations, a basic offset mount, then an upgraded mount that added a graduated meridian ring, and finally the full mount version that then adds the wooden horizon band. 

 Lets talk condition;  the copper plated metal stand is in fantastic shape, and the horizon ring is better than 95% intact, there is one small blemish, but far better than normally found.  The orb itself is also better than 95%, there is one scrape in the asia area of the orb, and another small pencil eraser sized blemish near greenland but these are fairly minor and there is no loss of map.  Important to note, often times these globes suffer scrapes in the Antarctic region from at one time or another being taken off axis.  This globe has none of that,  this globe still retains the thumb screw at the base that when present helps prevent such damage.  

8 inch simplified offset mount on left, full mount on right

     Also of note the isothermal lines are still present the blue is still strong, the red ( most prone to fading) is present boldly in the southern hemisphere, and faintly in the north. This is most common.   All in all a great addition to my collection.
     But that is not the whole story about this particular globe, there's more..............

     Weber Costello as a company made globes for many other resellers. Often times the resellers label would be posted neatly over the Weber Costello cartouche. Often called an over label.
     This particular globe has what I think to be a very interesting over label.  The over label on this globe is for none other than A. H. Andrews of Chicago.  Now some of you will know that C. F. Weber bought A. H. Andrews globe making business out of bankruptcy in 1895.  Keep in mind that globes were not Andrews' main business.  Their main business was school furniture, and that portion of the business was reorganized and continued in Chicago long after 1895.   So fast forward 30 plus years after that sale to C F Weber and you have Weber Costello a globe powerhouse in Chicago. You also have A. H. Andrews making school furnishings, chalkboards, theater seats and even restaurant furniture ( think booths and tables).  But they don't make globes, no problem because Weber Costello across town does.

A. H. Andrews over label

     So Andrews sells out to Weber in 1895, then many years later goes back to Weber Costello to contract for some globes to sell along with the rest of their school line.  Of course they, like any other reseller want their name on the product, and Weber Costello obliges. The result is this globe; where Weber Costello produces an Andrews over labeled globe.  The globe business in this case came full circle!
     I have to admit I'm a bit of a small globe nut.  I am running up against the problem of space.  You can only safely display so many globes before you start to feel cramped.  I am getting close to that capacity now, but there's something else also. Small globes, especially these small full mount examples are almost an exercise in form over function.  The proportions are just right,  a scientific sculpture...

Packing a globe for safe shipment a practical guide

     I send and receive a fair number of globes in the mail.  So let me tell ya I've seen it all when it comes to packing and shipping fragile items.  So I thought it might be a good idea to add my 2 cents to the conversation and throw in a few do's and dont's when it comes to packing and shipping globes.

1. Don't put any newspaper in the box, newspaper is not a good shock absorber, and it is not a good fill material around any fragile item.  Yes it's cheap and that is it's appeal but please don't use it to protect anything it is false security.

2.  Don't skimp on box size.  Even a smallish globe probably needs at least a 16x16x16 inch box in order to safely travel any distance.  All too often in the zeal to save $4 in shipping costs people skimp on the size of the box.  It's not worth the savings if the item is damaged.
     A 12 inch full mount globe will probably need a 20x20x20 box to safely travel,  probably a bit smaller if a simple offset mount.

3. Do disassemble the globe before shipping,  remove the orb from the base and cocoon in bubble wrap separately, then wrap the stand separately.  It is always best practice to take these things apart.

These two pictures are an example of expert packing. Notice the rigid Styrofoam inner shell, and the extensive use of air packs to absorb impact, as well as hold everything in place. This good job was done by a Manhattan UPS store, not cheap, but absolutely no worries. the box was a 24 by 24 inch cube for a 12 inch globe. Probably the best packing job I've seen.

4. Do make liberal use of packing peanuts, air packs, and bubble wrap. These materials are your best defense against damage during transport.  Not the most environmentally sensitive, but these materials can be used over and over again.

This next group of pictures is another example of an expert packing job, notice the tomb of packing peanuts.  Below inside that mystery box of peanuts each piece of the dis assembled globe is wrapped seperetly in a protective layer of bubble wrap.
     By now you should be asking yourself " why the heck did he take so many pictures as he opened his mail ? "  A completely valid question.  Now would be a good time to mention my other blog "picking packing pictures.blogspot.com................Ha Ha  just kidding (  that blog name was already taken)
     Seriously this brings me to number 5.  Do take pictures as you open an expensive package. Because you never know and if you have damage, and you need to submit an insurance claim what better proof of trouble than a picture!

     In closing,  a lot of this should be common sense but  there are so many horror stories out there from eBay about horrible packaging.  The keys to success are start with a large box, over use peanuts, and disassemble the globe.  Many of these ideas are applicable to any fragile items you are shipping.

Don't hesitate to discuss, below in the comments, I love to hear feedback!!

The ephermal Peerless 6 inch instructional globe

     Let's check this globe out together.  The Weber Costello Peerless 6 inch instructional globe.  A low cost globe, mass produced for the sole purpose of giving each student in a classroom a basic globe at their desk.  Usually the teacher would then teach from a larger more detailed globe in front of the class.

The quintessential student globe Peerless 6 inch

     This globe was patented in 1909 and produced for in excess of 30 years.  A 6 inch pasteboard orb, a simplified map, and an inexpensive bent wire stand.  Really as absolutely basic as you can be and still be a functional instruction device.  This globe reminds me of the plastic recorder I received in music class, an instrument, yes..........but barely.
      So this globe was mass produced by the thousands, and is available all the time on eBay.  That is if you want a worn out roached example.  The hard part of collecting this little beauty is finding one in excellent shape.
     You see this globe was made inexpensively and then put in the hands of kids, it just was not meant to survive.  Good examples are few and far between.  I am very luck to have an exceptional example to show you here:

   


















     This globe dates from about 1928 Leningrad is present, after 1924, and Central Australia still exists ( 1929)  There are bold simplified colors, just as when new.  A great little globe to have in my collection.  I love this globe because it did survive!  I also love that it is small, I'm having quite the globe related space crunch lately.........ah  modern problems.........
     My goal as a collector is to assemble a representative collection of American globe making from 1830 to 1950  and this little schoolhouse number is critical because it represents the essence of globe manufacture in the early 20th century, that being for the education market.  I've found that there are a group of collectors who frown on globes intended for schools.  I on the other hand have come to understand that because of school demand globe makers were able to flourish in a way not seen before, and because of that competition we have innovations that would not have come about otherwise.   This globe is a new favorite for sure!