OK so you've purchased some nice globes, check, now maybe you have added a map or two perhaps one of great personal interest, check.......well what else is out there........? Well there is a whole world ( get it world, ha ha ) of globe related collectibles that you might be interested in. So what are globe related collectibles? Anything that has to do with the globe, could be a catalog, or a Manuel. Globe toys, banks, or other novelty items are also included. Other planetary models, solar systems, ectera might also be lumped in. These are items that I think deserve attention, and might be of interest to some collectors and might be blasphemy to others. I know a collector who in addition to some nice globes focuses his attention on antique telescopes! Well they certainly are related, and beautifully so.
I'd love to give some examples of some collecting that is in this broad category. I am always on the lookout for catalogues, manuals, fliers, and ads for globes. These transient paper items are known as ephemera; basically anything that was made to advertise or compliment a globe made of paper. Weber, Rand McNally, Andrews, Holbrook, Crams, they all made this material and I try to acquire it when I can. Below I'm showing a few examples of " globe ephemera" I've collected over the past couple of years, you see I just started looking for these items myself, but what great additions in their own right.
I want to share an exceptional find with you, on eBay I purchased a rare copy of Andrews Tellurian Globe Manual published 1885. This booklet acompanied the Andrews Tellurian and was an extensive guide for teachers to use so that they could best demonstrate sun earth and moon movements with the device. This copy is complete no missing pages, some foxing to the binding otherwise in nice condition for what it is. Too bad it is no longer attached to the Telurian.....
I hope to change that Someday.......
This next group of pictures shows a group of A.H. andrews correspondence dated 1873 an interesting assemblage. Essentially it was a "cold call" to a local government official requesting a list of school officials, in exchange for this list the sender would receive a subscription to some sort of newsletter. If you think about it not a bad way to find new customers pretty ingenious given the limits of the time. Also interesting is the continued use of the Holbrook name more than 10 years after acquisition by Andrews. I paid less than $5 for this little gem a bargin for these nuggets of history.
The next photo is a grouping of 2 globe Manuels from the the 1930's and 40's as well as a school supply catalog from 1923. Page 115 shows globes priced from $4.55 to $34.10 I love these bits of knowledge about the price of these globes when they were new, puts things in perspective a little bit.
The fact that a school supply catalog even survives 90 years on and was purchased for less than the cost of the least expensive globe advertised is the real treasure!
These are just a few quick examples of the type of globe ephemera that is lurking out there, needles in a haystack for sure but when found are usually very reasonably priced. Everything on this post was found on eBay, and I'll tell you I've missed more of it than I found because I don't search as rigorously for these items as I do for the globes themselvs. Other places to find this material include specialized epherema dealers, there are quite a lot of them out there suprisingly. Old paper items are very popular with collectors.
***If your reading this post and you have any globe related paper materials that you are interested in selling please contact me via email I might be interested in purchase!***
The fact that a school supply catalog even survives 90 years on and was purchased for less than the cost of the least expensive globe advertised is the real treasure!
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ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to searching for globes on eBay Deutschland; have bought two Reimers (1941 and 1943, the latter now showing 'Pearl Harbour') and a Flemming. Never heard of the last one, but I bought it for just over 40 euros thinking it was from the 1920s. In fact, as soon as I got it I noticed India, Pakistan, the two Koreas, Israel and the Sudan. But Poland had bits shaded, making it look like it was 1920s-era Germany. At least I got the loight working; it's a stunner. I have a question- how/why is it that Reimer globes seem to change in colour and text even for globes produced in the same year? What would the point be from a question of economy for a manufacturer to go through the trouble of differentiating Manchukuo and Tibet for one globe and give them both to China for another, or to never decide of the colonies were lost or being 'held in trust'?
ReplyDeleteKeir, Firstly welcome to the blog, now about your question there could be 2 reasons that a globe from the same company would appear with different geography but still be of the same time period
ReplyDelete1. A company could update their globe gores mid way through a year and then a change could be shown only on part of production, especially during a time when many political changes are occurring , sometimes a company would wait and make 3 changes all at once rather than redraw gores with each change.
2. some companies offered multiple looks especially ocean color to suit decorating styles and personal taste, hence black ocean globes, tan ocean and sometimes a pea green ocean or dark blue all might be offered as options. All of these companies were in competition with other producers so any way of distinguishing yourself from a competitor was employed.
Kyle, Are you familiar with a Uniclock? It would have been invented in the 30's. It's a globe/clock that rotated on its ornate stand. If you have ANY information at all about the Uniclock please share with me! Thanks in advance
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