I remember the moment I fell in love with maps!!

     I'm feeling like a ride on the nostalgia train............I remember the moment yes the exact moment I fell in love with maps!!  In fact I still have the first map that I ever owned.  It's a fragile relic now but I found a photo of a similar one online and I'll share it now

Christmas day 1987 I fell in love with maps,  I suspect that some of you discovered your love of maps the exact same way!!    BTW I still know this one by heart!! 

Gilman Joslin 1846 globe, 170 years of history in your hand part 1 of 2

     This post is going to be a bit different,  usually when I add a new globe to my collection I give it a post and explain a bit about the item and why I found it special. Today I'm going to do that and a whole lot more.  You see today I want to talk about an exceptional find that came my way in a wholly unexpected way.  Today I want to offer you, dear reader a peek behind the curtain from start to finish of a rare globe purchase.
     I go fishing on eBay every day.  Some of you will read this and know exactly what I'm talking about, others will just be confused. I have favorite searches that get checked every day, multiple times a day in some cases ( guilty....) and the vast number of times you searches turn up empty. Every once in a while though..............this is a story of one of those times.........
     Tuesday 11/1/16 was a busy day for myself, kids, appointments, a doctor visit, one of those days when you just don't have time to breathe, you know...   Well as the day was winding down I was between appointments and I figured " ya know I better check eBay, I haven't yet today"  and I was scrolling through the usual dross that is the globe section when a very interesting listing caught me.  The listing said " Joslin six inch globe on stand 1846 excellent condition"  WOW  that headline grabbed me for sure,  it was a buy it now or best offer auction, here is a screen shot of the auction:
     As you can see perched next to a Diet Coke can for size reference is a very old American globe, the pictures and the description said a lot, they suggested that this globe was in excellent original condition, and judging from the pictures I felt as if I needed to act fast,  but I needed more information, I'm sorry but I just can't throw a grand around without researching things a little bit more. So I sent a few questions to the seller.  Well I sent quite a lot of questions to the seller, a bit of a risk because in the interim another buyer could have easily executed the BIN option and all of my study and inquiry would have been rendered moot!  A chance I had to take because I wont make a substantial purchase without my appetite for full information satisfied.   I don't recommend anybody go into a purchase especially one over the Internet until all questions are answered , that's really Internet buying rule 1!!
     OK so I sent off my litany of questions and I waited impatiently for a response, minutes later much to my delight the seller answered and removed any doubts that I had, this globe was the real deal so to speak.  Now the nitty gritty....... negotiating the price.
     This eBay listing was set up as a very straight foreword buy it now or make offer,  now when a seller says make offer in the listing, then that in my mind is a 100% green light to negotiate for a lower price. Again with this item, and being that this listing was only hours old, I took a bit of a gamble making an offer.   At any time a full price buyer could have swooped in and bought this globe right out from under me.   Now for those of you who know me I'm all about the deal.  I can't help trying for a great deal.   So with this in mind I did some quick research on this globe, and determined what a solid fair offer would be.  I did this by primarily looking at auction results over the past few years that featured similar Joslin globes. I came to understand that this seller was not being too off the mark at $1050 but that didn't stop me. I offered $800 and much to my delight it was accepted straight away...........should I have gone lower?.........lingering doubt.  The answer is no, and here is why. A price of $800 according to my research is right where the market is for such a globe, yes retail prices are much higher quadruple in fact. Auction price is another animal all together.  I based my fair price on this recent sale: Northeast auctions, Joslin globe sale   this link will take you to a recent auction where this globe crossed the $1000 hammer price, netting $850 for the consignee minus any fees so I surmised that this globe could and should sell near this price minus commission and fees.  Lower and I would have been in danger of " low balling" the seller, and believe me it's better to arrive at a fair price for both sides rather than be a jerk!  One more thing about listing items on eBay that are many hundreds into a thousand dollars or more, please include shipping !!  This seller did it is the right move, were not talking $20 items these are expensive,  just include shipping, that's the classy move.
     So then lets examine this small treasure a 170 year old American globe:

 According to Werner(1) Gilman Joslin worked for Josiah Loring and in 1839 took over his globe making operation it is that year ( 1839) that Joslin issued his first globe.  That globe would be revised periodically until 1846 when Joslin issues his second newly engraved globe.  It is that which we are faced with here a splendid Joslin 1846 globe 170 years of history in your hand.  Quite literally in your hand because this is a 6 inch globe and stands a mere 9.5 inches tall.  I will throw out an assumption here, the Texas republic ceased to exist on on December 29, 1845 (2) when Texas was annexed into the United States. This event I'm sure prompted the issue of a new globe for the following year. Notice the US boarder includes newly admitted Texas, but still does not include the southwest states we know today those states continued in 1846 to be part of Mexico.  Alaska on this globe is a long way from being part of the USA here it is Russian America.
     Africa is detailed around it's edges and the vast center of the continent is labeled simply "unexplored".  The fact that this globe has a date stamped right in the cartouche is noteworthy because later on this became a rare thing because dating a globe makes it in a way instantly obsolete.  this practise was nearly unheard of towards the turn of the twentieth century.
     A young globe maker in a very young nation made this globe in Boston, and it was retailed for $5.00 a substantial sum at that time.  The United States in 1846 was a completely different place apart from city centers near major waterways the vast majority of the country was very sparsely populated.
     As an artifact this example of Joslin's handiwork remains in excellent original condition, with many fewer issues than most globes to have survived this long. Another beautiful combination of wood, metal, and paper, scientific, historic and artistic,  at least in my opinion.
     This globe was I'm sure primarily used as a student or classroom globe due to it's size. It is quite detailed and was hand colored by one of 5 Joslin employees.  This globe in my mind tells a story of a young nation and it's belief in manifest destiny.






source list:
(1) Werner Deborah, Rittenhouse Journal, 1985

(2) Wikipedia,  where else.......

Globes in London, ..... even when I'm vacationing I see globes......

     I was fortunate enough to be a vacationer in London earlier this past month and of course I'm always on the lookout for globes,  well globes just have a way of finding me below I'll share a few of my run ins of the cartographic sense.

1. Stanfords, Covent Garden:  This lovely store was spotted by my wife as we were walking by, she stops abruptly and announces" well we have to go in here!"  What a great place, Stanfords is a store that sells everything map, travel, and globe related, it is a great place to browse and buy anything cartographic, and current. Here are a sampling of the globes on display, all new and accurate, certainly a great place to spend a few minutes just looking around.

2.  The Museum of London:   What a great but I suspect sometimes overlooked museum in London.  Very near to St Paul's Cathedral.  This museum traces London's growth and change through the ages.  It also provided me with an up close and personal globe experience. 

Both of these globes were on display as examples of London's manufacturing advancement in the late 18th century, a Newton pocket globe and a larger Newton library globe captivated visitors.




3. Finally the British Library had some awesome treasures of a cartographic nature, both maps and globes were displayed, but the real excitement happens in November 2016.  A new exhibit opens that promises to bring some of the gems of their collection to the forefront.  Here is a photo of the ad for that coming attraction........

     I want to close this post by saying that I appreciate your patience with me as I did go longer than I would have liked between posts.  I never like to let more than 4 weeks lapse without a post but sometimes life has other plans.  As always lets discuss,  and don't forget to sign up as a blog follower in the right sidebar!!

Gilman Joslin 6 inch school globe, a rare find

     I want to show you a great little globe that has made it's way into my humble collection.  A Joslin's 6 inch school globe.  This gem of a globe has been on my most wanted list for quite awhile and finally my treasure hunt is over.  Six inch globes are the smallest size that Joslin made; as with many American globes of this size this model was most likely destined for a student's hands. Purchased either by a school district for classroom use, or by fortunate parents for home study. This globe would have retailed for about $5.00 in 1885.  The orb is 6 inches in diameter and it is mounted with a graduated 1/2 meridian. The stand is of an ebonized wood, and the whole thing tops out at just under a foot tall.
     This acquisition continues my trend of buying small, becoming a necessity as space is coming at a premium these days.  But I must say for a small package you could scarcely find a more elegant presentation.   This example is nicely preserved, a bit dirty especially in the northern hemisphere, and with a bit of wear to the base all in all a nice presentation. In fact this globe shows the correct and expected wear that suggests that nobody has tried their hand at armature cleaning or restoration, and that's a great thing!!

      This globe presents a simplified map surface that makes dating this globe particularly difficult, Congo Free State is delineated in Africa, although not named, no state boarders are shown in America so my best guess is that this globe came into existence after 1885, but probably before 1895. Here is a great link to another example of this globe at the : Boston Public Library  They seem to think it's 1870's I think that's a bit optimistic. Six inch globes that early probably would have had a stained wood base not an ebonized one. 

     This globe comes "farm fresh" right out of a New Hampshire estate.   It goes to show that these old globes are still able to be found with their original owners and not always in the antique dealer stream, although this is quite an early example to be found this way. Seeing as this globe had to pass through at least 3 generations before being scooped up by yours truly.  This globe owes it's place in my collection to the efforts of one of my best friends, and fellow globe enthusiasts, she knows who she is........Thanks again!!  Here's a handy estate sale tip, if the closet is full of Depends, don't buy anything upholstered......stick to the case goods.
     You know Joslin was one of those east coast firms that fizzled out after the turn of the century. Beaten by the Chicago upstarts and their fresher take on the manufacturing/ marketing process As well as  stiff price competition, Schedler was another victim of the juggernaut that was the Chicago based firms.  Below I have assembled a shot of this Joslin globe and a Rand McNally school globe also from the same time period.  The Joslin globe was about five dollars, and the Rand McNally was about 1/2 that price.  If you are a school district, or for that matter a parent it's hard to justify paying double for the Joslin when the Rand McNally was perfectly serviceable.     You know there is quite a story to be told about the American globe makers move from the east coast to Chicago, a microcosm of manufacturing trends in the late 18th century, fodder for another blog post for sure..........

Joslin globe on left, Rand McNally on right, both 6 inches

   

 As always, lets discuss things, and please if you have a small globe especially a Joslin, or Andrews, or Schedler just gathering dust in uncle Ebenezer's attic well what are you waiting for, he's not going to miss it!!   sell it to me!!!!

Globe ephemera wanted.......!!!

Ok  I'm probably the only person your going to find who gets excited about these things, but that's alright, the rest of you just don't know what your missing,  and that's good for me!   I LOVE globe ephemera, that is items that accompanied globes or advertised globes, think trade cards ( I missed a killer trade card on eBay recently)  ads for globes, sales brochures, catalogs, globe manuals and all of those other paper items that went along with globes that all to often were just thrown out.
     Let me show a piece that did not get away :

 These photos are from a globe manual that accompanied the Rand McNally  Celestial globe and star finder.  A worthless booklet to 99.999% of the population , but priceless to those few persons who actually own the globe that this manual was originally paired with.  Would you beleive that this manual actually garnered a   " book review" in the journal of the Franklin institute in 1932 here is that link: Astronomy Made easy, book review   It is interesting to realize a bit of information from this review that is that Rand McNally introduced this line of celestial globes after a period of time when celestial globes had fallen out of favor. The review states that 4 versions of the 8 inch celestial globe and star finder were offered ranging in price from $12-$30.
     Well.... bottom line these tid bits such as this manual are important to collectors. I want to say that I am always looking for globe catalogs, manuals and advertising from major American globe makers such as Holbrook, Joslin, A. H. Andrews, Weber Costello, and of course Rand McNally if you have any of this material for sale please contact me directly and I think we could come to terms!

***UPDATE  8/30/16***   Just today I got my hands on an amazing little item, an original Rand McNally globe catalog from the early 1930's perhaps 1930 or 1931 here is a picture of the cover:

It's a great resource, some pages are even color, and it's interesting to see prices, and available items from that time period, for example they made a series of slated globes, but I've never seen one for sale.............humm..........

Globes for sale, Heymann globe from about 1900, Rand McNally globe from about 1922

Hello fellow globe enthusiasts I rarely sell anything from my collection, but as my collection has evolved I find it necessary to once in a while sell an item that no longer fits my core.  Today I am offering 2 such items for sale a Ludwig Julius Heymann globe from about 1900 and a Rand McNally globe from about 1922.  I'll describe both in detail with pictures

1. Heymann globe:  This is a German globe printed about 1900   Sweden and Norway appear to be united, Congo Free state is in Africa.  The globe is in German and has a decidedly European look.  It's size is desirable at 19 cm ( almost 6 inches)  The geography presented on such a small globe is remarkably detailed, much more detailed than many 6 inch globes of the time. One great feature of this globe are the ocean currents prominently displayed very visually appealing. This was no doubt a student globe at the turn of the 20th century, what a remarkable survivor!   It is elegantly mounted on a wooden base, and offset at 23 degrees. It spins freely and is a substantial 17 inches tall.
     I really love this globe it is so elegant, it has such a presence on my bookshelf.  The wooden stand does have some wear to the finish, and there are some minor abrasions here and there on the map.  It is after all 116 years old, but over all a really nice presentation.  As I've mentioned before globes smaller than 12 inches in this case a near 6 inch orb are becoming exceptionally hard to find, in any shape let alone in as presentable a shape as this,  best hurry!!!

 Please review the pictures, if interested I will send along more pictures.  I'm asking $225 plus shipping  for this particular globe quite a bit less than many retail outlets would list this item for.  Just email me through the blog if interested .







2.  ***UPDATE SOLD***The next globe I'm offering for sale is a great Rand McNally 12 inch desk globe from about 1922. Central Australia is NOT yet present on this globe, and the boarders of Egypt are those of early 1920's  This is a vibrant and substantial globe that I've had in my collection for almost a decade.  The orb has no dents, scrapes, or cracks it is near pristine, the base is in the art Nouveau style ad is also in remarkable presentation. Truthfully you would be hard pressed to find a nicer example of this globe. It spins freely and stands about 22 inches tall the orb is 12 inches.
     In the interest of full disclosure, the shellac on this globe was professionally re-done and the brass finial was remade professionally, you would not have been able to tell had I not mentioned either, as both jobs were handled by globe experts.  That said it's the nicest example of this globe around.  I'm asking $375 plus shipping for this beauty MUCH below what a retail seller would ask.  Again see the pictures and email me with any questions ***UPDATE SOLD***

Although this great Rand McNally sphere is sold, the Heymann globe is still available,  a great smal globe that is getting harder to find

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!