September 2005 archive

This past weekend we took a bit of a break to go visit Freeport, Maine, (and if you don’t know why we were in Freeport, there’s really only one reason (google for it)) and on the way home stopped off at Delorme’s headquarters just a tiny bit south in Yarmouth, ME.  It’s always amazing to go there and visit the giant Eartha globe.

While there, though, I of course had to visit the company store and wound up leaving with two globes.  One of them was a reproduction of a Weber Costello globe, and the box was quite clear that it was a model.  In fact, it turns out to be made by a company called Authentic Models who makes an entire line of reproduction globes primarily targeted, it would seem, at people who want nice-looking globes in their homes as decorations.

Some very nice pieces.  The one I purchased looks great next to all the authentic globes I have. Given that Weber-Costello stopped making globes back in the 1950s, their globes are hard to find today and so this may be the closest I’ll get to one.  However, seeing the long list of globes produced by the folks at Authentic Models did make me wonder about some of those that are listed on eBay. Is that "Vaugondy" globe that is listed real?  Or much more likely a reproduction…

I was scanning eBay for the first time in a while and looking at all the auctions underway when one caught my eye.  It was for a 8" world globe by Terrestrial Globe, John Wanamaker, New York, Philadelphia, copyright G. W. Bacon & Co., London.  Judging by the information provided by the seller, the globe sounded like it was quite old.  Obviously, however, it caught the eye of a good number of other people as well.  The opening price was set at $5.99 but the first bidder opened at $24 and 18 bids later the 19th bidder took it home at $616.88! 

Too rich for my taste right now, but there’s an eBay seller out there who is very happy tonight!

As I was preparing to post an entry to my primary weblog about some recent globe purchases, I realized that: a) these postings had really nothing to do with the other stuff I talk about; and b) it might be a nice excuse to try out TypePad and the new ecto offline client I’d like to try. When I found that “thisoldglobe.com” was available, it was just too much, so here I am with yet another blog.

So, welcome! My name is Dan York. I’ve been blogging for over 5 years and using the Internet in one form of another for about 20 years. My main blog is http://blog.danyork.com/ and you can find other information about me at http://www.danyork.com/.

Somewhere along the way, I started to collect globes and now have about a dozen or two floating around the house in various sizes and conditions. As a long-time lover of maps, it’s a fun hobby and quite interesting and educational. (Did you know that the Italians once controlled part of Eastern Africa? I didn’t, but do now.) In this blog, I intend to merely write down some of the things I see and learn about globes… and perhaps about some of the interesting ones I find as well. I don’t know how often I’ll update it… time will tell. In the meantime, enjoy!