Record temperatures may have left us all in a hot sweat but – when the heat is on – Hansons sells snow.
Festive reminders of fluttering flakes came to the fore at the height of summer thanks to a collection of snow globes in July’s Antiques and Collectors Auction.
These glorious novelties fire up childhood nostalgia, attract an army of collectors and melt bidders’ hearts. Consequently, though Hansons may not be able to sell snow to Eskimos we can sell snow globes when temperatures hit 39C!
More than 30 of these much-loved collectibles, mainly produced by Walt Disney, were snapped up and nearly every lot went to one determined UK buyer. She splashed out more than £700 on these ornamental fancies and now has an avalanche of snowflakes to enjoy at the shake of a hand.
However, they may be going far and wide. She buys and sells snow globes because ‘they’re so popular’ and says the rarer ones are hard to come by, especially Walt Disney examples.
It’s a reminder that no matter what you may have tucked at home, and no matter what time of year it is, there are buyers out there who might just love your unwanted trinkets and treasures.
The Disney globes celebrated stories and characters many children come to know and love such as Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan and Mickey Mouse.
They sold in grouped lots and achieved prices ranging from £65 to £160. The highest price went to lot 2385, four globes relating to Lady and the Tramp, Dogs, and Peter Pan. Hot on its heels, making £140, was lot 2380, a pair of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas musical snow globes. Four Disney snow globes featuring Liberty Belle, Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea also achieved £140.
Snow globes, a transparent sphere traditionally made of glass enclosing a miniaturised scene, have long been popular collectibles. And the man we have to thank for this invention is Austrian Erwin Perzy.
At the at the end of the 19th century he came up with this wonderful whimsy by chance. Erwin, a producer of surgical instruments, set himself a goal of developing an extra bright light source for use as a surgical lamp. He tried to intensify the candlepower of a so-called Schusterkugel, a water-filled flask used to focus light with particles made out of different materials for reflection purposes. The effect reminded him of snowfall and led him to invent and patent the Schneekugel – snow globe.
His first globe featured a model of Austria’s Mariazell Basilica. His idea sparked great demand so Erwin and his brother Ludwig opened a shop in Vienna. Production continues to this day and the family business exports across the world. The material and methods used to make particles for Erwin’s globes remain secret.
Globes emerged in the United States in the 20th century. The first globe-related patent was granted in 1927 to Joseph Garaja of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1929, Garaja convinced Novelty Pool Ornaments to manufacture a fish version underwater.
In 1940 America, snow globes were often used for advertising. Meanwhile in Europe, religious snow globes became popular gifts for Roman Catholic children in the 1940s and 50s. They have also appeared in film scenes, the most famous of which is the opening of 1941 classic Citizen Kane.
Plastic snow globes and mass production emerged in the 1950s. However, Austria still makes finely crafted versions and in 2000 luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Ladurée, Sonia Rykiel and Martin Margiela and grew fond of snow globes as collectible emblems of their brands.
Today’s snow globes include music boxes, moving parts, internal lights, and even electric motors that make the ‘snow’ move so that it is no longer necessary to shake the globe.
If you have a collectible gathering dust, give it a shake and bring it along for valuation. To give you some idea of the eclectic nature of Hansons’ monthly sales, other top July lots included a K6 vintage telephone kiosk which made £3,000 and a Ducati 900 supersport motorbike which sold for £1,600.
As always, gold and jewellery excelled. A gold sovereign bracelet made £1,200, a random mix of gold jewellery including chains and earrings made £1,080 and a 9ct gold pocket watch realised £620.
The snow globe sold in Hansons’ July 14-18 Antiques and Collectors Auction. Entries are invited for monthly general and Fine Art auctions.
Free valuation and consignment events will be held at Cavendish Hall, Edensor, Derbyshire, DE45 1PJ on July 27 and August 24, 10am-1pm – no appointment necessary. To find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
-ENDS-
