Thinking about snow globe collecting passion
I thought I am the only one
Most importantly, there are so many who still pursues the snow domes collection
It is common to see adults like me enjoying flipping or shaking snow globes
Then watch the tiny white glittering falling slowly to settle down again
According to Fiona Shoop’s book how to profit from Auctions
Snow globes are one of the items that can be pricey based on its association with specific events
In this post, I will discuss the snow globe collecting passion starting from its origin and ways to make money of it
What is the origin of the snow globe
According to the BBC website, the Austrian grandson named Erwin Perzy III around 64 years old (born around 1957)
He was acknowledged as inventor of snow globe
His grandfather Erwin Perzy came up with the idea in 1900 and called it Schneekugel
Around 1905, mass production started and 108 years later Original Vienna Snowglobe factory still going strong
Its patent moved to the United States in 1927 to a person called Joseph Garaja of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
During the 1940s, USA used snow globes for advertising
While in Europe, during 1940s and 1950s Roman Catholic church used it for children as a symbol of religious snow globes gifts
Back to the founder Erwin Perzy, his grandson took over around 1980 with 30 employees producing around 200,000 snow globe pieces per year
All of their mass production made of glass and not plastic
Despite the company small size, it has a massive base of known customers
The company releases snow globes for specific events like US President Barack Obama’s children, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan
Snow globes nowadays we use them as paperweights
Where companies started to design them with music box mechanisms for even more interactive play
What are different names for snow globe?
snow globe or sometimes written as one word snowglobe are the known name but an equal synonym is snow dome
Some customers call it different names like snow shakers, water globes, water domes, water balls or blizzard weights
Usually, we buy them as paperweights especially if it is small in size like those that can fit in your hand palm
Meanwhile, there are decorative snow domes made of wooden base
It is large enough to place it on fireplace
What do snow globes symbolize?
Nowadays, snow domes symbolize the childhood and happy days
I still remember my early childhood when I used to shake water domes and keep watching these glitters settle down
What is inside the snow globe?
The liquid is a distilled water mixed with Glycerin, Glycol and white glitter
They add Glycerin to slow down the affect of the falling glitter
Just shake the globe and enjoy the slow falling effect of glitter
Also they add Glycol which is a toxic chemical to prevent the liquid from freezing
Certainly, it is highly recommended to make the globe from thick glass
The snow flitter is made from porcelain, china or bone fragments, ground rice, metal flakes or the mineral meerschaum
That’s why kids adore holding and shaking them which might fall and break
Therefore, always make sure that your kid is standing on a fluffy carpet or kids foam floor mat
That’s why number one reason of any broken snow globe is due to crashing the glass glove on hard surface
If that happens, don’t let your kid soak his hands in the toxic liquid
Can you make money from snow globe collecting passion?
Snow globes like all collectibles once get old they start to be far worth its original price
Especially if you acquire them in special events, this means you have a high chance of making money by selling them with high price
That’s why as any other antiques you buy cheap from those that don’t appreciate their value then sell high for those who really know how much these snow globes are worth
Catch snow globes rare collections as those are pricey
Any upcoming events, perhaps search for that specific events
Like Olympic games or any new US president taking presidency
Also if you miss an event, you can still buy it from auction sites like eBay
You can still buy old snow globes collectibles on eBay for a price low that what they are worth
Look for one time event
Yes if you have Snow globe collecting passion then some events are really one time
They never happen again like the wedding of Charles and Diana
If you were living at that time and it happened that you bought a snow globe for that event
I believe now it would be worth 150x its original price
Go for glass items
I don’t think any plastic snow globes are considered to be collectibles
Glass is elegant and adds value to the globe
Again it is very rare to have a glass snow globe leaking its liquid
But on the other hand side, plastic globes are not reliable and can leak easily
Funny but globes with mistakes are expensive
Most of the times, snow globes are hand made products
It can happen that one snow globe slips with a spelling mistake or an upside down object inside
Although these are mistakes, having said that it is rare and expensive as it becomes unique
Pick the best selling venue like eBay and Etsy
You have to appreciate the platform that cater the right people looking for what you sell
If you are selling collectibles and antiques
I bet you the best place is eBay
You can also built your own Etsy store to sell different varieties
Selling so many expensive antiques with few items not expensive where this can raise the price for the non expensive items
Find Thomas Kinkade snow globes collection
Thomas Kinkade snow globes are made of glass and fine materials
Most of them come in wooden base with a price that can start with $100 plus
You can look for these Thomas Kinkade on sites like Facebook Marketplace or any garage or yard sales
What snow globes are worth money?
The answer is simple, those valuable snow globes like the rare and one time event collectibles are worth its money
Also Disney snow globes featuring Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, and Donald Duck where some of them are back to 1900s
Again Lone Ranger snow globes made by the Driss Company are very valuable today