Soviet Era Globes Are Bountiful for Collectors

Any of us old enough to remember the glory days of the Soviet Union remember looking at the globes of that time and feeling a chill as we looked at the massive USSR stretching across nearly all of the top of the Eastern Hemisphere.

When the Soviet Union finally collapsed at the beginning of the 1990s, the world became a much freer place, and millions of Soviet Era globes suddenly became both useless and collectable all at once. The USSR was a thing of the past, and new globes were needed to reflect the independence of states like Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and East Germany.

As classrooms and households all over the world began updating their globes and casting away the obsolete Soviet Era globes, a new, bountiful supply of collectibles flooded the market.

To this day, Soviet Era globes are abundant. The tremendous supply means that these globes have little value for antique globe collectors, but this supply does present a great opportunity for beginning globe collectors. For less than $20, a collector can venture into antique globe collecting by picking up an old classroom globe on eBay, at a garage sale, or at a flea market.

If you are looking for a Soviet Era globe for your collection, keep a few points in mind when making your selection.

1) Find a globe in good condition. Many classroom globes face heavy use. Inspect your globe carefully to make sure that it is free from significant damage.

2) Find a globe that accentuates the USSR. Different globe manufacturers use different color schemes. Ideally, you want a globe that shows the USSR in a bright color.

3) Find a globe with a lot of labels. Many names of cities, bodies of water, etc. were different under the Soviets. You will want to see as many of the differences as possible.

4) Find a globe with a nice stand. Many classroom globes from the mid- to late-1900s have cheap stands. You will probably have to settle for a globe with a dented steel stand, but you might get lucky and find an attractive stand in good condition.

With a little searching, you should be able to locate a nice Soviet Era globe for your collection. Do not buy one of these globes as an investment, because--due to supply--decades are likely to pass before the globe will become valuable. If you buy a Soviet Era globe, buy strictly for your own enjoyment. Decades from now, it is going to be interesting to study those Soviet Era globes and look back on those days when the world was just one political misstep away from a global nuclear war.