What different types of globe can you buy?
by Mark Jeffery, globemaker at goodwoodglobes
Spinning, historical, inflatable, illuminated, levitating, relief, educational, magnetic, cork & pin, paper, folding, puzzle, bar, heirloom, handmade, art, wooden, custom…
Here’s our guide to the best globes of every type, from the lightest of inflatable globes to the heaviest of bar globes, you can buy from globemakers and globesellers around the world.
Spinning Globes
There are plenty of globes that’ll spin for a moment if you give them a good nudge, but there are not so many that’ll spin indefinitely.
Historical Globes
Some of the most beautiful globes you can buy today have historical designs, either direct facimiles of globes from centuries past or contemporary designs inspired by globemaking history.
Handmade Globes
While most globes are mass-produced these days, some, like those of centuries past, are made by hand. Handmade can mean many things: hand-turned, hand-plastered, hand-painted, hand-papered, or even, in the case of glass globes, mouth-blown!
Inflatable Globes
No matter what size of globe you’re looking for, you won’t be able to beat an inflatable globe for price. Be warned, however: these blow-up globes might leave you breathless!
Illuminated Globes
Illuminated globes have become so popular that in some stores you’ll have trouble finding a globe that doesn’t come with an internal light! Check out our guide to some of the more unusual illuminated globes you can buy.
Levitating Globes
Levitating globes are suspended mid-air by magnets controlled by complex electronics. If you want a globe that defies gravity, take a look!
Art Globes
Every globe is, to a degree, a work of art. Some artists, however, have turned to globes as the inspiration for their more abstract artworks.
Relief Globes
Raised relief globes, which show mountain ranges as crinkles on the surface of the sphere, have been around for a while. Recently, however, globemakers have been taking three-dimensionality to the next level.
Educational Globes
In my mind, every globe is educational, a reminder that we live on a small planet. Some globes, however, go a step further, helping children to learn about the world in a surprising variety of fun ways.
Magnetic Globes
Always forgetting where you are in the world? You might want to place magnetic markers on a metal globe to remind you not only where you are, but where you’ve been, where you’re going, and what’s happening where.
Cork Pin Globes
As a more natural alternative to placing magnetic markers on a metal globe, try putting pins in a cork globe. You’ll get better precision and you can buy as many extra pins as you need from your local stationer!
Wooden Globes
Though wood has long been used to make the bases for globes, only recently have globemakers turned to this most natural of materials to make the globes themselves.
Paper Globes
Did you know that you can make a globe out of paper? Take a look at these simplest of all globes.
Folding Globes
Not all globes are made spherical! Icosohedral globes are folded from 20 triangles, giving a surprisingly satisfying view of the Earth.
Puzzle Globes
A fun way to experience a globe is to get one in pieces and assemble it yourself!
Bar Globes
Hiding your drinks inside a globe is surely one of the strangest ideas in the history of globemaking, not to mention the history of drinking.
Heirloom Globes
Some globes are built not just to last a lifetime, but to be passed down through the generations. If you’re looking for a globe that’ll become a family heirloom, take a look at these timeless globes.
Custom Globes
Gone are the days when every globe was the same: these days, you can order a globe customized to show the places you’ve been.
Explore our globe guides:
Is your favourite type of globe not listed here? Tap here to tell us about it