Snow globe is one of the festive decorations for Christmas. It is a transparent glass sphere filled with water, allowing white “snowflakes” to fall inside. A man from Germany, due to his immense love for snow globes, has been collecting them for years. At present, he owns 11,000 snow globes, breaking his own previous Guinness World Record.
According to the Guinness World Records website, the German man named Josef Kardinal broke the record for collecting the most snow globes in the world in 2002 with his collection of 6,100 snow globes.
Since then, he has continued to collect snow globes relentlessly. His collection now amounts to 11,000 snow globes, nearly doubling his previous record and setting a new world record.
Recently, he invited Guinness World Records authentication officer Emma Salt to his home in Nuremberg to visit his unique snow globe collection.
Kardinal mentioned that he received a snow globe as a gift in 1984, which sparked his interest in collecting them. His friends used to buy snow globes for him, but one day he realized he could also purchase them himself. Thus, he began traveling with his wife to various places around the world to acquire novel and unique snow globes.
His collection varies greatly, ranging from small snow globes that can be worn on clothing like a brooch to giant street lamp-shaped snow globes taller than himself. Many of his snow globes are rare limited-edition pieces that are hard to find for collectors nowadays.
When asked why he loves snow globes so much to have collected 11,000 of them, he replied, “I love the romance of snow globes, watching the snowflakes fall when you shake them is very beautiful.”
He added, “People love snow globes because they encapsulate a perfect world. Clearly, that is not a real world, and that is what attracts us to them.”
Despite his deep affection for snow globes, he does not like cold weather. His favorite weather is actually sunny, but he explained that Nuremberg rarely sees snow, so he sees the most snow in his snow globes.
As for whether Kardinal believes snow globes capture the essence of Christmas, he said, “The snow in snow globes perfectly represents Christmas, which is why you will always see snow globes at Christmas markets.”
Of course, for him, snow globes are not just Christmas decorations, they are items that can be cherished for a lifetime. He is very proud of his collection.
He also mentioned that due to limited space in his home, he can no longer collect many more snow globes. He estimates that his home can accommodate a maximum of 12,000 snow globes.