1967 East German Political World Globe – Räths Politischer Erdglobus

Produced in the former GDR (East Germany) by the renowned cartographic publisher

VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha / Leipzig, using plates by Paul Räth.

This is the institutional / school issue globe, showing a pre-1970 political world with Cold War borders – a fascinating historical snapshot of a divided planet.

A genuine survivor from the Cold War classroom.

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🔎 DETAILS

• Date: c. 1967

• Title: Räths Politischer Erdglobus

• Designer: Prof. Dr. Arthur Krause

• Cartography: W. Steinbrück & H. Reetz

• Publisher: VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha / Leipzig

• Model: Best-Nr. 70E

• State Product Code: Waren-Nr. 37630000

• Scale: 1 : 38,600,000

• Diameter: 33 cm

• Language: German

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🌍 HISTORICAL FEATURES

• Cold War political borders

• USSR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia

• East & West Germany shown separately

• Pre-modern African nations

• German language geography

This globe predates modern world boundaries and reflects mid-20th-century geopolitical reality.

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🏷 ORIGINAL GDR INVENTORY LABEL

The base retains its original East German state inventory label, used within the former GDR’s centralised supply system.

• Best-Nr. 70E – official model / order number

• Waren-Nr. 37630000 – state product classification code

These labels were applied to items supplied to schools, ministries, and state institutions, confirming this as an authentic institutional-issue globe, not a later decorative reproduction.

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🧼 CONDITION

Good vintage condition with authentic age wear and areas of paper loss, consistent with long-term classroom use.

• Light scattered paper loss

• Original speckled lacquer finish remains

• No major splits to the gores

• Axis, meridian arm and base all solid and intact

The wear adds character and confirms genuine age.

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🎯 IDEAL FOR

• Mid-century & brutalist interiors

• Cold War history collectors

• Library, study, or office display

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📦 SHIPPING

Carefully double-boxed, fully insured, and shipped promptly.

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