German man shatters his own world record with 11,017 snow globes
Nuremberg collector Josef Kardinal expands the world’s largest snow globe collection, started in 1984 and housed in his basement.
A German collector has shattered his own Guinness World Record by amassing 11,017 snow globes, the most in the world. Josef Kardinal, whose winter dioramas fill the basement of his Nuremberg home, began collecting in 1984. He first earned the record in 2002 with a tally of 6,100 globes; the collection has since grown to 11,017. Kardinal described the hobby as a way to celebrate the holiday season and the romance of miniature worlds. "I love the romance of snow globes and how beautiful they are when you shake them up and the snow falls down," Kardinal told Guinness World Records.
The collection spans decades and includes whimsical and unusual pieces, such as a Harley-Davidson globe that emits a motorcycle sound when moved, and another featuring a sinking Titanic replica. The oldest globe in his tally dates to 1889 and is Paris-based, with an Eiffel Tower inside. The smallest globe is about the size of a fingernail and doubles as a wearable pin. During the COVID-19 era, Kardinal added items like a globe with a roll of toilet paper and another with a snowman wearing a mask. One globe pays homage to Taylor Swift and contains a mini typewriter from her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department; when shaken, pages with lyrics swirl inside.
Kardinal keeps the entire archive in the basement of his home in Nuremberg, a setup that supports a collection of this scale and variety. The globe assortment includes pieces from different eras and cultures, reflecting years of dedicated collecting rather than a single motif or genre. Kardinal has said the pursuit is driven by a longing for a kinder, more curated universe—a sentiment that has helped sustain his decades-long hobby even as the count continues to climb. The Guinness World Records acknowledgment underscores the breadth of the collection, as it has evolved from a personal passion into a record‑setting cultural curiosity.
While 11,017 is a striking figure, Kardinal emphasizes balance and storage as essential to maintaining the collection. He notes that the display is more than a pastime; it is a curated chronicle of holiday optimism, memory, and pop culture moments captured inside glass globes. The collection’s breadth—from antique Parisian pieces to contemporary tributes to music stars—illustrates how snow globes have become a global cultural artifact, weaving together travel, memory, and whimsy in a single, shimmery snowstorm. As interest in unique collector’s items grows, Kardinal’s basement is likely to remain a landmark example of how a single hobby can expand into a worldwide personal archive.
The broader appeal of snow globes—miniature worlds that capture a moment in time and place—continues to attract enthusiasts worldwide. Kardinal’s experience reflects a particular strain of culture and entertainment: a deeply personal collection that resonates with others who seek comfort, nostalgia, and a sense of whimsy during festive seasons and beyond. As collectors chase the perfect find, Kardinal’s record stands as a milestone in the history of snow globes, illustrating how a simple object can become a global talking point and a lens on decades of holiday memory. For Kardinal, the project remains ongoing, a lifelong pursuit that blends memory, art, and the quiet thrill of a world in a snow globe.
