Globes have been symbols of wealth and scientific knowledge since the 1500s, after Columbus had dared to sail the ocean without fearing he would fall off the edge of the Earth. Early European globes were wooden or metal balls covered with maps drawn on linen or vellum. Printed globes came later. It must have been a challenge to decide how to transform a flat map into a rounded globe. One of the earliest solutions was to put the map on a series of “gores” (paper or fabric shaped like long, pointed ovals) that were glued to a ball. By the 18th century, globes looked very much as they do today, except that much territory had not yet been explored and the shapes of land masses and lakes were often wrong. By 1887, Rand McNally had made its first printed globe. Collectors today probably will find globes from the 19th and 20th centuries. They can be dated by the shape of the stand, which usually matched popular table legs of the day. But political boundaries have changed so often that it is best to date a globe by checking the names and borders of countries in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Q: I bought a small, black pottery vase at a local art gallery. The artist’s signature, scratched into the bottom surface, reads “Elizabeth Loveto, San Ildefonso, Pue.” I know that Maria Martinez is probably the most famous potter from San Ildefonso, but I thought I could find some information about Elizabeth Loveto on the Internet. I could not.

A: The artist who made your pot is Elizabeth Lovato, not Loveto. She is still working in San Ildefonso, a pueblo located between Pojoaque and Los Alamos, N.M. Maria Martinez (1887-1980) is famous – her work is known as “Maria pottery.” Her “black pottery” style is a tradition that has been continued by other San Ildefonso artists.

Dunbar, the furniture company, made this globe and stand designed by Edward Wormley around 1957. There is a light inside the globe, making it a find at ,410 when it sold at a Treadway-Toomey Galleries auction in Oak Park, Ill.

Q: We would appreciate your thoughts about an ice crusher that was left in the garage when we bought our house. It’s cast iron, weighs about 20 pounds, and is 12 inches tall by 6 inches wide, not counting the large wheel on one side. The wheel can be cranked with an attached horizontal handle. The printing on the side reads “Alaska Ice Crusher, Winchendon, Mass., No. 1.”

A: Your ice crusher was made sometime between the 1880s and the 1930s. It was manufactured by the Alaska Freezer Co. of Winchendon. It could be used in homes or at hotels or bars to crush small blocks of ice. The crushed ice was used in drinks, to make homemade ice cream or to keep food cold. Ice crushers like yours sell for $35 or more.

Q: I’m 80 years old and have a wicker doll buggy I bought with my savings when I was very young. I think it cost me about $5. The buggy is in good condition. It’s marked “Lloyd Loom Products, Method Patented Oct. 16, 1917, Menominee, Mich.” Do you think someone would like to have it?

A: Marshall Burns Lloyd (1858-1927) invented a process for mass-producing “wicker” furniture. He used steel wire wrapped in twisted fiber and fitted around a framework. He applied for his first patents in 1917 and soon was the world’s largest manufacturer of baby carriages. Within a few years, Lloyd’s company, Lloyd Loom, was manufacturing furniture, too. The firm is still in business. We’re sure someone would like to have your doll carriage. You could sell it or donate it to a museum in your area. We have seen Lloyd Loom doll carriages priced up to $325.