George shares his philosophy of collecting and insights into what drives a collector in this interview. Some excerpts:

On collecting as opposed to dealing: "A lot of people won't deal in something that they collect, and I certainly collect things other than globes. A dealer is by nature a collector, but he's a collector who sells his collection. Most people who collect over time eventually find themselves dealing in some way. The temptation to buy becomes overwhelming, so you start selling."

What defines a collection: "When the pieces you have work together so that the whole is more important than the individual parts...You have to be instinctively drawn to the area of collecting-- you can't just pick something. And you have to steer away from bargain-hunting--oftentimes purported 'bargains' are illusory. If you're a globe collector and you find one with a valentine on it for $2, buy it. It's fine. But if you're buying a mid-19th-century table globe by Joslin, you need to know what you're doing. You don't want to just junk up your collection."

Photos by Paula Bullwinkel