As historical artefacts go it is certainly one worth preserving.
At £10,000 the price of restoring the Burn Murdoch globe is not cheap, but its significance is unquestionable.
One can only imagine the tales that were told around the fireside of William Burn Murdoch's Edinburgh home before intrepid adventurers such as Captain Scott and Roald Amundsen stooped to sign their names on the handsome globe standing in the corner.
The globe is now a fabulous record of those men's achievements, just as it also serves as a reminder of Scotland's role in the Golden Age of polar exploration.
Burn Murdoch encapsulated the spirit of adventure, discovery and entrepreneurialism of the times. Not only an adventurer with an eye for a commercial opportunity he was also a great chronicler writing extensively about his travels and illustrating his books with his own sharply observed and quirky drawings. And what a noble claim to have been the first man to play the bagpipes on Antarctica.
Hidden from view since the 1930s when it was donated to the Royal Scottish Geographical Society the globe is now back in the spotlight as officials seek funding to have it restored.
It is something that deserves to be seen by future generations at the society's headquarters and museum in Perth, both as a reminder of past exploits, but also as an inspiration to future endeavours.
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