“L.A. Law” Actor Corbin Bernsen Owns 10,000 Snow Globes. Here’s What He’s Going to Do with Them All (Exclusive)
“L.A. Law” Actor Corbin Bernsen Owns 10,000 Snow Globes. Here’s What He’s Going to Do with Them All (Exclusive)
Gillian TellingSat, August 15, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Actor Corbin Bernsen in 2026Credit: Andrea Fremiotti
Key Takeaways
Corbin Bernsen began collecting snow globes during his L.A. Law days and now owns over 10,000 of them
He is writing a coffee table book about his collection and considering opening a snow globe museum in New York
Bernsen is enjoying a career resurgence with roles on Apple TV’s Your Friends and Neighbors and NBC’s The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins
Back when he was starring as Arnie Backer on the hit series L.A. Law, actor Corbin Bernsen had no inkling that one day he’d own one of the world’s largest snow globe collections.
But it was doing promotional work for the series, which ran from 1986–1994, that got him hooked on collecting in the first place.
“There’s a story to how it happened and it has to do with L.A. Law and promoting the TV series at affiliates, when they’d give me little gifts at their station — hats, t-shirts, snow globes,” he says. “Which, by the end of L.A. Law had turned into 25 globes.”
He was inspired to keep going.
“All of a sudden I went, oh wow, this is a collection. It looks cool,” he says. “So then I started buying them everywhere I went. Then of course eBay came around, and that kind of destroyed it because it was really easy to buy them. But I still go like to antique stores, or the Rose Bowl and other flea markets to search for them, because eBay is too easy. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”
Snow globesCredit: Getty
He says the subculture of serious snow globe collectors is small — there are only about 10 of them around the world — and they know each other and will trade amongst themselves.
As for the one globe he still wants? He says a friend has it.
Collection of snow globesCredit: Getty
“There’s a guy that has got an incredible collection, a little better than mine probably. He’s actually repairing a lot of my ones that are not in the best shape. And he has the crown jewel of snow globes, which is the Paris Expo in 1896 of the Eiffel Tower. It was one of the very first souvenirs,” he says. “It was certainly one of the first ever snow globes. But it has a hefty price tag on it!”
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Corbin Bernsen in 2026 and in 1984Credit: TheStewartofNY/FilmMagic; Steve Fenn/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Bernsen, whose career is having an incredible third act — he’s on shows like Your Friends and Neighbors and The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins — says technically he could afford to put an offer on the globe.
“I’m debating like, do I buy it? Because it’s the holy grail of globes. But is it more important for me to have something on the horizon? Because right now it’s still this little treasure that’s just over the hill and keeps me marching forward.”
Now that Bernsen owns over 10,000 of them, he’s currently writing a coffee table book about both the collection and their meanings, tying in his life story as well.
“I’m also considering selling the collection to someone who promises to put it on display for everyone to see, or even creating my own little museum that somehow generates enough money to keep it going,” he says. He thinks the small Hudson Valley, N.Y., town that he lives in would be the perfect place for an eclectic snow globe museum.
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When he’s not collecting, he’s currently enjoying a massive career resurgence: He can currently be seen on Apple TV’s Your Friends and Neighbors (as Jon Hamm’s boss, hedge fund manager Jack Bailey) and NBC’s The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins (as Tracy Morgan’s ex-football coach). He also recently appeared on the final season of the Netflix legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer.
He says getting newfound attention at 71 has been a delight.
“It was funny, I was walking around the other day with my friend Harry Hamlin [his costar from L.A. Law] and every other person was like, ‘Love you on Friends and Neighbors. Love you on Friends and Neighbors!’” he says with a laugh. “When you’re on a popular show, you know you’re on a popular show!”
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
