Frequently Asked Questions about Antique Maps

Our customers often marvel at the many different maps we have in our store, and as we chat with them, they ask lots of questions. Here are some of the most common:

Where did you get your maps?

Bob bought two antique map businesses from dealers who were retiring, so he acquired thousands of antique maps, prints, and nautical charts in those purchases. We also still buy at shows and auctions, and occasionally we buy items directly from people who bring them into the store. Our inventory is always changing and every month we send out a newsletter highlighting exciting new items- sign up at the bottom of the page to learn about new additions!

Where do the maps come from?

Many antique maps are from books and atlases, including school books, county atlases, topographical atlases, commercial atlases, etc. Many maps were published with a center fold or many folds, because they were folded into a book. Some atlases were intended for education, some were made for tax purposes and showed property owners, some were sponsored by the government to record land or coast surveys, some atlases record historical events and wars, and some were created to display the information gathered in a census.  Later maps were published for tourism and fun as well. And of course, maps have always been made for travel!

What do you mean when you say a map is an "original antique"?

Sometimes customers think that saying a map is an original antique means that there is only one in existence, but that is rarely the case. Most maps were made using a printmaking technique, meaning that multiples were created at the same time, and all of those are originals. For example, our maps by Munster from 1542 were printed and published in 1542 (yes, the paper really is that old!) and Munster printed many sets of them at that time and published his maps in Heinrich Petri's Cosmographia. He was recreating the maps made by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD, which have been lost to time. It is impossible to know how many volumes of Cosmographia were printed or how many have survived to the modern era, but these maps do go on the market with some regularity. The exception to this are hand-drawn maps, which are generally singular and unique.

Do you color your maps?

Generally, no. Almost all of our maps with color have their original antique color. Why is it so bright, you might ask. Simple- people have always loved color. Photos of Victorians might be in black and white, but in reality their clothing was brightly colored, their homes had colorful walls, in some cases even paintings of that time were more colorful than we know them (the colors change over time). The colors were useful on maps to delineate political boundaries, such as those between countries, states, duchies, etc. Colors also help the eye immediately see what is land versus water, what is forest versus desert, and what is a city versus wilderness. All color on antique maps was hand-painted until the later 1800s, when printed color became common. We will always mention in the description of a map if we have added any recent coloring, and we may also mention it if we suspect someone else has added some color more recently. But you can trust that, even if the colors on that Tunison map seem almost neon, those were the original colors in the atlas!

P.S. Did you know that pink was a "boy color" until the 1950s? Red was a "masculine color" and pink is the "younger" version of red. Similarly, blue was considered a "feminine color" because of blue's association with the Virgin Mary, and light blue was a "girl color".

How can I tell how old a map is?

Many maps do not have a date printed on them, and sometimes the date cannot be trusted entirely. If the map is still in or with the atlas it was published in, then the atlas will have a publication date, making it easy to date the map. If the map has a date printed near the title or at the bottom edge of the paper, that is a good starting point, however some mapmakers used the same printing plate for many years, meaning that a map that says 1627 may have actually been in a later printing of the atlas.  When researching a map, it is important to use all of the information at your disposal and to examine the map very thoroughly, especially paying attention to things that may have changed and been updated (like railroads in 19th century maps). Professional map dealers may be able to glean more information, so you may want to bring your map to someone to look at. We offer an Informal Assessment service and also a Formal Appraisal service.

Do you restore maps?

Yes! Not every map is worth restoring- it depends on the value of the map and the cost of restoration. Restoration can cost a couple hundred dollars or more, depending on the size of the piece and the work that must be done. If it is a sentimental map, it may be worth restoring for sentimental reasons, and not just for the monetary value. Please contact us if you are interested in discussing restoring a map or atlas.

Why aren't there maps of ________ place?

To answer this question, we must consider why maps were produced. Printing maps was a labor intensive, time-consuming, and expensive enterprise, so maps would only be made if there was a good reason to make them. In some cases, early maps were commissioned by the King or Queen, or a Duke might have wanted a map of his lands. Early atlases were accessible only to the wealthy. Atlases were long used to teach children geography, and such atlases would show most of the world more generally, while including more detailed maps of the student's home country. Maps were made to reflect new discoveries and claims by European powers. Maps were made to delineate the new United States of America after the Revolutionary War. Governments required that maps be made for governing purposes. In some places, tax maps were made, and later insurance maps, with property owners' names. Tourism maps highlight specific places and towns- those that would draw travelers with notable monuments or railroad stops. Topographic and geological maps show the contour and type of land. Sometimes many survey maps or charts would be produced in order to make an accurate map of an area.

All of this to say, if you are having a difficult time finding an antique map of a specific place, there may not have been a need to produce such a map. Even travel books from the early 20th century would include maps only for the bigger cities and more notable locations, while smaller towns might get only a few lines of description in the text.

There is also the possibility that the location you are interested in was not fully explored by Europeans until later. For example, much of the middle of Africa is blank on many of our maps because there was still so much unknown. We also occasionally have a customer ask why they can't get any older maps of a certain town or city, and the answer is that it was just a settlement and did not grow into a city until the late 1800s.

How can I learn more about antique maps?

There are many wonderful books about antique maps! Here is a link to some map-related books on Bookshop.org. There are also map libraries, such as the Osher Library in Maine and the Leventhal at the Boston Public Library. 

Should I buy antiques or reproduction?

If you are only interested in the image, and the age of the piece doesn't matter too much to you, then by all means, purchase a reproduction. If you care about the age of the map and appreciate the character of an antique, then that might be the way to go, if the price is in your budget. We do not advise people to buy maps as an investment with a value that is likely to increase dramatically over time. The antique map market has changed dramatically with the internet. Maps that were once thought to be very rare have actually lowered in price over time, because with the internet it became apparent that the map was not as rare as it was believed to be. There are some very rare maps that will likely increase in value over time, but you can expect the general return on an antique map to be moderate. That is why we advise you to buy maps that you enjoy looking at, that interest and intrigue you, not just as an investment. Reproductions can be a wonderful alternative that allow you to own and enjoy beautiful maps at a lower price point. Although sometimes a high-quality reproduction will cost almost as much as an antique map! Not all antique maps are very expensive!