Posts from — November 2008

This comes to maptheuniverse via Courtney (with apologies to her for the delay in this posting!)

New York Public Library recently posted a short online video entitled “Mapping the World” that provides a behind-the-scenes snapshot of its map collection. The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division is the largest public library map collection in the world.

The library’s Alice C. Hudson walks through some beautiful examples of antique maps in the collection, and Matthew Knutzen highlights a library project that scans antique maps and georeferences them to present-day map layers, providing “snapshots” of an area over time in a geographic information system.

Thank you, Courtney!

[tags]map collections, new york public library, antique maps, GIS[/tags]

An article from the UK’s Investors Chronicle “Stamp on the credit misery and get collecting“, makes some interesting points about collecting items (including antique maps) in these financially uncertain times.

Another investment that is capitalising from limited supply and growing demand is antique map investing. These maps are also in finite supply. According to map marketers MapWorld about 80 per cent of the world’s antique maps have been destroyed over the years through fires, floods and natural disasters. And another 60 per cent of the remaining 20 per cent in circulation that have survived are held in public collections which makes supply that bit more constrained. This naturally means that prices have also gone up substantially.

The article also notes some general rules to follow when considering purchasing any collectable item.

[tags]antique map collecting, antique maps[/tags]

As mentioned in an earlier post, an early map of Canada by Samuel de Champlain, described by Sotheby’s Books and Manuscripts Catherine Slowther as “The driving force behind the initial success of French attempts at gaining a foothold in America,” was slated for the auction block this past November 13.

Champlain’s 1612 map of Eastern Canada fetched an incredible $286,570 CDN, three times its estimated price.

The map was drawn from Champlain’s personal observations, accumulated from more than twenty voyages to Canada and New England.

Sotheby’s auction house in London said the work sold to a private collector, but did not give the home country of the new owner.

Read the full story on Champlain’s 1612 Map of Canada at CBC and the Toronto Star.

[tags]antique map auction, samuel de champlain, map of new france, map of canada, historic maps[/tags]