The landmark Fry-Jefferson map of Virginia and Maryland from 1775; the first printed sea chart of the Southeastern coastline of North America from 1661; the French edition of John Mitchell’s monumental map of eastern North America from 1756; and the first printed map to name the colony of Georgia are just a few of the rare antique items in Old World Auctions’ Auction #195, online now and set to end on November 15th at 10 pm Eastern time.
The auction is loaded with 856 lots, including rare antique and vintage maps, charts, atlases, decorative prints, illuminated manuscripts and historical documents from the late 15th century to the mid-20th century. It’s an online-only auction, with no live gallery bidding. The catalog is up for viewing and bidding online now, at https://www.oldworldauctions.com/catalog/current.
“We hope people have fun browsing through the catalog. There’s such a range of material, from 18th century world maps that depict California as an island to charming tourist maps of London – something for everyone,” said Eliane Dotson, who co-owns Old World Auctions with her husband, Jon “Over sixty lots will be offered with no reserve. Bidding starts at just one dollar.”
Mr. Dotson said, “I am particularly excited about our early 20th century material, including city maps of Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Diego. We also have several early automobile road maps, guides, and one of the best early road atlases from the 1920s. Collectively, these maps demonstrate the urban population growth and infrastructure investment taking place at the time. These lots are attractively priced as well. Estimates start at just $140.”
Lot 195 is A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of Virginia by Joshua Fry & Peter Jefferson (1775). This landmark map of Virginia and Maryland was created by surveyors Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, the father of Thomas Jefferson. Commissioned by Lord Halifax, the map was the first to correctly orient the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains and the flow of several rivers. It’s expected to change hands for $14,000-$17,000.
Lot 202 is Carta Particolare della Costa di Florida e di Virginia by Sir Robert Dudley (1661). This remarkable sea chart is the earliest printed chart to focus on the Southeastern coastline of the United States, and is also the first chart to note the prevailing winds and ocean currents. It depicts the coastline from Delaware Bay to Cape Canaveral, noting Jamestown. The map was published in Dudley’s groundbreaking sea atlas and has an estimate of $15,000-$18,000.
Lot 137 is Amerique Septentrionale avec les Routes, Distances en Miles, Villages et Etablissements Francois et Anglois by Mitchell/Le Rouge (1756), a French edition of John Mitchell’s monumental map of eastern North America, considered by many to be the most important map of America ever produced. It was so widely regarded that it was used as the source document to determine the new boundaries of the United States at the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The map continued to be used for nearly all boundary disputes between Canada and the United States in the 19th century. It should finish at $10,000-$13,000.
Lot 208 is Reasons for Establishing the Colony of Georgia, with Regard to the Trade of Great Britain by Benjamin Martyn (1733). This work was published at the time of the founding of the colony of Georgia and includes important information from James Oglethorpe, founder of the British Georgia colony in 1732. The book features a rare map that is the first printed map to name the English colony of Georgia and was designed to promote Georgia colonization efforts. It is expected to reach $5,500-$6,500.
Lot 297 is A Map of Chicago’s Gangland by Bruce Roberts, Inc. (1931). This superb and very rare pictorial map focuses on the Chicago gang wars during Prohibition in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. It was published the same year that Al Capone was convicted on five counts of tax evasion and shows the gang territories and gang-related events with a skull and crossbones symbol denoting the locations of deaths. It is estimated to achieve $12,000-$15,000.
Lot 72 is Oceani Occidetalis seu Terre Nove Tabula by Waldseemuller/Fries (1525). This is Laurent Fries’ slightly reduced (and more decorative) version of Waldseemuller’s landmark map covering the Atlantic coastline of the Americas. It is one of the earliest American maps available to collectors. Waldseemuller’s map was the first map of the Americas to appear in an atlas. It’s often referred to as the “Admiral Map” because Waldseemuller attributed his information on the New World to ‘the Admiral’ – referring to Columbus. The estimate is $9,000-$10,000.
Lot 828 is La Geografia di Claudio Tolomeo Alessandrino by Girolamo Ruscelli (1574). This is the third edition of Ruscelli’s translation of Claudius Ptolemy’s Geographia. It is complete with 65 maps, which are enlarged copies of the maps created by Giacomo Gastaldi for his 1548 edition of Ptolemy. These maps demonstrate the amazing advances in geographic knowledge taking place in this great era of exploration. The estimate for this lot is $9,000-$11,000.
Lot. 818 is [Book of Hours Leaf] by Gilles Hardouin (1510). Just in time for the holidays, this superb hand-colored image shows the Adoration of the Magi, with a Magus bowing down before baby Jesus sitting upon Mary’s lap. The lot is expected to knock down for $950-$1,200.
Lot 293 is The Coast, Rivers and Inlets of the Province of Georgia by Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres (1780). This important and rare Revolutionary War-era chart focuses on the coastline around Savannah. The chart is based on a survey by Joseph Avery, who was commissioned by the Trustees of the Colony of Georgia. Because this chart was so detailed, it was distributed to British Officers during the Revolutionary War. It should bring $7,500-$9,000.
Lot 39 is The World According to Ronald Reagan by David Horsey (1982). This superb persuasive map satirizes the political situation between the United States and Soviet Union in the 1980s, at the beginning of Reagan’s presidency. The focal points of the map are large caricatures of Reagan, dressed as a cowboy and standing in an absurdly large California, and Leonid Brezhnev, overseeing the “Godless communists, liars and spies” of the Soviet Union. The estimate is $1,000-$1,400.
Lot 58 is A Photographic Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way by Edward Emerson Barnard (1927). This work is a landmark achievement in astro-photography and was published in a limited edition of only 700 copies. The two-volume set includes 51 mounted photographs of the night sky that were taken from the Bruce telescope, as well as charts and tables identifying the stars and other objects. It’s expected to find a new owner for $4,500-$5,500.
Lot 831 is A Complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas by Carey & Lea (1822). This complete atlas was issued at the beginning of the golden age of American cartography in Philadelphia. It includes all 53 called for plates with maps and tables of North America, South America, the U.S. and the West Indies. The lot should garner $7,000 – $8,500.
Lot 69 is The Land of Make Believe by Jaro Hess (1935), a whimsical map that illustrates dozens of nursery rhymes and fairy tales set within a magical landscape. Estimate: $2,000 – $2,400.
Lot 210 is The History of the American Indians… by James Adair (1775). It’s an important history of Native Americans in the Southeast, featuring a map of the locations of tribes in the southern US. The estimate is $3,000 – $3,750.
Lot 71 is Road Map to the Internet by Timothy Edward Downs (1994). This scarce and groundbreaking map of the early internet was the first in a series of road map-like posters published by PC Computing magazine. It’s expected to realize $2,000 – $2,300.
People can register to bid online at https://www.oldworldauctions.com/register. Bidders may also call in their bids, at 804-290-8090, or email them, at info@oldworldauctions.com. Previews will be held by appointment only during regular business hours, Monday thru Friday, from 8:30 am to 5 pm Eastern time. Call or email for an appointment.
Each Old World auction has a 10-minute rule, meaning each lot that has active bidding will stay open (past the closing time of 10 pm Eastern) until there have been no bids for 10 minutes on that lot. Those lots that stay open past 10 pm will have individual count-down clocks on the lot page to show how much time remains for bidding.
Old World Auctions offers full condition reports on everything in its auctions, and they offer a 100 percent money-back guarantee on the authenticity and condition of everything they sell. To learn more, visit www.OldWorldAuctions.com.
