Old World Auctions, the online-only auction house specializing in cartographic material, is hosting their 154th auction this month, and as is usual for them, the estimates are conservative and the material varied. The 800+ lot sale will run from September 2nd to the 16th, ending at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on the 16th. Registration for bidding can be done on Old World’s website here. As of the time of this writing, lot numbers were not available for specific items so items are referenced by name and author only.
For collectors of world maps, there are many available for sale. Jansson’s Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula from 1637 tops the estimates for the sale at $12,000 – 14,000. Other highlights include Robijn Jacobus’s Nieuw Aerdsch Pleyn, a rare world map on a singular polar projection published in 1700, Pieter Schenk’s Haemisphaeriorum Tabula Carthesiana alsopublished in 1700, Apianus’ Charta Cosmographica, cum Ventorum Propria Natura & Operatione from 1564, and A New General Atlas of the World, by Henry Teesdale published in 1834.
Americana is also available in abundance, with these items of particular interest:
- Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America, in the Years 1766, 1767, and 1768 ... the Third Edition..., by Jonathan Carver, 1781
- A Geography for Schools, by Luke Drury, 1822
- The History of the Bucaniers of America, by Exquemelin, 1704
- A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the Southern Provinces of North America, by Banastre Tarleton, 1787
- The History, Civil and Commercial of the British Colonies in the West Indies, by Bryan Edwards, 1801
- Mappa Geographica Americae Septentrionalis, by Leonard von Euler, 1760
- Plan of the City of Washington, by John C. Russell, 1795
- A Map of Virginia and Maryland, Speed/Lamb, 1676
- A Map of Massachusetts Connecticut and Rhodeisland..., by Edward Ruggles, 1825
- Map of Oregon and Upper California from the Surveys of John Charles Fremont and Other Authorities, by Fremont/Preuss, 1848
Other material from all over the world is included in the auction, and depending on your focus, whether it be European, Asian, African, or any other locale, there are items that may appeal to you, and with the majority of estimates falling below $1000, the prices are reasonable.
Some of the most interesting inclusions in the auction are two maps depicting the State of Franklin, a short-lived would-be American state and de facto independent republic that attempted to secede from North Carolina after the Revolution. It only existed for approximately four years and now is but a footnote in American History, but in this sale, there are two items confirming its existence: America, by A.J. Stansbury, 1805 and a map in Taschenbuch der Reisen, by Zimmerman, 1805.
The online catalog for Auction 154 will be available by the 2nd of September when the auction goes live online. A link to register for bidding is on Old World Auctions’ homepage.
