Map Sold Dry Tortugas

The Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas chart has been the top seller this year by selling 925 lots in the auction.

The map, published by William Faden in 1790 has complete detail based on surveys conducted in the area from 1773-1775 by George Gauld,. It was titled “The survey of Tortugas and Florida Keys or Martyrs Surveyed contains complete chart.” The British Admiralty assigned the job to Gauld to chart the waters off West Florida, where Gould was taken prisoner by Spanish forces during the siege of Pensacola, in 1781.

The map had not appeared in any price records for $7,000-$9,000for the past 30 years, It more than four time that amount, and the trend continued with the second top lot, a scarce and handsome sea chart of Europe and the eastern Atlantic, done in 1644 by Anthonie Jacobsz. That map finish at $17,360 which exceeded its high estimate more than six times of $2,500.

“Last year’s was one of our best sales, “Many rare examples are there to soar past their high estimates. We had a lot of wonderful items in this auction. Collectors responded to good material, despite that we may hear about gloomy economic news.”

Ms. Kelly said European bidders turned out in large numbers, a fact she attributed to the strength of the euro and British pound, against the U.S. dollar. Canada, too, with its strong dollar, was well represented. “It was good to see so much activity from all over the world,” she commented. “It just shows that antique maps remain a burgeoning, healthy area of collecting.”

Additional highlights from the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 12% buyer's premium.

An interesting graphic woodblock map of China, crafted sometime in the 19th century and featuring the Great Wall, gaveled for $1,904. The piece carried a pre-sale high estimate of just $300, but was the object of intense bidder interest. The map showed the ocean and an extensive network of mountains and rivers. The simple title, “Map of China,” was shown in Chinese characters.

Early jigsaw puzzle maps also garnered much attention. A John Wallis puzzle map from 1813, titled “Laurie & Whittle's New General Map of America,” still in its original mahogany box decorated with the label signed by Wallis himself, achieved $1,344. Another jigsaw puzzle map, titled “The Dissected Map of the United States and Territories,” executed by J.H. Colton in 1865, realized $504.

Old World Auctions' next sale, #123, will close on February 20 and will be online for three weeks prior.

The firm will preview select maps for the sale at the 15th annual Miami Map Fair in Miami, Fla. Dubbed “the Super Bowl of mapdom” by Miami Today magazine, the event will be held February 2-3 at the History Museum of Southern Florida in Miami. Old World Auctions has exhibited at the Fair since 2001.

The Miami International Map Fair is a prestigious annual event, the largest map fair in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. It includes workshops and lectures, as well as sales by top international dealers. Attendees will enjoy the weekend browsing and buying antique maps from every period, from the common to the exceedingly rare, as they rub shoulders with map dealers, collectors and aficionados from around the globe.

A couple of important maps Old World Auctions will be previewing at the Miami International Map Fair include:

A rare, first-edition copy of the Henry Mouzon map of the Carolinas, executed n 1775 and titled, “An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina with their Indian Frontiers.” The large map, published by Sayer & Bennett, is considered by scholars to be a foundation map of the Carolinas.

An important Revolutionary War-era map of the United States, dated 1782 and executed by Brion de la Tour. Titled “Site du Theatre de la Guerre dans l'Amerique Septentrionale y Compris le Golfe du Mexique,” it is an uncommon representation of the southeastern United States that includes Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. A graphic in the cartouche depicts the British General Cornwallis surrendering his sword to George Washington, signaling an end to the American Revolution.