"A Chart of the Coast of America, from Cartagena to Bocca del Drago", Seller and Price

This chart depicts the coastline from Cartagena, Columbia to west of Portobelo, Panama. There is good detail of rocks, shoals, islands, and anchorages off the shore. Rivers, bays, points, and ports are named all along the coast. A large inset shows the bay of Portobelo, protected by two forts: Forta de la Mare and Forta Granda.

The map is a collaborative effort by Jeremiah Seller and Charles Price. Jeremiah, John Seller's son, apprenticed under his father and was a mapmaker, instrument-maker and publisher. He formed a partnership with Price, another young mapmaker, and became "Hydrographers to ye Queen" and "Compass makers to the Navy Royall." In about 1705, complaints over the quality of their instruments caused Seller and Price to lose their contract with the Admiralty and the firm was forced into bankruptcy. Thus their maps are rare in today's market. We have sold this map only once in the past, and can find no other sales records for this map for the past 35 years.

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Condition: C+

A dark, crisp impression with light toning and moderate soiling. A centerfold separation that enters 5" into map at bottom has been repaired with old paper on verso. There are some tiny chips and tears along the edges of the sheet, which have been archivally backed on verso. The bottom margin is narrow, and the map has been trimmed at top, with loss of the top neatline.