This May 2022 article tells the story of the life, accomplishments and legacy of Duncan MacRae Payne. Over his lifetime he curated an impressive collection of maps, atlases and historical documents. His passion for cartography was infectious, even convincing his daughter and son-in-law, Eliane & Jon Dotson, to get into the map business themselves with Old World Auctions.
This March 2022 article gives a brief history of the geography, people, and political boundaries of Ukraine, and demonstrates how the mapping of the region has changed over the centuries.
This January 2022 article gives an overview of anthropomorphic mapping - the art of reimagining geography into human forms. Learn how anthropomorphic mapping began, and how it has evolved over the centuries.
This December 2021 newsletter reviews the trends in the auction market for maps in 2021. We share great insights about what's selling and what's not, as well as some interesting facts and figures about Old World Auctions.
This October 2021 article gives a brief history of the colonization and development of the great state of Texas from its time as a Spanish and then Mexican possession, to becoming an independent Republic, and finally admitted as the 28th state of the United States.
This August 2021 article is an interview with Don McGuirk, author of "The Last Great Cartographic Myth," an authoritative online resource dedicated to the mythical Sea of the West. Don explains how he became interested in maps and the Sea of the West, how the myth first began, and how it was depicted on maps over time.
This July 2021 article tells the story of the voyages of Maarten Gerritsz de Vries and João da Gama in the region of the Kuril Islands northeast of Japan, and how their sightings of land became confused and conflated on maps for over a century.
This May 2021 article tells the story of how a map collector from Iowa got his start, time traveled through maps, and found ways to connect with history. A portion of his remarkable collection will be featured in the June 2021 sale at Old World Auctions.
This April 2021 article is by guest contributor Jim Kissko, founder of Camelot Books. This article makes the case for the first map that was lithographed and published in the United States.
This March 2021 article is by guest contributor Luke Vavra, former map dealer and specialist in Virginia material. This is the fourth in a four-part series about Part I of Theodore de Bry's "India Occidentalis" (America). This fourth article discusses the current inventory of existing volumes of "Grands Voyages."
This March 2021 article is by guest contributor Luke Vavra, former map dealer and specialist in Virginia material. This is the third in a four-part series about the engravings in Part I of Theodore de Bry's "India Occidentalis" (America). This third article discusses the Pict plates in Part I, which depicted ancient Britons.
This February 2021 article is by guest contributor Luke Vavra, former map dealer and specialist in Virginia material. This is the second in a four-part series about the engravings in Part I of Theodore de Bry's "India Occidentalis" (America). This second article discusses the plates in Part I, including the title page, the dedication, the Virginia map, and the Algonquian series, with particular attention to the Kiwasa plate.
This January 2021 article is by guest contributor Luke Vavra, former map dealer and specialist in Virginia material. This is the first in a four-part series about the engravings in Part I of Theodore de Bry's "India Occidentalis" (America). This first article concerns the first engraving in Part I - that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
This December 2020 newsletter reviews the trends in the auction market for maps in 2020. We share great insights about what's selling and what's not, as well as some interesting facts and figures about Old World Auctions.
Fake maps - and in particular reproductions - can be found in the most curious of places. If you've ever wondered how to determine if an antique map is real or fake, this article will walk you through four key clues that will help you identify reproductions and confirm a map's authenticity.
This is the final article in a series about mapmakers who played key roles in each century, and focuses on mapmakers in the 20th century, including Rand McNally Company, MacDonald Gill, and Jo Mora.
Read our July 2020 newsletter featuring an article about "The Mapmakers Who Made the 19th Century," which gives an overview of some of the most important cartographers of the 1800s and their most iconic maps, including Arrowsmith, Tallis, Mitchell, and the United States Government.
Read our June 2020 newsletter featuring an article about "The Mapmakers Who Made the 18th Century," which gives an overview of some of the most important cartographers of the 1700s and their most iconic maps, including Delisle, Moll, Homann, and Jefferys. Also in this newsletter is a list of free online resources that offer cartographic content to help you expand your worldview while staying safely at home.
This May 2020 newsletter features an article about "The Mapmakers Who Made the 17th Century," which gives an overview of some of the most important cartographers of the 1600s, including the Hondius family, the Blaeu family, John Speed, and Nicolas Sanson. Also in this newsletter is a list of free online resources that offer cartographic content to help you expand your worldview while staying safely at home.
Read our March 2020 newsletter featuring an article about "The Mapmakers Who Made the 16th Century," which gives an overview of some of the most important cartographers of the 1500s and their most iconic maps. Also in this newsletter is a list of free online resources that offer cartographic content to help you expand your worldview while staying safely at home.