Collecting Antique Maps
Collecting antique maps can be a fun and time filling hobby. In addition to being valuable, many maps from the fifteenth century and up are readily available and add a unique flavor to the décor of your home. Many people choose to decorate with paintings, posters and pictures but you can separate yourself from the herd by displaying proudly your collection of antique maps.
What to Collect
There are plenty of different antique map styles and regions that you can collect and it is really up to you to decide what your reasons for collecting are. If you are basing your map collection solely on value, look for older more rare maps that you think will appreciate in value. Also, maps from historical periods can significantly increase in value if there is public interest in the event.
While this can be a really solid investment, it can also be fun to collect antique maps based on personal interest as well as there value. One example is having a collection with a Caribbean theme. Original and unique maps from this region can be found from the mid seventeenth century all the way up to late nineteenth and each offers a unique perspective on the islands of the Caribbean. Maps from the West Indies can start as low as $45 for mass produced renditions from the late nineteenth century all the way up to over $2,000 for unique maps from the early sixteenth century. As you can see it really is up to you how much you want to invest in your collection of antique maps.
Another idea is to collect maps from where your family lineage is from. For example, my family originally came to North America in the mid 1800s and I have a map of where they landed about that time. This map not only is a beautiful representation of the hand written maps of the day, but is also has some history for me personally. It is a great conversation piece with guests and brings a lot more of my personal history into the conversation than any painting would. So as you can see, collecting antique maps can be a fun and worthwhile hobby that can add to the flavor and history of your home. My suggestion would be to start small and see how your collection grows over the years. Who knows, someday that small collection may turn into a large valuable one.
