Old World Auctions, the online-only auction house specializing in antique maps, globes, charts, and atlases, has a sale taking place at the time of this month’s Rare Book Monthly online publishing. Running from August 31st to September 14th, Auction 159 comprises over 800 lots spanning geographies worldwide from the 16th to the early 20th centuries. Old World says that the material from Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Islands, Western Hemisphere, and the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States is particularly strong. Several dozen lots will be listed without reserve.
The following are ten very rare highlights from the forthcoming sale:
- Broadside depicting the Battle of Portobelo of 1739, "A Perspective View of ye Harbour, Castles, & Town of Porto Bello" published by Thomas and John Bowles in 1740. Est. $800-1000.
- Ortelius' two-sheet maps of the British Isles and Egypt, "Britannicarum Insularum Vetus Descriptio" (Est. $3500-4500) and "Aegyptus Antiqua" (Est. $1600-2000).
- Rare atlas of Maryland and DC, "New Topographical Atlas of the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia" published by Walling & Gray in 1873. Est. $1500-1800.
- An important Revolutionary War map of the Battle of White Plains, "A Plan of the Operations of the King's Army Under the Command of General Sr. William Howe" by C.J. Sauthier and William Faden, published in 1777. Est. $11000-14000.
- A sea chart of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, "A Chart of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays" by Fielding Lucas, 1852. Est. $6000-7500.
- A chart published only four months after the Battle of Cartagena, "A Plan of the Harbour Town and Castles of Carthagena..." by Philip Durell, 1741. Est. $1400-1800.
- Map of the British Colonies just after the French & Indian War, "A New and Accurate Map of the British Dominions in America, According to the Treaty of 1763" by Thomas Kitchin, 1766. Est. $2200-2500.
- A one-of-a-kind manuscript railroad atlas of Cincinnati, "Plats Showing the Lands of the Cincinnati & Indiana Rail Road Co. in the City of Cincinnati" published in 1869. Est. $700-850
- A two-sheet map of Africa by William Berry, "Africa Divided According to the Extent of Its Principall Parts" by William Berry, 1680. Est. $2400-3000.
- Waldseemuller's Ptolemaic map of Arabia, "Sexta Asie Tabula" by Waldseemuller, 1513. Est. $4000-5000.
Registration with Old World Auctions is required for first-time bidders and buyers interested in bidding, and can be done so by following this link; returning customers need only sign in with their existing login information. The sale’s online catalog is available here.
