1671 "Lord Baltimore" Maryland Map
Watch
GUEST:
I know that it is a 17th century map of Maryland. It was a gift to my father, back in 1954, from his brother, who bought it in London on his way back from the Korean War.
APPRAISER:
Okay, it is 17th century, it's from 1671. I ought to help people by putting it into perspective, because it really doesn't look quite like Maryland. It does say up here, "Nova tabla," which is "new map" of land of Maria, or Maryland, but what's strange about it?
GUEST:
This part isn't north.
APPRAISER:
Right, north is not up! Down here, you can see there's a compass rose, and north is to this direction. Putting north to the top of a map is a convention that we've become very used to, but actually, in the 17th century and before, it was tended to do that, but sometimes for various reasons, they would change it. And this is actually oriented to the west, because this is how you would look at the land when you arrived from overseas.
GUEST:
From a ship-- okay.
APPRAISER:
You'd be sailing in a ship, and you'd be coming up this way, so that it was laid out in front of you sort of left to right.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And so because that's how the people from Europe approached Maryland, that's how they laid out the map.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And you can see, here's the Chesapeake Bay running to the north here. So Maryland is basically in this area in here, so that puts it into context.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
As it happens, this is really one of the very earliest maps of Maryland.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
It is the second version of what's called the Lord Baltimore Map. And Cecil Calvert was Lord Baltimore who was a proprietor of Maryland, and this is his crest right here.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And this is a second version, it's based on a map from 1635, which was the first version…
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
…which is the first map of Maryland. That one is very, very rare, so this is actually the first obtainable map of Maryland. 17th century maps of any American colony are very rare, and this is quite a rare map. It was done by a man named John Ogilby, and he did update the map. First of all, he moved the border of... this is the border of Maryland, and on the earlier map it was a little too far south. He also added the counties, which was new, and one of the interesting things is, he probably had a connection with Cecil Calvert, because it actually names Cecil County, which is right here, and that wasn't created until three years after this map appeared. So it's likely he got that information and the other information from Lord Baltimore.
GUEST:
Okay!
APPRAISER:
So he used the first map of Maryland, he updated it with privileged information. So the scarcity, the connection with the history, that's all great, great stuff. American Colonial maps are very, very popular. Did you have any idea of what the value would be?
GUEST:
Hmm, no. The only value I know is the six pounds my uncle paid for it in 1954.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's worth considerably more than that. Today in the market, this is a map that, in a retail environment, sells for about $8,500.
GUEST:
Whoa!
APPRAISER:
Yeah, it's a great map, and I was absolutely thrilled when you brought it in.
GUEST:
Well, thank you very much.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
