1650 Sanson Map of North America
Watch
GUEST:
This actually belonged to my great-great-grandfather, who was a physician in Deming, New Mexico, and that, we believe, is where he acquired it.
APPRAISER:
When you analyze a map, the first thing you look at is the title. "Amérique Septentrionale," and it's done by Nicolas Sanson, who was a well-known geographer. It's got a date, 1650. The big question is, was this really done in 1650? The answer is, yes, it was. Now, what makes a map valuable is when it shows something new for the first time in history. And this is one of the great maps of America, because it does show something new in history. And the information for this came from the Jesuits, who were the great missionaries and the great explorers. One of the great things about this map is, this is the first printed map to show all five Great Lakes in North America in 1650. It's the first map to name Lake Superior. And of course, they still didn't know how far out to go, and these are left open-ended. So this is a major map for this whole part of the country, New England, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Great Lakes, and so on. Now, another thing about this map is, even though it was published after Champlain came back to France, you've got this depiction. Notice there's no single Mississippi River. No. There's a huge confluence of water coming out here. So they knew that. So they extrapolated and put a whole lot of rivers in here. Your great-great-grandfather probably bought it because it shows such, so much information on the Southwest, but the real importance is the new information here. There's a fascinating geographical error where California is shown as an island. This is one of the great maps. We have one in my shop in Philadelphia right now, and we have a price of $6,500 on it.
GUEST:
Wow. So... That's... fantastic.
APPRAISER:
That's quite a price, yes.
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.
