Antique Maps: How do I know the antique map is real or fake?

The antique map is a map printed over 100 years ago by one of three main processes. Usually, produce first maps on a relief-cut wooden block that was then inked. Copper and steel engravings form the vast majority of antique maps that can find today. In this process, the image was cut, in reverse, into the metal plate, which was then ink, placed with a sheet of paper in a press, and the ink the grooves would produce the image. 

There are, however, things to look for, as I outlined in the section on “General Characteristics of Antique Maps.” Positive age markers include a paper that looks older, evidence of binding, color show-through, and traces of soiling, damage, or wear. Antique maps for sale and are printed or drawn at least a hundred years ago.

How to recognize antique maps?

Perhaps, the most asked question among those unfamiliar maps is, how do I know it is an old map? Usually, antique maps prints are from a hundred years ago. Antique maps are no longer being published, giving them an inherent rarity, some relatively familiar in the trade, some know in a single example. With time, many maps have been lose, damaged, and destroy. Of the supervisors, many have found their way into institutional collections to repose there forever, while demand for the best maps means that many command eye-watering prices. 

Characteristics of Antique Maps

There were various methods for printing antique maps, each of which leaves tell-tale signs. Whatever the printing process, these methods have specific characteristics in common. 

Type of paper

The most paper looks old. Begin with, there is usually some toning to the article, particularly at the edges. Further, there is almost always some wear, such as creases, tears, or holes; soiling, such as finger smudges at the lower concerns. The presence or absence of such features is suggestive rather than conclusive: aging can be fake, while a small percentage of accurate maps show up on the market in pristine conditions. 

One helpful sign of reproduction is when folds, creases, or tears do not reflect actual damage to the paper. It happens when an original antique with substantial damage is photographically reproduce and is a near-certain sign that a map is a relatively modern reproduction. But, of course, many current copies are made from maps in libraries, so library acquisition stamps or other markings in the image are another indication. 

Evidence of binding

Most of the old maps available on the market were bound into atlases or other books that will show traces of the binding process. One or more folds, generally along the center of the map, were introduces at binding to ensure that the map fit the publication. 

Another typical indicator is a notch in the margin, indicating where clips on the maps ease folding and binding. While binding marks are a good indicator of a map’s age, the opposite is not always true.

Colors of the map

A map’s coloration is rarely effective as proof for or against antiquity for anybody other than a professional. Many early maps were color, but many others were not; publish most of the maps were in colored and uncolored editions. On the other hand, modern colorists are perfectly capable of coloring maps in a realistically “antique” fashion.

Various types of maps

The versatility of maps, from navigating to demonstrating ownership to presenting information, is one of its most appealing features. General Reference, Topographical, Thematic, Navigation Charts, and Cadastral Maps and Plans are the five categories of maps.

General Reference

Consider a typical map with named cities and towns, key transportation routes, and natural features such as lakes and rivers, and you’ll have a general reference map. These are the maps that will assist you in getting to your location – they are usually easy to read and feature street and tourist maps, among other things.

Topographic

Topographical maps differ from other maps in that they display exact elevation and use contour lines to map the area. Even if you can’t see specific landmarks – lakes or roads, for example – you can still work out your exact location by following the contours and looking at the landscape around you. Ordnance Survey maps are arguably the most well-known type of topographical map, but thousands of other mapmakers have created detailed alternatives, and even if you can’t see specific landmarks – lakes or roads, for example – you can still work out your exact location by following the contours and looking at the landscape around

Thematic

Rather than aiming to map the environment or show you where to go, thematic maps intend to emphasize information on specific themes. It might be anything from geology to human density to weather, and themes maps have even been uses to track the whereabouts of whales.

Navigational Charts

Nautical charts, in addition to general reference and topographical maps, are another essential tool for moving around, whether at sea or in the air. Charts are commonly referres to as maritime maps, and the same is valid for air navigation charting. The charts usually include vital information for avoiding mishaps, such as things in. And near the water, such as submerged rocks, and any special navigational aids.

Cadastral Maps and Plans

Cadastral maps are far more precise, and while they use extensively, you are unlikely to encounter one every day. When buildings or land are survey, the plans map out individual properties, including data. Such as boundary information, and may combine them to make much larger cadastral maps. You’ll see a cadastral map when you have your house surveyed, and municipal planners will work with them frequently. Surprisingly, cadastral mapping is one of the earliest mapping types. With ancient Egyptians using cadastral records to prove land ownership following the Nile River’s inundation.

Physical Maps

A physical map depicts the physical characteristics of a location or nation, such as rivers, mountains, forests, and lakes. Generally, physical attributes are in a variety of colors. For example, rivers and lakes are depictes in blue, low-elevation areas. In dark green, and as elevation rises, the color shifts to light green and then orange. The mountains are identical in brown.