The maps and town plans in this Special International Issue have been provided through the courtesy of Jonathan Potter, one of the premier cartographic antiquarians in the world.
Visitors to his shop at 125 New Bond St., London, will find several thousand maps, atlases, city plans, sea charts, celestial maps, globes, curiosities, and miniatures &m> easily ranking the collection among the top dozen or so in the world.
Potter got interested in maps as a lad in the 1950s, scouring the market stalls in London’s Portobello Road on Saturday mornings. He has been in business for more than 30 years.
I asked Potter for his advice on collecting maps and &m> my personal interest &m> town plans.
“One of the problems is that people will say they love maps, but they don’t know the first thing about them,” he told me. “Find a good source” &m> a reputable dealer, most of whom are based in New York or London &m> “look around, ask questions, read the dealer catalogs.”
Potter says that there are many good books about maps, but few about collecting maps. That’s why he wrote Collecting Antique Maps (first published as The Country Life Book of Antique Maps), which contains not only an excellent history of maps and more than 200 illustrations, but also includes a price guide for collectors. While rare maps are valued at $15,000 or more, you can find many good pieces in the $500-1,500 range, and even some below $300.
The book and catalog can be ordered from Jonathan Potter Ltd., jpmaps@attglobal.net; www.jpmaps.co.uk; 44 (0) 20 7491 3520.
