How important is the condition of an antique map?
The short answer to this question is condition is always important, but how important it is depends on several factors. The first factor is rarity. If a map is very rare, condition is less important. With certain maps, a collector may only have a few chances or perhaps only one chance in the collector’s lifetime to acquire a map. With rare material, condition is much less important. If another example becomes available in better condition, a collector can always buy a second example and perhaps trade with the seller! The second factor is, how was the map originally offered for sale? Maps which were bound into atlases will generally appear on the market in a good original condition. Having been preserved in a bound volume, they have not been subjected to the ravages of time. On the other extreme, separately issued maps, wall maps and broadsheet maps were generally exposed to heavy use and the elements and the survival rate is much lower. These maps tend to deteriorate much more quickly
