One of the more common questions our clients ask us is, will my rare antique map increase in value? When I am asked this questions, I generally answer “Yes, but it is a long term position”. A more comprehensive answer requires a deeper understanding of the rare map trade in specific and the vicissitudes of the antique trade in general. While it is easy to chart auction results or dealer catalogue values for specific map, such an analytical approach ignores a number of important factors, such as condition, restoration factors, colorization factors, etc. It also fails to take into account various factors ranging from the economy to vogue periods for certain items.

Antique dealers in general are in the unique field of art speculation. The job of a dealer is to find and identify an item that can be acquired at a reasonable price, kept for a period of time, and then resold at a significantly higher price. In doing so the dealer looks for pieces that may be undervalued by analyzing buying trends, his or her particular clientele, availability of similar pieces on the market, the overall trading activity at any given time, the historical importance of the item, and finally, perhaps most importantly, makes an aesthetic judgment.