Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: funtimefrankie on January 27, 2012, 10:49:55 am
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I've a couple of old charts of the China coast, dated 1843, printed 1849.
Anyone know if they have any value?.
One has a course marked on it in pencil, a bit tatty round the edges but they are 160 years old!
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mmmmmmmmm
ftf....any chance of a digital image?......... %) .....Derek
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No idea of their value, but could be substantial. I'd contact the NMM rather than ask on the forum. BY.
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Lots of interest in Chinese antiques from Chinese buyers. Even thought these charts may not be of Chinese origin.
I would be inclined to contact Phillips Auctioneers, I believe they have auction rooms in Hong Kong.
They would be able to advise you better.
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FF are they old Admiralty Charts - at one time they were reckoned to be the best in the world and our survey ships had covered most of the world
(mainly for our own use) I had about 70 charts onboard my yacht and they were all Admiralty and as long as you kept the corrections up the date
they were brilliant. A new one is about £20+ so an old one could be of value in a specialist nautical sale
Geoff
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Here's a few pics, not easy to photograph, There's no colour in them, except some dodgy stains on the back of one {:-{
The bigger one has a fold-out extention on one side
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There is a guy on flea-bay offering 1930s era charts for 175 quid but if you look at completed listing they seem to go for around 20-30. Yours are, of course, considerably older so may be worth more. You could try and identify the ship they were used on. If they are associated with a noteworthy voyage it could enhance their value. Get you local auction room to value them or look online for a valuation service, I had a painting valued recently and it was a resonable price. Most auction rooms do free valuations in and around their local area, check the local paper, they usually list them there.
You could also take the precaution of storing the charts in acid free tissue which is much better for paper items. HTH
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Found similar for sale on 'tinternet for $975 and $675, but then they are for sale, not sold.
I've emailed the pictures, above, to Bonhams, as they have an office in my town.
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In the Crest with the Foul Anchor and Hydrographic Office
At the bottom should be the initials FB for Francis Beaufort
who was Hydrographer of the Navy when the chart was made.
Ned
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Dear Funtime,
Might be an idea to contact Spink in London, they are active in China and Far East, and mid last year sold some collections of Chinese bonds etc. over a two day auction to the tune of $11 million or so!
Regards, Bernard
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In the Crest with the Foul Anchor and Hydrographic Office
At the bottom should be the initials FB for Francis Beaufort
who was Hydrographer of the Navy when the chart was made.
Ned
That's there, with the price 2shillings, and the other was 2 and 6 pence
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That's there, with the price 2shillings, and the other was 2 and 6 pence
It may be that 1843 is the date of the survey and production of the original chart, not the date that your particular chart was printed.
2 Shillings in 1843 was a large sum of money. Perhaps more than a chart would have cost at that time.
Perhaps some of the retired sea-farers can give some more ideas on how much charts have cost at different periods of the last century (20th)
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At least one of these charts appears to be listed here, and so they may in fact be more modern.
http://portal.digmap.eu/index/geral/date/EN/1849.html
http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-rm2981
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As TigerTiger says the date is probably the survey date - usually along the bottom of the chart is the publishing date then a seriies of dates marked either in pencil
or pen - these are the dates of the Published Admiralty chart corrections to keep them up to date - changes of buoy positions or sandbanks etc
If these dates are present that should give you an idea when the charts were last in use. Mind you I don't suppose every shipping line were totally up to date with their
corrections.
Geoff
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One has corrections to 1868, the other none.
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mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
ftf........this suggests that the actual chart prints in your possesion are very old...... :-)).....Derek
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Gosh and Golly! I wish I had £1 for every chart (the old black and white ones) that I either ditched, gave away for use as book covers or gave to the engineers to be used as gaskets. No good worrying about it now, but the sheer amount of information on them leaves the modern things trailing in the dust.
If you can, get hold of some 1950s American charts....they also printed on the back of these charts all sorts of info about the land area you were passing. BY.
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Got this back from Bonhams
"Thank you for your enquiry. Sadly, these charts are of decorative value only."
So it's keep the day job, if I had one :-))
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Sadly, these charts are of decorative value only."
Wallpaper!
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Hi,
A Page from the Imray 1883 catalogue showing some of the prices charged then.
Danny
(http://s14.postimage.org/d01qdi48d/image.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/d01qdi48d/)
(http://s10.postimage.org/yrojnrgr9/image.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/yrojnrgr9/)
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Respect and much Kudos there Danny
I do like a nice piece of research :-))
Dave