Very popular antique maps are fetching very high prices at the auction block, because of this many forgeries have appeared as well as numerous copies of these maps. Map reproductions are not worth anything regardless of what the seller tells you. We will give you a few tips to distinguish a fake antique map from a real antique map.
First let us talk about copies, forgeries and reproductions of antique maps. Cartographers have copied each others’ maps for centuries and have improved on them as well. These old maps can be valuable since they were done when the information on them was valid and useful. They are genuine historical documents.
However, recent copies of old maps that depict geographical information from centuries past are made with the intent of offering decoration and sometimes historical insight to their buyers. The value of these map reproductions is often marketed to unknowing customers by claiming that the copy is of a rare map or that is was made using some fancy printing technique. The truth is that a copy of a rare map is not rare, it is the original map that is rare. The copy is worthless and the same goes for the fancy printing.
Here are a few ways for you to spot a fake old map:
1. Color maps were hand-colored before the 1850s. With a magnifying glass take a close look at the color. If you see a matrix of small and even overlapping dots then you have a map made after the 1900s. Your map may say it is from the 1600s for example, but the presence of these dots means that it was not made until after the 1900s. It’s a copy.
Antique map forgeries are very realistic copies of original old maps that attempt to fool a person into believing they are looking at an original. The skills necessary to create such a forgery are not that different from the skills needed to forge currency, but they carry lesser criminal penalties when the crime is discovered.
Forgeries are different from commercial copies and reproductions of old maps because there is a genuine intention to deceive which should not be present with commercial reproductions. The scarcity of some desirable old maps has led to a fairly constant increase in their value. A fair amount of collectors of old maps have supplemented their incomes with the timely sale of maps from their collections. Prices for desirable maps, such as those depicting California as an island or the maps by Ortelius or Speed have gone up dramatically over the years.
The high resale value of some antique maps has led unscrupulous counterfeiters to replicate them. Only certain maps and mapmakers are targeted. Indeed forging antique maps accurately is a costly endeavor. To do the job correctly one needs to recreate the hand-made paper on which the map is printed, engrave a precise replica of the map using old engraving techniques and finally age the map with age appropriate stains. This is no easy task.
The paper must have the same texture as the original and have the specific watermark that existed on the original map. The recreation of this paper is difficult and costly. Many forgeries ignore matching the paper accurately for this reason. In investigating a forgery it is often in the paper that the investigator must start. To discern watermarks and the age of paper is often beyond the expertise of most appraisers. It is important when using an appraiser for expensive maps to have one with vast experience in antique maps and prints.
It’s amazing to learn how technology is improving the lives of our aging loved ones as well as caregivers whether at home or in care centers. In my quest for innovative new technologies I’ve come across the following developments that are addressing both the physical and the cognitive needs of our seniors.
Monitor Wandering with Wandertrack
This wander management system has improved the quality of life in assisted living facilities that use WanderTrack. It’s an invisible and wireless system that alerts the monitoring station when a resident, without having to use a GPS, passes through the designated perimeter. Residents can take walks outdoors and their loved ones will have the peace of mind knowing they are cared for without the risk of wandering too far from home. More information is available at silentpartnertech.com
Explore Retirement Homes in Windsor
Dakim BrainFitness
At FrontPorch the Model eHealth Community for the Aging, they started with just a few units and are now a major provider of the Dakim BrainFitness system. Dakim is a touch-screen system of clinically tested brain fitness exercises that through extensive and ongoing research is providing users with fitness exercises for the brain. The system includes more than 300 hours of content and over 100 exercises to keep the brain active, improve memory and help prevent cognitive decline. Complete information is at dakim.com
Carebot by Gecko Systems Helps Seniors recover at home
A fascinating new remote medical monitoring system that reminds me of Rosie the Robot Maid from the Jetsons, is CareBot™ MSR (Mobile Service Robot) and is being trialed by Gecko Systems with selected individuals. Typical scenarios where an MSR could be an asset are in the following examples: A patient returns home after major surgery and a complication arises. The Carebot is set up to monitor the patient and transmit alerts of any complications to the Doctor or the Hospital ER and the patient is readmitted quickly.
I bet you didn’t realize how valuable a deck of playing cards or my personal old school favorite, UNO, could be. Many kids struggle with various social skills including sportsmanship, joining in with peers, learning new games quickly, and being a savvy game player. The good news is, you can help your kids work on all of these skills with a single deck of cards.
Think back to all of the card games you used to play when you were younger with your friends, your parents, or your siblings. Think about how much fun it was and how much time you used to spend playing. Far away from video games, too, I’m sure. Try to remember a few games that you knew. Go Fish (for the younger kids), Crazy Eights, Slap Jack, BS, Spit, and UNO (which requires a different deck but well worth the $6 investment). If you can’t remember the rules to these games, look them up. Some of the games are less sophisticated than others, so choose the ones that will be suit your kids.
Get yourself squared away on the directions, find the cards, remember how to shuffle, and get your kids. Sit them down, blow their minds with your awesome shuffling skills (they love the bridge) and tell them you’re going to teach them a card game. They’ll love it. Give the directions with as few words as possible, ask them if they get it, tell them you’ll help them as they learn and get started.
Deal out the cards. Parents, here is the first important step. Teach your children how to fan out and hold their cards properly. Kids that can’t or don’t hold their cards properly can’t select cards to play quickly, end up dropping cards, and most importantly, they appear vulnerable to other kids they may be playing with. If other kids can easily look at their cards, they’ll be taken advantage of, and we don’t want that. Teach them how to fan their cards, and hold their cards properly.