Why Experts Don’t Believe This Is a Rare First Map of America [NYT soft paywall]

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Why Experts Don’t Believe This Is a Rare First Map of America
By Michael Blanding
Dec. 10, 2017


This newly discovered print of Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map was to be sold at auction this month until experts raised concerns about its authenticity.CreditKirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

The map seemed to be an unbelievable find, an unknown fifth original of the rarest of documents, a vision of the world, circa 1507, by the famed German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. It features 12 so-called globe gores — like a world map drawn on an orange peel that has been sectioned and squashed flat.

Designed to be cut out and pasted around a sphere, these creations of Waldseemüller are thought to be the first printed globes ever made, as well as the first maps ever to use the name “America.”

Christie’s, the auction house, estimated the new find would fetch from $800,000 to $1.2 million when it went on the block Dec. 13 at its London salesroom.

But something about the map didn’t seem right to Alex Clausen, a San Diego-based rare-map dealer, who compared it to high-resolution images of the other known copies.

“The printed image was either quite heavy or missing altogether,” he said. “We were suspicious right from the beginning.”


The Waldseemüller map, of which there are several accepted originals, is considered to be the first to mention America.CreditKirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

In recent weeks, he and other experts approached Christie’s with their concerns, and last week the map was withdrawn from auction until questions about its authenticity could be resolved.

“We did a thorough analysis and have found evidence that supports assertions that a photograph was used to create a photomechanical reproduction,” said Julian Wilson, a specialist with the auction house’s Books & Manuscripts Department.

[...other evidence...]