The map collector’s apprentice

AN OLD map is not just beautiful, but fascinating, too. Collectors like to see what their home patch used to look like—or, at least, how cartographers in past centuries saw it. Maps showing California as an island, for example, are popular with collectors on the American west coast. Broadly, collectable maps run from the introduction of woodcut printing in Europe in the 15th century to the invention of lithography in the early 19th century, ending the days of beautiful copper engravings. Compared with antique furniture or paintings, maps are a lot cheaper. Originals start at $1,000, and even the top end of the market rarely reaches six figures. For buyers in Britain, there's an added advantage: unlike other works of art, maps are not subject to VAT (sales tax).