FAQs

Here are some questions asked by customers on the stall. Hopefully, my answers are useful to online browsers too. More will be added as the website develops.

• You use the word 'authentic'. What do you mean?

All our maps are authentic antique or vintage. This means, for example, that if a map is advertised as printed in 1920, the paper and the ink were made over 100 years ago and 'ink met paper' in 1920.

• How do you know that your maps are authentic antique or vintage?

In one word, experience. When I started out, I sometimes bought reproduction maps by mistake. Some were extremely convincing copies. But over time - and with coaching from antique map experts - I have learned to tell the difference. If I ever have a doubt about a certain map, I will have it checked by someone with far more experience than my 12 years.

• What if I buy a map and then find out that it's a reproduction? Do I get my money back?

Although it is highly unlikely, yes, you can have a no-quibbles refund and a heartfelt apology. Please be aware, however, that your evidence needs to be stronger than 'my mate reckons...' or 'it just doesn't look right.'

• Can you get an authentic vintage map of the place my dad was born, printed in the year he was born?

Or your grandmother, auntie, etc. I'm asked this often and the short answer is, probably not. The reason is that paper maps were not printed every year. For example, in the 1950s, the Ordnance Survey only reprinted maps every five years or so. Printing ink onto paper in those days involved a lot of set-up costs, and to make it viable, you needed to print large quantities. Hence, it wasn't economical - or necessary - to print a new issue of maps every year.

• What is the difference between an 'antique' and a 'vintage' map?

Unfortunately, these words are often used as synonyms but they have two different meanings. For an item to be an 'antique', it needs to be 100 years old or older. The definition of 'vintage' is more fluid. Personally, I would use it to describe anything from 40 to 99 years old. Another word that's added to the mix is 'retro' which simply means 'something that looks old' (but could have been made yesterday.)

• Do you sell really old maps?

Depends what you mean by 'really old.' Our period of specialism tends to be from about 1870 to 1970. We do have older maps, but generally our era starts in the late-19th century. If you are interested in maps that were printed in earlier times, I strongly recommend Sanders of Oxford.

• Why don't you offer free delivery on framed maps?

Our framed maps are glazed, and glass is notoriously easy to crack. Through bitter experience, I have found that it doesn't matter how robustly I pack glazed maps prior to shipping, there is always a chance that the glass will not survive transit in one piece. The safest approach, therefore, is for the customer to collect from the stall, or if I happen to be passing the delivery address, I can drop it off free of charge.