Life
Woman finds out her map from Goodwill is actually worth a pretty penny
Amazingly, she purchased the map at Goodwill for less than $20.
Rozzette Cabrera
12.09.21

There are tons of reasons why people visit thrift shops. Some of them go there to look for items they can buy at a really cheap price. Others hunt for unique pieces.

When a woman saw a map at a Goodwill store, she bought it for just one reason.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

The map looked pretty and that was enough to make her pay around $20 for it. It was a price she didn’t regret paying.

As she was looking at her new purchase, she thought she saw a crease.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

She’d been watching PBS’ Antiques Roadshow for quite some time. And from watching the show, she learned that a crease on a map is usually an indication that it’s an authentic map.

When the show came to her town, she didn’t think twice about bringing her map to Christopher Lane, a well-known antique appraiser.

Christopher was quite intrigued by the map.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

First, it was a beautiful map. It was also well-preserved.

To determine if it was an authentic map, he had to take a closer look.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

He noticed the plate mark. Its presence is a good indication that the map could be an authentic one. Plus, it’s close to the image. Fake plate marks are typically farther away.

Although that was a good sign, Christopher didn’t think it was enough to conclude the authenticity of the map.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

He took it out of the frame. That’s when he realized that the lack of crease was because of how it was preserved; the map had been glued to cardboard which made it look flat.

As his final attempt, Christopher ran his fingers very carefully over the center of the map.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

And by doing so, he felt a bump in the area. That’s when he determined that it was really an original Willem Blaeu World Map from 1640.

He shared a couple of facts about it.

The map was hand-colored. Compared with other artists who made maps, Willem Blaeu didn’t just settle with printed maps. He actually hand-colored them. His world map is considered one of the most popular and reproduced maps.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
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YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

Christopher finally revealed the price of the precious piece.

Amazingly, it was $10,000! The woman who bought it couldn’t believe what she heard. For under $20, she was able to get herself a really valuable map.

She asked if there was a way to remove it from the cardboard. Although Christopher knew one, he didn’t recommend taking it out. The process would cost her $1,500 to $2,000.

With the cardboard, the map could cost around $12,000 to $14,000. After you do the math, you’d probably agree with Christopher.

YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS
Source:
YouTube Screenshot-Antiques Roadshow PBS

The map’s value shocked people on the internet.

One YouTube user said:

“Wow. She bought it for $20 at Goodwill. Now that is a Fantastic Op Shop buy.”

There was also this person who commented:

“1640? and in that great condition? I wouldn’t sell it if I had a choice. You get to hold a piece of history very few times in your life if that’s not your job.”

Watch the video below to see the woman’s stunned reaction to the map’s value. It kind of makes you want to run to the thrift store!

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