The Early Show

Mapping Out A Collection

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

August 16, 2001 / 6:11 PM EDT / CBS

In 1910, getting where you were going in an automobile meant stopping every few miles to ask directions. And where were you likely to stop? Gas stations. In 1914, led by Gulf, they began handing out free road maps.

State and local governments, tourist bureaus and Chambers of Commerce saw the logic in this and before WWI began giving away maps to encourage motorists to explore local scenic and cultural attractions. Their colorful maps, as well as early maps by the Automobile Club of Southern California, are also wanted by collectors.

Find out about other collectibles described by The Saturday Early Show's Tony Hyman in the Collectibles Archive or visit Tony Hyman's Web site.

If you think you have a collectible worth a lot of cash, send an email to sat@cbsnews.com with "What's It Worth?" in the subject line. Or write to "What's It Worth?" The Saturday Early Show, 514 West 57th St., 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10019.

A few bicycle clubs prepared road maps back in the 1890s to alert cyclists to the angle of local road grades so they could avoid hills in strange territory. These are quite collectible and can bring $50 and up from map and bicycle collectors.

Today's collectors love early maps with roads named Oregon Trail, Yellowstone Trail, Tobacco Trail, Cornhusker Highway, Roosevelt Highway, and Dixie Highway.

Maps changed in 1927, when a standard national highway numbering system led hundreds of oil companies to give away maps with romantic names like Highway 1, 30, 40, and 101. Most maps from the 1930s up to the '60s bring from 50 cents to $10, thanks to their colorful graphics of friendly attendants and clean restrooms. Maps by small oil companies you never heard of can bring over $100.

Maps of states tend to be more popular than city maps, though city maps are more scarce and often sell for more. Maps of big-growth states like Florida, Texas, Hawaii and California are most popular. No matter where your map is from, no one wants water stains, bug holes, or maps worn and torn on the folds.

By 1970, interstate highways made maps and driving less interesting, and oil companies began charging money for maps that had always been free, and the era of collectible road maps came to an end.

Questions about maps of all types and periods, from ancient history to the road maps of this story, may be directed to Charles Neuschafer, founder of New World Maps, based at 1123 South Broadway, Lantana, Fla., 33462. His email address is newworldmaps@prodigy.net. Neuschafer has 20 years of experience buying, selling, and ppraising maps. More information may be obtained by visiting his Web site.