I Missed this one in Pine Grove.
Wish I knew.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
“This recorded the culture. This is like the Google of its time,” Jim Stauffer, a retired Allentown auctioneer, said Monday as he looked over a historic map of Pottsville and the surrounding area.
“This is an absolute historic treasure that belongs in Pottsville,” he added.
The Sanborn map – bought from a public auction in Pine Grove last year – dates to 1896. It officially labeled property of Pottsville insurance agent N.H. Rich. The map was apparently used for insurance purposes, but beyond that, Stauffer said little else is known about it or if any other copies exist.
Sanborn Maps, based in New York City, has been in business since 1866 producing detailed maps.
As of Monday, the 25-page map – printed on parchment paper and bound as a hardcover book – is posted on Ebay with an asking price of $2,500. Before turning to the Internet, Stauffer said he approached the City of Pottsville and the county historical society, both of which said they have similar classic maps and weren’t interested.
“We have similar maps at City Hall. The majority of this, the city already has,” Pottsville City Administrator Thomas Palamar said last week.
Stauffer said he got a similar response from the historical society.
Adding to the aura of mystery surrounding the historic book is the admonition “do not copy” marked on the maps.
“This is like the Area 51 of maps,” Stauffer said, referring to the in-depth, block-by-block mapping of Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Cressona, Minersville, Saint Clair and Orwigsburg.
For example, Stauffer said, old trash dumps and outhouses are marked with an “X,” meaning the book could serve as a literal treasure map for anyone seeking vintage coins, beer bottles or other collectors’ items that may have been buried for more than 100 years.
“If I had my health, I would keep this. This is a job that could literally take you the rest of your life,” Stauffer said.
Also, the map is color-coded and lists any businesses in each of the six communities. The color-coding was meant for insurance agent research, Stauffer said, with brick buildings represented by pink, wood represented by yellow and stone by blue, for example.
It also clearly marks old barber shops, butchers, liquor stores and numerous other types of stores.
As for the eventual owner, Stauffer said he would prefer to see someone in Schuylkill County buy the map, rather than an outside collector. He said, however, that he will not compromise the price.
He also revealed little about where he got it or how much he paid for it, saying “it wasn’t cheap” when he placed the winning bid at a Pine Grove public estate auction last year.
Calls to Sanborn Maps asking for comment were not returned Monday afternoon.
http://www.republicanherald.com/art...an.20081230.a.pg3.pr30maps_s1.2195939_loc.txt
Wish I knew.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
“This recorded the culture. This is like the Google of its time,” Jim Stauffer, a retired Allentown auctioneer, said Monday as he looked over a historic map of Pottsville and the surrounding area.
“This is an absolute historic treasure that belongs in Pottsville,” he added.
The Sanborn map – bought from a public auction in Pine Grove last year – dates to 1896. It officially labeled property of Pottsville insurance agent N.H. Rich. The map was apparently used for insurance purposes, but beyond that, Stauffer said little else is known about it or if any other copies exist.
Sanborn Maps, based in New York City, has been in business since 1866 producing detailed maps.
As of Monday, the 25-page map – printed on parchment paper and bound as a hardcover book – is posted on Ebay with an asking price of $2,500. Before turning to the Internet, Stauffer said he approached the City of Pottsville and the county historical society, both of which said they have similar classic maps and weren’t interested.
“We have similar maps at City Hall. The majority of this, the city already has,” Pottsville City Administrator Thomas Palamar said last week.
Stauffer said he got a similar response from the historical society.
Adding to the aura of mystery surrounding the historic book is the admonition “do not copy” marked on the maps.
“This is like the Area 51 of maps,” Stauffer said, referring to the in-depth, block-by-block mapping of Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Cressona, Minersville, Saint Clair and Orwigsburg.
For example, Stauffer said, old trash dumps and outhouses are marked with an “X,” meaning the book could serve as a literal treasure map for anyone seeking vintage coins, beer bottles or other collectors’ items that may have been buried for more than 100 years.
“If I had my health, I would keep this. This is a job that could literally take you the rest of your life,” Stauffer said.
Also, the map is color-coded and lists any businesses in each of the six communities. The color-coding was meant for insurance agent research, Stauffer said, with brick buildings represented by pink, wood represented by yellow and stone by blue, for example.
It also clearly marks old barber shops, butchers, liquor stores and numerous other types of stores.
As for the eventual owner, Stauffer said he would prefer to see someone in Schuylkill County buy the map, rather than an outside collector. He said, however, that he will not compromise the price.
He also revealed little about where he got it or how much he paid for it, saying “it wasn’t cheap” when he placed the winning bid at a Pine Grove public estate auction last year.
Calls to Sanborn Maps asking for comment were not returned Monday afternoon.
http://www.republicanherald.com/art...an.20081230.a.pg3.pr30maps_s1.2195939_loc.txt
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