1941 Map

[Randay]

Good morning,

Would anyone have a general idea of the worth of an original, 1941 NG map of the Indian Ocean area?

[Paul Crist]

It depends with these wartime (in this instance pre-US involvement) maps, a well used map even if still entirely in tact wholesales for $1 or less, and would retail $5-$10 and I am happy to supply in the latter range as I have many duplicates. In absoluely pristine shape, a folded supplement with no wear or tear or markings might fetch $25.
Conversely, a rolled map used with some wear but no markings, tears or blemishes or foxing on the map, as opposed to margins, would be in the $10-$50 range depending upon overal appearance. The same pristine with absolutely no flaws would generally retail near $100 because of its relation to the war, rather than because of its relative scarcity.

It (rolled much more so than any folded supplement) would be market driven by non-Geographic collectors, though Indian Ocean would not have the same audience in the US as would Pacific or Atlantic theaters. It might have greater appeal in Singapore, Malasi or the subcontinent, and there are Geographics dealers there who are listed on Dealers' Director associated with this site. Know nothing about any of them, but I do know there is a market in the English-speaking areas of South Asia. Domestically, I used to have a New Orleans cartographic dealer who would routinely turn these sorts of maps (Geographic and others), and he always seemed to have collectors with standing orders for particular maps, and he paid me somewhere between a quarter and half (25%-50%) of what he represented he would retail them for. Alas, his business shuttered with Katrina.

[Randay]

Thanks, very helpful information. I'm guessing it wouldn't be worth putting on eBay, correct?

[Paul Crist]

It would not be to me, but you never know. There was some school teacher up near Tyler who scanned ever cover and every map for some thirty years and posted them at whatever minimum starting price and she sold out and had some that went for what I thought were incredible prices for 1970s-1990s issues and supplements. ABONG.com made money selling issues at $3 and supplements post 1970 for $1. Why anyone would spend $4 shipping for a one-dollar item they could get at a local flea market or Goodwill or the rare used bookshop that still stores Geographics, I do not understand, but evidently every once in a while auctions not only make a minimum but go hog wild.
Good luck