Quinn’s Auction Galleries’ Waverly Division Turns to Books, Maps for June 11 Sale
FALLS CHURCH, Va.—Along with the traditional fare of rare books, Quinn’s Auction Galleries’ Waverly Rare Books and Maps Catalog #265 offers antique maps of European cities, North America and beyond. The highlight of the June 11 auction is an 18th-century orrery, an apparatus that shows the movements of planets around the sun.
The hand-cranked device shows the movements of Mercury, Venus and Earth around the Sun, and the Moon around the Earth, all above a printed, colored dial. W. & S. Jones, London, manufactured “A Table of the Principal Affections of the Planets,” which is dated Jan. 1, 1794. Contained in a mahogany case that measures 13 3/8in x 13 5/8in x 7 1/8in, the orrery is expected to sell for $15,000-$25,000.
Maps of a smaller scale include the circa-1740 Seutter Map of North America (Augsburg), also known as the “Mississippi Bubble” map. Matthew Seutter’s double-page “Accurata Delineatio Celeberrimae Regionis Ludovicianae Vel Gallice Louisane … ” shows France’s control of Louisiana from the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. Exhibiting minor repair and a near-fine image, the map has a $400-$700 estimate.
The auction also boasts 18 16th-century Braun & Hogenberg maps of London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Seville and other cities. Estimates range from $500-$800 for a map of Paris to $800-$1,200 for a map of London.
Another rarity is a 10-volume set of “La Biblia Vulgata Latina Traducida en Espanol,” 1790-1793, the first edition of a Spanish Bible printed on Spanish soil. Bound in uniform tree calf, probably 19th century, the set is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.
A 51-volume set of Walter Scott’s “The Waverly Novels,” an Extra Illustrated Edition featuring 50 original watercolors, all in full leather with large floral/leaf decorations, is expected to sell for $1,000-$1,500.
Also listed in Waverly Auctions’ 463-lot catalog are many first editions—some signed, including works by Helen Keller and Bram Stoker.
The auction will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 11. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. For additional information on any item, contact Quinn’s Auction Galleries by calling 703-532-5632 or emailing info@quinnsauction.com. Visit Quinn’s/Waverly online at www.quinnsauction.com.
First image: This map from Vol. I of Braun and Hogenberg’s “Civitates Orbis Terrarum,” circa 1575-1579, gives a bird’s-eye view of London, showing the city’s street grid and labeling dozens of buildings and landmarks. It measures 19 1/8in by 13 1/8in. It is one of 18 Braun & Hogenberg maps that will be sold as individual lots. Estimate: $800-$1,200. Courtesy of Quinn’s Auction Galleries.
Second image: The 51 volumes of “The Waverly Novels” by Walter Scott are finely decorated and bear the author’s coat of arms stamped in gilt on the covers. Estimate: $1,200-$1,800. Courtesy of Quinn’s Auction Galleries.
