Chart your course to rare finds at this November auction

An expansive collection of antiques, spanning over four centuries, will go under the hammer at Chilcotts’ November auction in Honiton.

The Alan Winning Collection features a fascinating array of historic items, including a rare Elizabethan-era map of Exeter, offering a bird’s-eye view of the city with its complete walls, castle, cathedral, and quay.

The collection, amassed by East Devon private collector Alan Winning since the 1970s, includes around 750 antique maps and related items, grouped into approximately 100 lots.

Eager for others to enjoy his collection, Mr. Winning is selling many items at very reasonable prices, with estimates starting from £50.

Above: Map of Exeter. Image: Chilcotts

Highlights include county maps of Devon, showcasing the region’s evolution, and plans of London from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century, such as guides from the 1851 Great Exhibition.

One standout piece is an engraved panorama by Swiss cartographer Matthaus Merian, depicting London before the Great Fire of 1666, estimated at £800–1200.

A selection of maps of Africa, the Americas, and Australia will stand out to collectors due to some intriguing inaccuracies.

For example, Japan was initially drawn far larger than its actual size, California first as an island and then a peninsula, and the settlement that would become New York City was labelled New Amsterdam.

As well as loose maps, Mr Winning created a library of other related items from atlases, dictionaries, and map directories and is also selling a small selection of charming Georgian board games, some of which are beautifully engraved and hand coloured.

Above: The New Game of Human Life boardgame. Image: Chilcotts

One of the collection’s highlights is a 1720 Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster by John Stow, including maps and plans, which has a presale estimate of £800–1200. 

Auctioneer Jennifer Bell, who curated the collection, said: “This is a lovely selection of maps, which includes some rare and interesting editions, with plenty of options for the novice map collector. I think the starting point is to just buy a map you like the look of; these maps will be appreciated both for their appearance and the history they contain, as much as they’re worth.” 

The ‘Collectors Items’ auction also includes plenty of other tempting lots, from toys, models, and medals to good-quality antiquarian books, a collection of phonographs, and twentieth-century antiques.

The sale takes place at 10am at the Dolphin Saleroom in Honiton High Street on Saturday, November 16, with pre-sale viewing on November 13, 14, and 15.