I love maps and my expertise is in antique maps.
Congratulations to the Sea Monster, your champion in the 2026 March Mapness Map Art tournament! Thanks to everyone who participated. If you have an idea for a theme for next year’s March Mapness tournament, let us know in the comments!
Posted 27th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Championship Round: The final fight is Sea Monster vs. Compass Rose. Will you pick the menace of the high seas or the pretty & practical icon that keeps us properly oriented? Let us know your fave—we’ll crown the champ on Friday!
Posted 25th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #3: The second match-up of our semi-finals is the Compass Rose vs. the Sailing Ship. Without them, there would be no Age of Exploration—but which do you prefer? Get your votes in before we tally them up on Tues. 3/24!
Posted 23rd Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #3: The semi-finals begin with a battle between the notorious Sea Monster and the mighty Wind Head. Let us know your favorite of these icons of map art before we tally the votes on Tuesday, 3/24!
Posted 20th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
Round 2 of March Mapness ’26 is officially closed! Thanks for voting. Here’s the updated bracket with our final four: the Sea Monster, Wind Head, Compass Rose, and Sailing Ship. What a lineup!
Posted 19th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #2: The final match-up of this round is Sailing Ship vs. Neptune. Neptune may be the God of the Sea, but can he take over as captain of the Sailing Ship? Vote for your favorite of these two icons of map art in the comments before we tally the votes tomorrow!
Posted 18th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #2: The third battle of this round is the Compass Rose vs. the Armillary Sphere. Which would you rather see on a map? Choose your favorite in the comments before we tally votes on Thurs, March 19th!
Posted 17th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #2: The second showdown of this round is Putti vs. Wind Head. Do you prefer precious Putti or a heavy gust from the Wind Head? Vote for your pick in the comments before we tally votes on Thurs, March 19th!
Posted 16th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #2: The round begins with a battle between the Sea Monster and the River God. Will you pick the menace of the high seas or the master of streams? Let us know your favorite in the comments before we tally votes on Thurs, March 19th!
Posted 13th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
Round 1 of March Mapness 2026 has officially closed! Thanks for voting and making this tournament so much fun for us. Here is the updated bracket with all the results. Get ready for Round 2—the first match-up posts tomorrow morning!
Posted 12th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #1: Our final face-off is Neptune vs. Lion. Will you pick the god of the seas or the king of the savanna? Vote for your winner in the comments!
Posted 11th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The penultimate match-up of our first round is the Sailing Ship vs. the Surveyor. Do you choose the symbol of adventure and discovery on the high seas or the hard-working figure who maps the terrain? Let us know your pick in the comments!
Posted 10th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The sixth match-up is the Elephant vs. the Armillary Sphere. The Elephant is a favorite symbol on maps of Asia and Africa; the Armillary Sphere adds an astronomical touch to a wide variety of maps. Which do you prefer? Vote in the comments!
Posted 9th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness Round #1: The fifth battle is between the Compass Rose and the Angel of Fame. Will you choose the navigator’s best friend or the divine personification of fame and renown? Let us know in the comments!
Posted 6th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The fourth showdown is the Wind Head vs. the Dragon. Will the classic symbol for directional winds take down the fire-breathing beast? Choose your winner in the comments!
Posted 5th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The third match-up is Putti vs. Mercury. Will you choose the cherubic little figures or the god of trade, commerce, and communication? Let us know in the comments!
Posted 4th Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The second match-up is Coat of Arms vs. River God. Will it be the stately heraldic emblem or the symbol of flowing rivers? Vote for your favorite in the comments!
Posted 3rd Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’26 kicks off with Sea Monster vs. Beaver! Can the industrious American beaver take down the menace of the high seas? Let us know your pick in the comments!
Posted 2nd Mar 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness is back! The theme in 2026 is Map Art. I’ll post the first match-up on Monday, 3/2. Which decorative element has what it takes to win?
Posted 26th Feb 2026r/oldmaps
March Mapness 2025: It's time to crown our champion—the Kingdom of Prester John! Congratulations to our #1 map myth, a true underdog favorite. Past tournaments featured maps of the world, western hemisphere, North America, and now cartographic myths—what would you like to see in March Mapness 2026?
Posted 28th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness 2025: We have reached the grand finale: the Kingdom of Prester John vs. Terra Australis! Prester John vanquished the Island of California—can he conquer the big bad southern continent? Get your votes in by 3/27—the champion will be announced on Friday!
Posted 26th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness ’25: Our second semi-finals head-to-head pits Frisland against Terra Australis. Will you choose the made-up North Atlantic island or the oversized southern continent? Get your picks in quick--we announce the winners of this round tomorrow, March 26th!
Posted 25th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Semi-finals of March Mapness ’25: the Kingdom of Prester John vs. the Island of California! Will it be the lost Christian kingdom in the East or California floating free from the West Coast? Get your votes in soon--we announce the winners of this round this Wednesday, March 26th!
Posted 24th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Bracket update: Round #2 of March Mapness 2025 is over! Congrats to our final four favorites: Kingdom of Prester John, Island of California, Frisland, and Terra Australis! Stay tuned - semi-finals kick off Monday 3/24!
Posted 21st Mar 2025r/oldmaps
The final match-up of Round #2 of March Mapness is the Mountains of the Moon vs. Terra Australis! Does the classic Ptolemaic source of the Nile have what it takes to bring down the huge proto-Antarctica? Get your votes in now—we announce the winners of Round #2 tomorrow, March 21st!
Posted 20th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Round #2 of March Mapness continues with Frisland vs. the Sea of Verrazano! Can the Zeno Brothers' invented North Atlantic island take down Verrazano's false sea? Get your votes in before the round ends on March 20th!
Posted 19th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Round #2 of March Mapness continues with a rumble on the West Coast: the Island of California vs. the Sea of the West! Get your vote in before Round #2 closes on March 20th! Vote by leaving a comment.
Posted 18th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Round #2 of our March Mapness tournament kicks off with a tussle between Compagnies Land and the Kingdom of Prester John! Can the mysterious landmass to the northeast of Japan topple the fictitious African domain of Prester John? Voting ends on March 20th--let us know your favorite!
Posted 17th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Round #1 of March Mapness '25 is officially over! Here's the updated bracket with our “Great Eight” cartographic myths (based on tallies from multiple social media platforms). Get ready for Round #2, which kicks off Monday, March 17th!
Posted 14th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness '25: Round #1 ends with fake islands in Lake Superior vs. the massive southern continent Terra Australis. Vote for your pick in the comments! Round 1 voting ends 3/13! (See comments for info on these myths)
Posted 12th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness '25: the Mountains of the Moon vs. the River of the West. Will it be Ptolemy’s speculative source of the Nile or the river flowing from the Intermountain West to the Pacific? Vote for your favorite in the comments! (See comments for more info on these myths)
Posted 11th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness '25: Sea of Verrazano vs. Atlantis. Can the spurious sea that split the New World in two beat the famous lost island of Atlantis? Vote for your pick in the comments! (See comments for more info on these myths)
Posted 10th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness '25: Two islands face off in the 5th match-up — it’s Iceland’s made-up neighbor Frisland vs. the Island of Korea. Vote for your pick in the comments! (See comments for more info about the myths)
Posted 7th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness '25: The fourth match-up is North America’s Sea of the West vs. South America’s Lake Parime. Let us know in the comments which massive mythical inland body of water gets your vote! (See comments for info about these myths)
Posted 6th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
Today's March Mapness '25 match-up is between Norumbega and the Island of California. Does proto-New England have what it takes to beat the insular Golden State? Let us know your choice in the comments! (And check comments for more info about these myths)
Posted 5th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
The second match-up of March Mapness ’25 pits a Chinese lake at the center of the universe against the realm of a legendary Christian king in Africa. Comment with your pick: Chiamay Lacus or the Kingdom of Prester John? (See comments for articles about each myth)
Posted 4th Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness begins: It's Compagnies Land vs. River Longue! Will it be the mysterious coastline in the North Pacific or the mythical river connecting the Mississippi to the American West? Comment with your pick! (See comments for info about these myths.)
Posted 3rd Mar 2025r/oldmaps
March Mapness is back for 2025! This year's theme is Map Myths. I'll start posting match-ups on 3/3 for you to place your votes. Which myth do you think will win? (Remember this is just for fun!)
Posted 28th Feb 2025r/oldmaps
Our 2023 March Mapness tournament has come to end and the grand champion map of North America is Hondius’ “America Septentrionalis” (1638)! He joins Ortelius and Munster in our pantheon of champion cartographers. Thanks to everybody who voted and made this such a fun tournament!
Posted 29th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
It's the final showdown in our March Mapness tournament to determine the "greatest" map of North America: Porcacchi's Nuovo Mondo (1576) vs. Hondius' America Septentrionalis (1638)! Which of these classic maps do you prefer? The champion will be announced Wed. morning, so get your votes in!
Posted 27th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Today'sMarch Mapness match-up pits a map that popularized the myth of the Island of California against the first map to revert back to showing it in peninsular form. It's the golden age of Dutch cartography vs. the innovations of French scientific cartography. Let us know your pick in the comments!
Posted 23rd Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Round 3 of March Mapness kicks off with a head-to-head between two Italian cartographers. Porcacchi's is the earliest map of the continent available to collectors, but is it any match for Coronelli's masterpiece, complete with the Island of California? Leave a comment to vote for your favorite!
Posted 21st Mar 2023r/oldmaps
The results are in... We tallied the votes for the 2nd round of our March Mapness tournament to crown the #1 map of North America, and the Final Four match-ups are Porcacchi vs. Coronelli and Delisle vs. Hondius. Talk about tough competition! Tune in Tuesday (3/21) for the first showdown!
Posted 20th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Round 2 of our March Mapness tournament closes with this face-off between Hondius' 17th-century Dutch classic and Tallis' masterpiece of 19th-century decorative cartography. Let us know your favorite in the comments!
Posted 17th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Our March Mapness tournament to crown the champion map of North America continues with a match-up between Delisle's cartographic masterwork and Senex's beautiful behemoth of a map. Vote for your favorite in the comments!
Posted 16th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Another Round 2 match-up today between Coronelli's elegantly engraved two-sheeter and Moll's "Codfish Map." Vote in the comments for which one you want to move into the Final Four!
Posted 15th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Round 2 of our March Mapness tournament of the finest maps of North America commences today with a head-to-head between Porcacchi's New World and Scherer's missionary map. Can the zeal of the convert take down the earliest obtainable map of the continent? Let us know your pick in the comments!
Posted 14th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
We tallied votes for the first round of our 2023 March Mapness tournament and here are the results! There were clear winners (Coronelli, Moll, Hondius) and very close match-ups (Porcacchi, Senex, Tallis). Round 2 voting starts tomorrow!
Posted 13th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Round 1 of our March Mapness tournament closes with a match-up between two very popular 19th-century maps of North America. Are you Team Levasseur or Team Tallis? Let us know in the comments. We're tallying votes Sunday and revealing the Round 1 results on Monday.
Posted 11th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
Our next March Mapness clash is between an odd early map of the continent and one of the most important maps in perpetuating the myth of the Island of California. Are you on the Quad squad or are you more partial to Hondius? Take your pick in the comments!
Posted 10th Mar 2023r/oldmaps
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