Old Nautical Maps for Sale: Old Nautical Charts and Nauticalia

A nostalgic cartoon of hydrographic surveying in Alaska Southeast, 1985.
(Image in the public domain from the NOAA).

Nautical charts provide maps of maritime areas, coastal regions and rivers, primarily as an aid to navigation. There is a great deal of information that may be shown on a nautical chart, including:

• the depth of water and features on the sea bed
• details of the coastline and any associated structures, such as harbors, lighthouses or bridges
• navigational hazards and any naturally occurring or man-made aids to navigation
• information on the tides and currents

As any of this information can change over time, old nautical maps and charts should never be used for navigational purposes. There are a number of organizations offering the most up-to-date information on the world's seas, coastlines and waterways for free, including satellite imagery and data available from global positioning systems (GPS).

The measurements that are used to produce nautical charts are usually taken during a hydrographic survey. Such surveys may seek to provide information on all or any of those features listed above, and during any one survey a variety of methods are often used. Depths can be recorded using echo sounding, or historically a sounding line, as shown in the cartoon. The presence of obstructions such as shipwrecks, which may not be picked up in this way, are found by sweeping an area with a horizontal wire or using sophisticated electronic sensors.

Hydrographic surveys can be long and labor-intensive undertakings, but the information they provide helps ensure the safety and security of all those on, or close to, the water.

An old nautical chart of Portuguese cartographer Fernão Vaz Dourado (c. 1520 - c. 1580).
You can click on the image to download a number of different sizes of this chart - it has an aspect ratio of approximately 4:3 or 5:4, making it suitable as a computer wallpaper.
(The image in the public domain in the US, since its copyright has expired).

Old nautical maps and charts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are available to search and download for free. The images can be used for commercial or educational purposes and the introduction to this site features an old nautical map of Hawaii from their collection. You can visit the NOAA's Historical Map & Chart Collection here.