In good shape, that's probably an okay buy. Most antique stores give you 10% for cash/check if you know to ask. They can also call the dealer to see if they will take less.

Would look great over a metal desk.

I hate to say this, but our area is crappy when it comes to any shopping much less antiques (which I love). So it's seldom, very seldom...well actually almost never that I find something, anything and think, ohh that would be perfect for....I'd snatch that puppy up in a flat minute and never look back!

Grab it before I do! :-)

(And why the heck do you second-guess....you have a terrific eye!!)

Sounds like a great deal to me!

Yes, without a doubt you should buy it. Where else can you get something that size for only $75? And that's not even factoring in the coolness factor.

Buy it and if you decide you don't want it I know you can easily resell it to one of us.

A vintage school map! How neat is that? And with WWII stuff on there? This thing sounds ridiculously cool!

If the $75 doesn't cause a hardship, I would absolutely be there first thing in the morning when they open. I would ask for a discount (depending on the piece, many dealers will give 10-20%). After you buy it, I do hope to see a picture so that I can drool in my keyboard.

I agree it sounds like a good price, but what the heck try to talk him down if you can. That's the fun of shopping at places like that. I can't wait to see it. I love stuff like that too. Especially maps. There's just something about a map that makes one feel....I don't know....wow! I guess.

Oh, it sounds wonderful! Hey, it's art, so $75 is definitely a nice price. That said, I'm always up for asking if a discount is possible. Ya don't ask, ya don't get. ;-)

I can't wait to see a picture of this once you get it home! What a cool find!

Look at it this way....
If you were to go out and purchase enough art to fill that size of space on a wall, what would you be spending?
And another thing...... you can be sure it won't go out of style!
HECK Yea....grab that Puppy up!

Okay, you all have talked me into it. :) Thanks so much for the affirmation and the help!

I'm going to call first thing when they open this morning and see if I can handle the transaction over the phone. It's an hour drive there one way and the kids need to be at the pool this AM for swim club practice and then would like to ride the rest of the day out there since our high is supposed to be 98F today. Thanks for reminding to ask for a discount too, this is the same place I bought the center light for the kitchen and they bargained with me on that, so hopefully they'll do the same here. Also after I pay, if they'll hold it for me until the middle of the this week, I can go grab it with DH's truck instead of trying to stuff it in my car. He'll be home Tuesday after being away for work for a little over a month.

Amy, I'm not sure why I start quibbling when I get in these situations. I had a really clear picture in my mind of how to use it and like Amity said, I thought about price per size for what I was getting .. then I let myself walk out with it. :P Of course the whole way home I had a mental conversation, that basically comprised of telling myself I was a ninny for walking out with out it. There was a pair of milk glass & green glass lamps there, with nice shades on them that wouldn't need to be replaced for $60.00 .. I walked out with out them too, I think I was having an insecure day. *LOL*

When we got back to town yesterday, we stopped at the consignment shop to she what goodies she had. She's a super nice lady and runs a very cool business .. she does auctions every Tuesday evening, I can't be there then because that's when the kid's swim meet nights are this summer. She'll do absentee bids though, she works like e-bay .. give her your absolute highest reserve and she'll buy it for you for the lowest she can get it for. So I put in reserve bids on milk glass salt, pepper, flour and sugar shakers .. they have jadeite tops and trim, then red and black stylized roosters on them. A really large industrial school house light that similar to the one I have in the kitchen and some hoosier jars with red tops. So cross your fingers for me guys that I'm the winning bidder .. I'd love to have all of that stuff. :)

That map would look perfect in my sons room with all his repro Texaco fighting planes. Grab it, but I would offer $50.
BTW - Is it the type of school map that has the pull-down string attached and in the case that mounts to the wall, or just the map.

Buy it! I researched old roll-down school maps and the neat ones with the better color schemes and subject matters are going for around $120 and up.

I have a 1969 US map I got for free from a client with a vacant school building & not sure what they want to do with the building & contents yet. He just unscrewed from the wall whichever one I wanted. I was soooo fortunate and thankful because I was in progress of researching & wanting to buy.

I've got mine hanging in the computer room.

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Yep, it's the retractable kind, that has the case it rolls up into at the top. The case gets mounted to the wall and you pull down on a string to pull down the map.

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How cool you got your for free!! I'd love to see pics of it, if you have any you could share.

After I posted my comment, I remembered I actually blogged about my map. Here's the link below.

I had just got it home when I took the pic, so it's on the floor & not hung. I should really take a pic of it hung up.

I remember the realization I had when I got it home was how large these maps actually are. I had my wall options all measured out & marked on the walls the space the map would take up. It presents itself much larger in person...even with all the measuring and marking I did in preparation for getting a large map.

Here is a link that might be useful: My school map

Ran across a dealer with vintage maps at 1stdibs Saturday Sale. They are very nice coloring, 6ft 10" x 5ft, pull down. $450 each. See! Yours is a good deal!

You'll have to start at the dealers homepage, then go to page 6. Scroll down to bottom. More on page 7.

Here is a link that might be useful: Go to Page 6

Gayle0000 .. that map is beautiful! What a wonderful find for you.

Allison0704 .. thank so much for listing those wonderful maps. They make me appreciate the price on this map even more.

After swim practice, one of my girlfriends offered for the girls to stay at the pool with her girls ( our girls are best friends ) so I could run back. I picked up the map, the lamps and I also found a painting I liked in the 60% off room. Th guy that owns the place come down to $55 for the map, $50 for the lamps and the painting wasn't supposed to be in the marked down room, but he honored it since someone there had tagged it wrong. So I got the painting for $20!

Here's the map .. it has more yellow on it than I remembered, but I still love it. There is also no orange, that's red and it reads red in real life, my camera didn't pick up the accurate color for some reason.

Key :

Side top :

Other side top :

Side bottom :

The painting, didn't think it was too bad for $20:

It's of a cottage ..

Close up :

The lamps .. I just threw this stuff up here, this is not the final resting spot for the lamps or painting :

What wonderful finds! Very jealous.

Oh I love your vignette! That all looks so nice together.

Not a map person, but you sure got a great deal! Very interesting and educational how it shows the war. And I love how it retracts too.

Yay! I'm glad you got all that you wanted and the map for $55. Good deal. I thought he'd come down on that.

Love the map! and your other finds too, but the map is especially cool. I think it was a deal at $75 so you got a great buy :-)

Thanks so much guys! I'm really glad I posted and you all talked me into going back. Now I just need to find the perfect tanker desk to sit under the map. :)

The painting was a whim buy, but you know the colors go great in the house. The lamps I love, but I have a 'thing' for milk glass and green glass .. they'll probably find their way into the master bedroom. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the niche area shown, I'm thinking maybe the shelf above the cabinets needs to go .. it makes the area very hard to decorate without looking too busy.

OH everything is so cool !! You are the queen of great shopping ! I love those little lamps and that map is so great. The painting is perfect "cottage". c