Forrest Fenn Map Collection

Back in mid-October, a Topo Map Collection came up for sale on Ebay.  This collection was originally owned by Forrest Fenn and was being sold by his grandson who had acquired the maps some years before.

The listing on eBay stated the following:

This is a unique opportunity to purchase a large selection of USGS topographic maps previously from the private collection of Forrest Fenn.

This collection includes over 700 maps, mostly of New Mexico but also some of Utah and Colorado. Each map is organized alphabetically by region and stored in pull-out map drawers. The maps are in new condition, and most are individually labeled with a sticker price of $8.00, which would give this collection a combined potential value of over $5,600! The map cases are solid, and the drawers are all in good condition. The tops of the cases have some water damage, but there is no water damage to the maps themselves. Some maps have some small rips, tears, or critter-eaten corners, but the vast majority of them are in like-new condition. A few maps have pen or pencil markings and/or notes on them.

Some maps are earlier editions from the mid-1950’s, while others are revisions from the late-1990’s. The paper quality varies, but most are printed on standard semi-gloss topo map paper. A few others appear to be printed on a more water-resistant paper.

This map collection was owned by famed Santa Fe art dealer and author Forrest Fenn, and they were in his possession and use for over 2 years. I do not make any claims or suggestions that there may or may not be clues to the Fenn treasure hidden within these maps.

 

Many searchers were bidding on the maps and it was the searchers Cowlazars and Kpro who ended up winning the final bid.  While they don’t think any clues are to be found on the maps, they are selling the maps individually for searchers who would like to own something originally owned by Forrest Fenn—and maybe even connect to where a searcher is hunting for his treasure chest.

What a great souvenir for the Chase!

They created a video for those interested in learning how to purchase one (or more) of the maps.

Below are the highlights of the video:

1 map / certificate of authenticity / Forrest Fenn story ~ $39

2 maps / certificate of authenticity / Forrest Fenn story / 2019 silver FF coin (no sequence #) ~ $75

Shipping and handling is included in those prices for the continental US

And for every 2 maps purchased you get a 2019 silver FF coin (no seq #).  There are 200 coins available.

If you email fennmaps@gmail.com to place an order with Cowlazars, he will email back availability and how to make payment. It may take a week for him to email back, because this all takes time, but he will get back to you as soon as he can.

The list of maps available are in the following link and will be updated on a weekly basis:

Forrest Fenn Map Collection List

I had chatted with Cowlazars and Kpro and one of the main questions being asked is will there be copies made of the maps and/or will they be sold online digitally?  The answer is no.  Only the originals from the Map Collection of Forrest Fenn will be available. When they are gone, that’s it.

Another question was are there other maps, possibly of Montana or Wyoming, since these are mostly of New Mexico and some of Colorado and Utah?  From what is known currently, the answer is no to that as well. This comes from Shiloh, not Forrest.  Forrest wouldn’t confirm that.

Within the collection of maps there are over 900 maps of 277 different locations. Some of maps are of the same location and so there are duplicate maps.  The amount of duplicates vary.  Some locations have up to 17 duplicates, others, like Ojo Caliente, which they decided to sell on eBay, there is only one map.

Years also vary on the maps.  They range from 1953 to 2002.

So while the maps won’t provide any groundbreaking clue, they are a nice souvenir for the Chase!

Again if interested, email Cowlazars at fennmaps@gmail.com with which one you’d like to order from the list available (noted above)!

Best of luck with all that you seek!  Always Treasure the Adventure!