Bought a 1911 map of Africa at a yard sale in Buffalo for $2 and found a country that stopped existing in 1912

Ryan Burns · 2026-09-29T09:30:03.297799+00:00

The guy wanted $5, I talked him down to $2 because of the water stain on the corner. Got it home and saw the whole middle of the continent was labeled German East Africa, which I had to look up because I never heard of it. My plan was to flip it online, but my kid liked the funny elephant drawings in the margin so it's taped above his desk now. Turns out that short lived border is the whole reason I look at old maps at all, the wrong ones teach you more than the current ones. What's your best cheap find that turned into a keeper?

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Bought a 1911 map of Africa at a yard sale in Buffalo for $2 and found a country that stopped existing in 1912 | Dated Map Finds - Topic Shares