Historic Mason-Dixon Map Auctions Thursday

Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina, will sell the original Mason-Dixon survey map via livestream on Thursday. The document, which divides the former colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania, is remounted on backing made of Japanese rice paper. Lauren Brunk, the firm's vice president, set the price estimate between $800,000 and $1.2 million for the anonymous seller.

Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon originally created the chart to settle a border dispute. The line later defined the limits of slavery under the 1820 Missouri Compromise. This usage made the boundary synonymous with the North-South division that preceded the Civil War. Brunk noted that while the line is famous for separating free and slaveholding states, it was not drawn for that specific purpose.

The physical map is a linen-backed strip measuring 76 inches long and 6.5 inches tall. Shortly after its creation, the document was given to the family of Benjamin Chew. Chew was an attorney representing the descendants of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. The Chew family retained ownership of the map until 1982.

In 1982, Malcolm S. Forbes purchased the map at auction for $360,000. At that time, the price marked the highest amount ever paid for an American map. The Library of Congress lost the bid to Forbes. The map changed hands again in 2002. A vertical section showing the Delaware-Maryland border is currently housed at Princeton University.

Brunk contacted the Library of Congress to inform them of the upcoming sale. Officials stated that current budgets prevented them from purchasing the item. However, Brunk said the library would be happy to accept a purchase made by a private patron on their behalf.

The term "Dixie" is often linked to the surveyor Jeremiah Dixon, although experts dispute the true origin of the name. The auction will determine the new owner of the document. The sale concludes with the final bid on the livestreamed event.