What to Do With Old Maps & Atlases

Modern road atlases and fold-out maps have essentially no resale value, but antique maps and early atlases can be genuinely valuable — and either way you don't have to throw them out. I accept maps and atlases of every kind and condition in Albuquerque with free pickup, keep the usable ones in circulation, and flag anything with real cartographic value. Here's how to handle a box of old maps without tossing something special.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 505-250-3804

Fastest way to clear them: the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, a covered box outside the gate, by the road, takes whatever fits, any hour, any condition. Too much for the box? Come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when someone is there to help unload, or get on a free pickup route. Directions.

The hard truth about map and atlas values

The maps in most houses are recent and common: Rand McNally road atlases, gas-station state maps, AAA TripTiks, the fold-out maps that came tucked in National Geographic. These were produced by the millions and have no meaningful resale value. The same goes for modern world atlases and school atlases: useful objects, but not collectible ones.

Which maps actually have value

Cartography is a real collecting field, and the valuable end of it is genuinely valuable:

Antique engraved and decorative maps. Pre-1900 maps — copperplate or steel engravings, hand-colored maps, decorative cartouches — are collected as art and history. Early maps depicting the American Southwest and New Mexico, especially ones showing the region in its earlier territorial or Spanish-colonial states, are sought after.

Early separately-issued sheet maps — railroad survey maps, county and land-grant maps, early city plats of Santa Fe or Albuquerque — can matter to historians and collectors alike.

Early bound atlases. A genuinely 18th- or 19th-century atlas can be valuable as a whole. For the full picture of this field, see the guide to collecting New Mexico maps and cartography.

Why nobody else takes them

Thrift stores aren't set up to evaluate or sell maps, so many decline them; libraries rarely want donated modern atlases. Maps also tend to be awkward (oversized, folded, fragile), which makes them exactly the kind of thing that gets thrown out simply because no one will deal with it. I will.

I accept every map and atlas

Road atlases, world atlases, fold-out maps, framed maps, the whole drawer: any kind, any condition, free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. I keep usable atlases and maps in circulation by reselling them to people who use them, set aside anything with genuine cartographic value, and recycle only what truly can't be reused. You don't have to sort it or judge it; just hand me the box.

Recycling, as a last resort

Plain paper maps and atlas pages are paper-recyclable, and Albuquerque's blue cart takes books, so an atlas can go in once its hard covers come off. Laminated maps, and the waterproof synthetic sheets many trail maps are printed on, usually can't be recycled and have to go in the trash. Because it's easy to mistake an interesting old map for junk, the safest move is to let me look first: I'd rather rescue one good map than see it shredded.

Frequently asked questions

Are old maps and atlases worth anything?

Modern road atlases and fold-out maps aren't. Antique maps (pre-1900), early Southwest/New Mexico maps, and early atlases can be genuinely valuable.

What can I do with old road maps?

Plain paper road maps make good gift wrap, collage and decoupage material, and a teacher may want a few for geography lessons if you ask first. Worn ones can go in paper recycling unless they're laminated. In the Albuquerque metro you can skip the sorting and bring the whole drawer to me at the 24/7 drop box or on a free pickup.

Can old maps be recycled?

Plain paper maps can, and an atlas counts as a book once the hard covers are off. Laminated maps and the waterproof synthetic sheets used for many hiking maps usually can't be recycled. Anything that looks genuinely old should stay flat and intact rather than go in a recycling bin.

Where can I donate old maps and atlases in Albuquerque?

I accept them all, any condition, with free pickup — call or text 505-250-3804.

Should I cut up an old atlas to sell the maps?

Generally no — an intact early atlas is usually worth more whole. Keep it intact, and if you donate it, donate it whole.