Online auctions are the bread and butter for Old World Auctions. Four times a year, the company sells antique maps, atlases, and other cartographic items to the highest bidder. To bring its extensive collection of cartographic goods to life, Old World Auctions relies on Contex scanners to get the job done right. Sometimes, it’s almost too right.

Since customers aren’t able to view the maps in person, Old World Auctions’ success depends on featuring high-resolution scans on its website. This gives customers the opportunity to see the maps in vivid detail prior to bidding. Old World Auctions purchased a Contex HD 36-inch scanner designed to capture a variety of documents, regardless of color or state. The resulting scans are incredibly detailed.

Up for Auction

Contex scanners can easily remove folds and shadows during the scanning process, however, Old World Auctions chooses to keep them to reflect the true condition of originals.

An auction can have between 800 to 1000 lots, and most of the items are maps dating back to the 1500’s. Each map that arrives at Old World Auctions is verified for authenticity and logged into the company database; after that process is complete, the map is scanned, digitized, and catalogued.

Jon Dotson, owner of Old World Auctions, explains that the Contex HD wide format scanner can produce scans that surpass the originals in quality; when that occurs, the Associate Cataloguer adjusts the settings to ensure a realistic representation of the material.

Increased Productivity Drives ROI

The Contex HD scanner’s rapid scanning ability has considerably shortened the amount of time that Old World Auctions’ Associate Cataloguer spends scanning originals. Given that scanning comprises only 30% of the Associate Cataloguer’s responsibilities, drastically reduced scanning times leads to improved workplace efficiency.

Dotson states, “When we decided to buy this scanner it was really on the premise that if we can have our Associate Cataloguer actually cataloguing rather than waiting for the scan to finish, it would be worth it. It’s about productivity.”

He continues, “I’m a finance geek, so I looked at the numbers. In less than two years, the Contex scanner would pay for itself. It was a pretty easy decision.”

Scanning Creates More Business Opportunities

Additionally, the Contex HD’s high resolution scanning capability has contributed to another facet of Old World Auctions’ business: the selling of digital images. Customers can purchase the remarkably precise scans and avoid unnecessarily handling their maps, minimizing the likelihood of damage and wear.