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Walt Disney's first map of his planned Disneyland theme park in Southern California is going up for sale in June and could fetch up to 900,000 US dollars, auctioneers said on Friday.
A view of a Disneyland amusement park. /Reuters Photo
The 1953 map, hand-inked and hand-colored, was created by Disney and artist Herb Ryman and used to be presented to investors in order to secure funding to build the first Disney theme park in Anaheim.
It clearly shows the layout of the park with the now iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle and railroad, and sections for Fantasy Land, Land of Tomorrow, and Frontier Land.
The map is exhibited at Van Eaton Galleries in California, ready for auction. /Reuters Photo
The map was presented to investors in order to get initial funding. /Reuters Photo
Disney's map has since been passed down through employees and friends, and the current seller wishes to remain anonymous, auctioneers at Van Eaton Galleries in Los Angeles said.
The map carries an estimate of 700,000 to 900,000 US dollars and will be the centerpiece of the June 25 auction.
A close-up look at a part of the map. /Reuters Photo
A close-up look at a part of the map. /Reuters Photo
A close-up look at a part of the map. /Reuters Photo
Van Eaton co-owner Mike Van Eaton said the map was created over a single weekend.
"It’s a very important piece in Disneyland history,” he said.
"It’s very similar to what it looks like now. Main Street is the same, Fantasy Land is very similar, the Rivers of America looks very much the same. Some things have been moved around, but the whole concept of the park was right there in 1953, two years before the park opened,” he said.
Disney's original 1953 Disneyland map is seen on display during a press preview for the upcoming auction ''Walt Disney's Disneyland'' at Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California. /Reuters Photo
The sale will include some 1,000 other Disneyland items, including an original ride car from the Autopia attraction (18,000 to 20,000 US dollars) and a rare 1955 opening day Disneyland guidebook signed by Walt Disney that is expected to sell for 7,000 to 9,000 US dollars.
The map and many of the artifacts will be on public exhibition at Van Eaton Galleries from Friday until June 24.
(CGTN)
