17th century map of Canada auctioned off | Weird | News | Toronto Sun

A 312-year-old map of Canada found in a Scottish attic is expected to fetch up to $125,000 at an auction in Britain on Monday. (Courtesy of Lawrence Fine Art Auctioneers Ltd.)

A 312-year-old map of Canada found in a Scottish attic fetched $380,000 at an auction in Britain on Monday.

The 17th century hand-drawn map depicts New France, Nova Britannia and other early North American colonies.

Appraisers thought the rare document would net between $78,000 and $125,000. But a bidding war pushed the price up, more than tripling the estimated value at the auction in Somerset, England.

The map is believed to have been a special commission and was drawn on sheepskin in 1699 by leading English cartographer John Thornton, who did work for the Hudson's Bay Company.

The coloured map charts from "New Found Land" in the east to modern day Manitoba, including references to New South Wales, New England, New Scotland, Labradore and Cambalu.

"Much detail is given to the small settlements on the coast of Newfoundland and it is possible that this may indicate an interest in the fishing business," Lawrence Fine Art Auctioneers Ltd., in the U.K., said in a release.

Competition for the 68-by-80-centimetre vellum map was reportedly a fierce battle between buyers in Canada and Britain. The identity of the winning bidder hasn't been revealed.

The map was found in the attic of a Scottish estate in 2010 after the estate patron's death.

The document is believed to have been passed down through generations of a family before ending up on a dusty shelf next to a water tank.

Other Thornton maps are included in historical atlases of Canada, the Hudson's Bay Company archives and the British Library.