George Ritzlin Antique Maps & Prints

I was looking for multiple regional maps and was unfortunately unable to find exactly what I wanted due to my looking for rather particular things. The customer service was exceptional and they never got annoyed with all my request! Great selection and very knowledgeable. Definitely will come back! Highly recommend.

This place is amazing! I had bought a map from the 1850s on vacation and am very new to map collecting. I wanted to know more about the map that I had bought and more importantly if it was real.
I called and a nice lady named Mary answered and told me to come in and she would be happy to take a look at it.
When I went in Mary was there. She not only looked at my map, but showed me other examples of maps like mine. She showed me why my map looked a real and what to look for when buying a map. She showed me about different types of printing.
I probably spent about 20 min in the store learning about maps and printing. There is no doubt that Mary simply likes what she does. Their prices are not that much either. You can buy a lot of maps starting at $ 100-​$ 200. Of course there are $ 1000+ maps if you are interested.
I will be back here to buy more maps. I find it all very interesting and I think more people should get into it.
A tip: Call before you go there. They don’t always stick to their posted hours.

We actually stopped by the neighborhood to hit up the Spice House, but then I saw this next door and got distracted. It wasn’t yet open, so we stuck with the original plan and went to the Spice House first (AMAZING as always) and came here afterwards.
I love vintage maps, but am no connoisseur or expert. I also have a low price point because I’m cheap, but this shop had so many options in so many price points, all of which honestly seemed incredibly reasonable given the dates of the prints. Based on the only other review, I am going to guess that my interactions were with Mary and she was super nice, and it honestly felt like she knew so much about every piece. I would have preferred a print of Chicago or even New Jersey, but already have prints representing both and I wanted something small and under $ 50 so I picked up a small (and pretty much matted) print of a notice commemorating the death of President Lincoln from 1865!!! Am I a nerd for thinking that is cool as shit?
It was also only $ 24, not including tax, is in pristine condition and perfect. I’d go back to George Ritzlin Antique Maps & Prints anytime I’m in Chicago! They have great prints, maps and otherwise, for your home.

This is a really cool store to check out. They specialize in antique maps, prints, and rare books. BTW — They only do the years 1490 – 1890 for antique maps.
I spent a few hours going thru their maps of Asia. Its really interesting to see how the known parts of the world have changed in over a few centuries.
Be sure and ask questions, because the owners, George and Mary are really cool and have actually contributed to a few historical books.
They also have a great collection of maps of the Chicago area. A really funny map is this one on Sin and Saloons in the city. It was supposed to be a warning and an attack on these dens of sin, but it ended up being bought by men visiting the city to find the brothels and bars :-)
Another good one is the totally politically incorrect map of the city by ethnic groups.
If you have the time and inclination, be sure and check it out.
PS
The Spice house is a few doors west, so go ahead and drop by there also.