I bought these globes in CTO as fillers for my shelf until I can get ones to take their place.

Apex Motor Oil is a fantasy OPE globe
Tioga Gasoline is a fantasy globe based off the original lens
Mountain Gasoline is a repo OPE globe

From what I could see, none of the globes are marked. I would like to mark them by etching the glass inside the neck.

Does anyone recall when these were produced? I would like to put an accurate date with the etching.

Also, for my own future reference, the mountain globe looks darn near exact to what is in Scotts guide... anyone have advice on how to tell the difference between the two?

...Bryce, thanks for taking the time to do what should have been done in the first place...

...I would start by asking Rory Brinkman what information he has...if memory serves me correctly, they were described as 'limited edition' in the auction...that term had to come from somewhere...

I have emailed Rory... hoping to get some more info from him. They were each described as being produced as a one-time run. But I suspect that the Apex was probably a custom job.

Does anyone know who owns the Mountain globe in Scott's guide?

Sent you a pm.

Goober

Thanks Goober for the info.

These were all out of the Glenn Thompson collection, the two OPEs were made by him. The quality doesn't surprise me, I remember seeing pictures of the neat pumps he had made.

since its unknown when exactly he made them, I will etch them 2005, the year that he passed away.

ok i gotta ask the stupid question, what does ope stand for? scott

Globe term... OPE = One Piece Etched

thanks bryce

Mountain and apex made by the late Glen Thompson around 1999. Toga was made by petroleum artifacts not sure when. Apex is ONLY known as a sign. It was I believe a Nashville based company only involved in lubricants, not gasoline.
Mountain globe is easy to tell difference.......... How you say..... When Glen made, he thought trees in picture he copied was an oil well. LOL. Who ever heard of an oil well on top of a mountain? So that is what was put there. Look at the globe closely. I teased him about that........LOL. Oil wells obviously are NOT drilled up on mountains........
Thanks for marking them!!!!!!!

Bryce, after you date them and decide to to sell one day, I would like to be first on list for the mountain globe sort of as a memory of my old friend. I rassed him pretty hard over the oil well thing! Thanks.

great information, thank you Roger. and little did Glen know, that the oil well would serve as a future identifier of his work!

UNION OIL Co's 1st wells were on Mountains in Ventura County [Torrey Canyon, Sespe Canyon,etc] & some are still producing.

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What would you use to "etch" date the globes? acid or a electric etcher? Is there danger of cracking the globes with an etcher? And there is lots of oil wells on top of mountains.

Hydrofluoric acid, Buy from a Craft Shop for etching Glass comes in a Paste.
http://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/cream.html

yeah... glass etching cream can be bought from any hobby shop or amazon... then just have to create a stencil to make it look nice.

never done it before, but doesnt seem too difficult (i hope)

Don't have to be Fancy, use a Q-tip.

I can send you some proper masks for your date 1999 will have some made of you or send you a piece of material ,make your own .Etching Cream only removes the gloss does'nt etch into the glass like media blast

OK, I am now the stupid one when it comes to oil wells on top of mountains......LOL Thanks Dick, on the the mountains in Tennessee all we have are moonshine stills......LOL

You'd find more Stills in the Holl'rs than on the side of Hills!
Union Oil drilled in places on sides of mountains that the rigs/equip. had to be cable winched into place [up/down/across ravines].