Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Is there a "market" for maps?

Lately I have been thinking of selling a portion of my map collection. Honestly I am asking you here, to give me an idea if there is a "market" for my "treasures", LOL. If there is interest I would offer them here, if there is no interest or "luke warm" interest then I will just frame them again and rehang them. As my photos show most of the collection is in frames, the rest in sleeves. Here is an small idea of some of the maps I am thinking of selling. Thanks for any and all feedback:

Here is a couple more photos.


This next photo is to show a closer look at how the maps are displayed(These 2 maps will not be sold if there is interest)

Thanks again!

Bob--Looks like you have some very old maps. I don't know what you are thinking for value but why not try them one at a time here on old gas? You could list a different one each day in the same thread and if there were no takers in the first week, I'd give up the idea.
Speaking for myself, I always look at the maps on ebay, looking for old and rare ones from my area. I've bought a few over the years and I guess I'd buy some more if the price wasn't too bad.----KEVIN

Bob, I have collected maps from even way years before the Petrolinia hobby exploded back in the 1960's I noticed you had some Deep Rock , Cities Servise and several others I certainly don't have any thing for. Provided you wouldn't want some of the out ragious "Collector" prices I have seen , I would be interested . P M me with the info and I promise a fast response . Ed Shaver

I don't have an idea of what my maps are worth and in my "crude way" was asking for help. I also want to know if people are interested in the maps? I have close to 100 maps. 20 or so of them are from the 1930's and earlier. Most are from the 40's and 50's. A few from 60's and 70's, nothing newer. I wouldn't mind offering them in the for sale section, but I have had these maps for sometime. What I paid for them 5-10 yrs ago might be too high now and/or too low now. I would offer them here to get the best deal for both me and the person who purchased them. I'm not looking to "make a killing on them", nor am I looking to "be killed". I think I do have some desirable maps and some maybe common to you. Here in the PNW we saw very little of other region's stations, so they are/were rare here. If there is interest and someone will give me an honest value these maps would also be offered for sale. My walls are pretty bare, since I removed the maps. If there isn't much interest I will just re-hang them. Funny how bland the walls look without the color of the maps.

Bob,
I have the same problem except mine is U.O.C. paper labels. I have some of the more colorful framed & hung on the walls & hundreds of the more plain ones in a box in the closet !

I would love to have the Hudson map..

I have had some interest in the maps. I haven't sold any as of yet. I am thinking of having a 4 day auction on each of the maps with 10% of winning bid going to Oldgas. As no one has made any offers on any of the maps I don't have a base amount to start the maps. I don't want a starting bid price too high, nor do I want to give away anything, I want to be fair to both me and the membership here. Any help on starting pricing will be greatly appreciated. Is there any interest in this proposal?

..."any and all feedback", huh?...well, here's my two cents, and for the record - although there are some very nice older, small-marketer maps here - I have no interest in any of them, therefore no conflict of interest:

...how about you start each map out at what you have in it, plus 10%? Then you won't take a loss if they sell...it seems strange to me to ask the same people who are potential bidders to appraise your maps before you auction them off...my advice: look on Aumann Auction's website to see if any maps like yours have sold at their past auctions...look on eBay to see what current and completed auctions for similar maps have realized...if that fails, then find a reputable map collector and have them professionally appraised...

...what I want to know is: did you worry this much that you would overpay for the maps when you bought them, as you are worrying now that you'll underprice them?

I have a number of large Dr and hospital bills, that is taking care of most of my excess cash. I am selling a number of my collections, so I can afford to keep collecting on a small scale. I shouldn't have to be telling this, it should be only my business. I have had most of the maps for a number of years some of them over 10 years. I'm sure the value of the maps has changed in the years I have had them. So I came here to see if there was interest. I will take my items elsewhere, I now understand better why so many "oldtimers" have left the site.

...you're absolutely right - your reason for selling is your business and no one else's...why you're selling has nothing to do with how much your maps are worth...you asked for "any and all feedback"...I gave you honest feedback...what I suggested is exactly what I do when I find something for which I cannot establish a value...

Bob. Don't let one person spoil this for you, obviously these maps are very important to you by the way you have them framed and displayed! I think you are right on by offering them on this site for auction, if you know what you have into them start the auction at that, if they don't sell put them back on the wall. Don't let one person speak for this whole site!! Good luck.

Bob,
Don't take them else were. Let the buyers tell you what there worth. Post one a day for sale and start it out a what you paid plus 10% unless you bought a $50 for $.50 then i would start it out higher of coarse. LOL

They should sell easy like that and like ebay items get a lot of attention starting low. I have noticed on ebay items that start really cheap will sell higher than if just listed for what it sold for or a little less. Not sure why but thats an auction for you!

The problem is not the website. Oldgas by far has the largest membership and activity of any petro site on the web. Check out the for sale section and look at the number of items listed and number of page hits when items get listed, you would be hard pressed to match that on any petro site. Also, I gotta believe as members more times than not we probably get more page hits on our items here than even on ebay.
Personally, for the vast amount of posts weekly here I think the site has been running great. The new additions to the site has energized the membership and everybody seems pretty upbeat. If you feel the site no longer meets your needs then I guess you gotta do what you gotta do Bob.

I wasn't going to come back. After I say my piece I will stay away. With the new medical problems that have come up, I am/was looking to sell some of my collections. My Map collection, my S&P collection and my "Gas Pump" radio collection.
The s&p collection I have started since I came here, so it is only 3 to 4 yrs old. Same with the radios. The maps are an older collection. Same as any collection, values change from year to year. I can't imagine anyone selling a globe or pump they had for a few years based on what they paid for it at the time. They would ask in a forum like this one, for a value and if they were honest they would say why they were asking(in my opinion). That's what I did. I was even going to give "first shot" to the members here, seemed honest to me. I have easily $700-$1000 in the maps, so approx 100 maps that averages out to be about $7-$10 ea. Maybe too high, maybe too low but, that's about what I have in them. I'm not mentioning names here, but one member said they would take them off my hands for $200 and I pay the "freight". Another told me the Johnson Oil should go, if I'm lucky for around $20, because in their opinion "Oldgas members only care about the logos". This person said the Seaside should even go for less. I came here because the members know "gas and oil" related items, or atleast I thought so. I am now thinking that was the wrong asumption. I wasn't asking for the moon. I wasn't going to "gouge" anyone. From some of the replies to me, I was the only one who felt that way. Gulfiend, when you ask for a value on an item here is it because you don't want to pay too much? When you ask for a value on an item you have had for a while, is it because you want to know "full" value? I believe the answer to both are yes. So why be an A** when I want to know the value of my items? That is a rhetorical question, IMO you are an a** and needed to show it. Ohio Oil, if you think the membership has been "energized" then you need to go back and read the posts from a few years back. A "virtual" ton of old members don't post here anymore. Off the top of my head I can think of over 20, these were people who posted all the time. Hell some of them are still at the top of the numbers of postings and they haven't been around for over a year or more. I came here asking for something, something members here ask for all the time. A value of my items. Funny thing is though, I don't see any postings on values. I received emails and PM most without values. I answered some that I thought were honest, some I didn't answer and some I laughed at. With the money I have invested(1999-2009 money and I count s&h) rightly or wrongly, I have a "vintage" pump. Now I know none of you would sell your $700-$1000(your money) pump for $200, I can't imagine anyone offering that kind of money. So why try to cheat me or was it just to insult me? Again a rhetorical question. All told between my 3 collections I have approx. $1300-$1700 of my money invested. I wasn't expecting to get all my money back, wasn't even hoping to get it all back. I was hoping to get most of it back and thought I would pass along some good deals to the membership. I guess I was wrong in thinking that the membership would give me the same thing I have given in the 4 years I've been here. An honest value and some courtesy. Now I haven't always given courtesy, that is true. I have been "called" on the carpet more than once for what I've said, but I have never "low-balled" anyone, nor tried to cheat them. I have been wrong on a number of things here, but can't remember when I ever didn't post here saying I was wrong. So to my friends I will email you. Hopefully I will be emailing for a long, long time... if not. Well it was fun while it last, most of the time anyway. Bob (I will not be receiving anymore PM, so please don't send any)

Bob, sorry to hear you had a negative experience with the feedback on your maps. Good luck.

Bob
I can not offer an idea of the value of the maps because I do not collect them. A lot of people on this site collect signs, globes, cans and pumps. Maps, S&P's and gas pump radios may be more of a special interest item. If you want to sell them, I would either list a couple of them them here or on eBay with a starting bid price of close to what you want for it and see what happens. If I see something I like and the price appeared to be right, I would bid on it. Having no idea of what maps sell for, I could not give a value for it. If the first couple maps sell for what you think is to cheap, do not list anymore. If you have a nice item and list it here, take bids on it, it will probably get a fair price.

Bob,
I hope you continue to progress to recovery with your health issues and with coping with the cost of the medial care. Sorry to hear you are so disappointed with the response to this map topic.

I'm certainly not a map value expert. I do have some Zephyr maps in my collection. Looks like you have some older maps with nice graphics and some sought-after brands. My guess would be that gas brands that command high dollars for their globes and signs would bring good money for their maps.

I'd recommend that you put several on eBay with starting bids that you can be comfortable with. Post the auction numbers here on Oldgas.com Shop Talk in the Online Auctions forum. See how they do and then make your decision on what you want to do from there.

Bob, first of all, I too am sorry that on top of it all, you are dealing with this health issue.

As for the map pricing? I can't speak for everyone, but I can't tell you how many times I've been on the other end of this situation. Someone whom I've never met, emails me with some great item. In my case, usually a really cool gas pump. He indicates he wants to sell it, and wants me to tell him what it's worth. I give him a truthful answer on my "opinion" of what the current market is. However, the current market may be different to different people. What area of the country are you in? shipping cost? was the price obtained at that last auction really accurate, or were two guys puffing up their chest?

Well, anyway, I give them the current value thinking that I might actually get to add this to my collection, and I find out later that he has used my "evaluation" as a starting place for a bidding war.

It's happened many times. I am told that this item is for sale, what's it worth, and basically the guy is just shopping around for bids.

It doesn't matter if the item is a gas pump, or porcelain signs for a pump, or maps. It happens.

So, now I try now to get involved in the bidding wars. I usually don't make offers. If the seller knows what he has, and how much he wants for it, and if I can afford it, I'll buy it. Otherwise, let someone else run the price up.

If I had an item that I needed to know the value of, I'd start with "completed auctions" on ebay. Used the "advanced search" button, and then check the box that states "show completed auctions only". It will kick out every map sold for the last 60 days, and if sold, show what it sold for. In this case, I'm sure there are a lot of maps in that catagory. You should be able to get an idea of value from that. Also, what did you pay for a particular map? What would you pay for it today? the same? more? Have you seen others sell, and think "that was a good deal"?. You may actually have a better idea of value than you know.

Anyway, I have trouble finding fault with the guys on this forum, not jumping in to give you a value on something that you want to sell. If someone is "low balling" you, then shame on them. But my guess is that if you put a good map on here for sale, with a fair price, it would be sold. No one cares if you make a profit. If that item is what they want for their collection, and the price is fair to them. Sold !.......

ok. just my 2 cents here. You don't have to agree.
Don

Bob, Having 1300 gas station related road maps I can assure you there are lots of people out there that collect them. As was stated the best way to get a fair price is to auction them off either through oldgas or ebay. Everyone wants a bargin so taking email offers might not be the most money gaining way. Just my 2cents. John

Bob: Another option would be go to an antique mall and see what they charge to rent a booth and commission, or hook up with another dealer and try that. That way they are "listed" and all you have to do is wait and see. I saw some maps in an antique mall that I thought had high prices and said so to my wife. I was there a week later and more than half were gone. So, what the heck do I know?? LOL Anyway, I think you have some options. good luck with everything.