Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Suggestion for young collectors

Can't you just see in the future a bunch of old farts getting together to trade POKEMON and YUGIO cards & BARNEY toys.....LOL

...there are more people than ever collecting Civil War memorabilia, and no one left with first-hand knowledge of it...

...when I got into this stuff in junior high school (after stamps, bottles and beer cans), the very few people I knew who shared even a fraction of my enthusiasm for the hobby were my father's age (or older)...and that was almost 30 years ago...I never bought gas from a visible pump (or even one with a globe) but I found the history, graphics and industrial design - as well as the pure taxonomy involved in serious collecting - fascinating...

...faithful preservation of the history of petroleum marketing in the 20th Century is the most important aspect of our hobby...authenticity and historical accuracy will win out in the long haul...

...an "either/or" question for the serious collector, NOT the speculator/investor: would you rather have fewer people in the hobby - and therefore cheaper, more plentiful and better quality stuff for your collection?...or more 'collectors', so your collection becomes more 'valuable', while making it proportionally harder/more expensive to make your collection better?...either/or...no 'fence sitting' allowed...

Buy what you like that is "old." If it goes up in value, waaaaay cool!!! I was born in 1949 but have some antiques (not petrolinia) that were made before my time: tabletop cathderal radios; antique phones; etc. I got them because I liked them and they reminded me of a simpler time. All of the pumps and signs I have existed before I did. Hope all of you are doing well. Dave Folck

I have found that at age 28 I am one of the youngest collectors in my area. The largest problem in collecting old items is that most of the "good stuff" is in the hands of rich collectors. Collectors that have priced most people out of being able to enjoy collecting the items. Its a challenge, but I still enjoy the hunt for old items. If anything, for me its about getting out to farm auctions and beating people to it. The early bird gets the worm!! haha. I think a few people on here said it right with the comment "collect what you like".

canadianoilguy,
Can't blame the high prices on the wealthy collectors. That blame goes to the picker that found it & has made it his JOB as he does it for a living. Some do quite well & others are just part timers.

Reading all these posts, everyone seems to make good valid points and I find it hard to argue with anyone. Let me say this purely from my point of things.....

I'm in the same boat as Gulfiend. My age (43) puts me in an age that I remember enough of the "tail end" of the gas station age, so to speak, to have some memories of a by gone era but not old enough to have experienced a beautiful clockface pump or every station decked out with pumps topped with globes or a great many other things that I just was not born early enough to experience.

HOWEVER.........I enjoy the history, the simpler lifestyle, talking to older generations and hearing stories of a much different time. True, we will see a fall off of interest as many people age or pass away from that era, but I firmly believe that the gas oil age is one that has it's days numbered as well and will in and of itself create interest to future generations just because it was different. To steal Gulfiends example of the civil war enthusiasts.... there are several reenactments a year locally and I can go downtown this weekend at the Riverfest that will be taking place, watch a battle several times throughout the day with real cannons firing charges that will put goosebumps on your neck. It's just an interesting time that will endure. The same can be said for the gas age and cars that ran on gas. Cars and gas go hand in hand for collectors both today and tomorrow.

I also believe that the future is in our hands. Teaching, exposing and sharing with todays and tomorrows generations will keep the spark alive. Yes many of them have sawdust in their heads today....but so did I back in the day. LOL! It wasn't till a little later in life did I start to appreciate what once was.

As far as the money end of it, everything in life is a crapshoot. I could buy all the gold I can afford today, and in the next few years value could tank just like it had before. If it's all about what you could get someday, then I think you need to go buy stock. I'm in it for so much more and I believe that's where the REAL values at!

IMHO, whatever YOU want to collect, is GOOD. Again, my opinion is, if you want to collect bullet casings, get after it. For me, my collection, is all about WOW factor. When somebody sees, what I have, and says WOW, then I have a great collection. If you have, 95% of every bullet manufactured, then most likely, people will say WOW, when they see that. Its not about value for me. If it were, I'd own, the original, hand painted, Bearcat globe, that has recently been reproduced. But then, I'd only have one piece in my collection..... Not much of a collection, huh?

I choose to collect CHEVRON. I worked at a CHEVRON station when I was in High School. But the stuff I collect, is BEFORE, anything that I remember being at the station. Maybe when the, "not old" stuff, becomes "old", I'll start collecting that too.

I get, what I want to get. Diecast, maps, oil cans, whatever. I even have old paperwork, in various forms. its all about what you want to have.

For the young collectors. If you choose to store this stuff for 50 years, who knows? You might be rich. Or, you might have a pile of 50 year old stuff.... Thats why, its called, speculation.

I agree. But if you re-read my posting, nowhere did I suggest collecting items made to be collectibles.


As a long time collector (but not of petroliana), I know what you're saying. But, I can have a room full or repro signs and most people will say Wow. So the Wow has to come from an experienced collector who knows the real stuff from the bad to be worth anything.


You're right. Nobody wanted that stuff 40 years ago. Just like no one wants the stuff that's made today.

I'm not disagreeing that 40 year old stuff is more desireable than stuff made today. So why wouldn't today's stuff be just as desireable in 40 years from now? Yes it's more cheaply made than today's 40 year old stuff but people are throwing it away today just like they were 40 years ago. So what's the difference? Heck there may not even be gas stations 40 years from now.

All I'm saying is that if you're a young collector and you can't afford to collect the 40 year old stuff, collect what you can afford and don't ignore the stuff of today. It's all a matter of affordability.

"the Wow has to come from an experienced collector who knows the real stuff from the bad to be worth anything"

...Bernie got it typed in before I could...

I politely disagree about the WOW factor. As some of you may know, I own my own trucking company. Before we started buying oil, in 55 gallon drums, we bought cases of one gallon oil jugs. In a matter of a short time, we had numerous different jugs, of the same company. They do, after all, change their labels every so often. So, if a collector chose to collect, "current" products, they could in short time, have a very diverse collection. Hence the WOW factor.

So the question is: Does one collect for value, or, for the fun of building a collection?

As I stated earlier, if it was only about value, I would own a $20,000.00 piece. I choose, instead, to build a collection.

EVERYTHING HAS IT'S TIME.SOME LAST LONGER THAN OTHERS.COLLECT WHAT YOU LIKE.TRY TO BUY SMART.BUY WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.WHAT YOU REMEMBER FROM THE DAY.REMEMBER IF YOU BUY NEW AND IT IS POPULAR THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE IT UNTIL IT IS NOT.IT MAY COME BACK SOMEDAY.WHO KNOWS.YOUR FIRST 4 WHEELER,MINI BIKE,VIDEO GAMES,BEANIE BABIES, AND ON AND ON.I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THUNDER.SPECULATION IS LIKE GAMBLING!YOU MIGHT HIT,YOU MAY NOT.HAVE FUN AND BUY WHAT YOU ENJOY!

Bernie, you didn't read the title of this post "suggestions for young collectors." I was suggesting that you not collect "collectibles."

My comment:
We all get into this hobby for any given reasons. I don't mind telling anyone, I was broke. I had a business that was under 11' of water, every tool I owned was ruined, and my new wife was also broke. We needed a second/third income to survive. When the opportunity to purchase 100 gas pumps came along I jumped on it. I had already owned a few gas pumps, restored them and sold them. Also I had always been a collector, just about anything since I was about 12 (I am now 74). I was in Model Ts, VWs (I once owned three split-windows at one time), I just liked collecting.
But, this time, I told my wife, don't fall in love with anything, it is all for sale. Over the years I have probably owned more gas pumps, globes, handy oilers, than most of you, but I never fell in love with them. At any given time you could walk into my garage and be amaised with the "collection."
Collecting is a mind set, if you are going to only collect pens that have the word "Shell" on them, then learn as much as you can about them. But if you go to an auction that has a really great variety, and you don't know anything about blacksmith equipment, shoe signs, pin-ups calenders, western wear,etc. you will probably pass up many things that you could have bought and then resold, making a profit that will buy a lot of Shell pens.
I recently went to an auction, they had two fire hose nozzles, I knew a little about them, and becuase the price was right, I bought them. I found out that they are worth about six times what I paid for them.
Newbies, take it from a old man, try and learn about as much as you can about everything, buy all the value guides (general guides and petro both), every chance you can, read them, (especially in the bathroom). You don't have to know exactly what something is worth, just get a general knowledge of what things are worth today. I once had over 500 lunch boxes, then the bottom fell out of the hobby and today I wouldn't give you $2.00 of any one of them. Learn the difference between a pendant and a pectin. Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, this is the one suggestion I can give any newbie.

Jack Sim

JACK,A+.VERY WELL SAID.

Jack, actually the title of the post I started is "Suggestion for young collectors". Singular, not plural. In hindsight, perhaps it should have been plural.

But your advice is certainly true and should be well heeded. Perhaps we should start a thread of Do's and Don't's as a guide for newbies.

I've been collecting since I was about 10 years old starting with old license plates and bottles. I've gone from collecting Coke/RC stuff to Nascar items to Petro. I've had fun collecting it all plus meeting new friends in the hobbies. I would have to say that about half of my collection was bought for sentimental reasons such as items that maybe we used around the time when my parents ran a Gulf station or looking for items from my hometown or where my relatives live. I used to buy newer items that I thought they may be worth something someday and then 5-10 years later you still see them at flea markets for $2. I have become alot more selective of what I buy. I guess me personally I would rather buy an old oil can or old road map for $5-$15 than newer stuff for the same price. I think new promo items are interesting but it just depends on if you have the space to store them for a long time to see if they become valuable. Thanks to all who have helped me on here with my collection.

Brian