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

We collectors treasure old "stuff". In this case, petroliana. I'm currently in my 60s and have just started in this wonderful hobby.

As a result, I remember seeing a lot of the collectibles used in service stations beginning in the 1950s. If only I would have stashed away some of that stuff at the time...

So my advice to young collectors is buy current gas station items like oil cans and signs. A quart of oil can be had for a few dollars today . But what will mint conditioned full cans of oil be worth in 30, 40 and 50 years from now? Will oil even exist then?

You might say that that's a long time. Well it is and it isn't. I remember the 60s like they were yesterday. I remember seeing the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. I remember seeing Armstrong step onto the moon in 1969. It all seems like yesterday. And what if I had mint unopened oil cans from then to include from companies that no longer exist?? I think that would be pretty cool.

So even though it sounds like a long time, time really does fly.

Bernie, you are so right. I am 55 and yet because of having a limited budget (especially in the mid 80's) I use to get all the new promotional items. Remember when Gulf had matchbox cars - I have all the cars plus the plastic banner. (Now the banner story is interesting because plastics are not like metal or cardboard. After 6 or 7 years that banner became so brittle it just fell apart because of its exposure to air (not light as it was in a dark area). So even preserving things today does not guarantee that they will survive 20, 30 or even 40 years. Other examples include: in the late 80's when Gulf did a credit card promotion I solicited from Gulf cooperate a complete station promotion kit, and again in the mid 80's when Sunoco did their flower seed give-away I got a couple of counter top displays and as many seed packets as I could get and of course not let us forget all the yearly Hess promotial stuff with their toy truck sales. I also have a box of newer plastic quarts probably most of which no longer are sold. You just have to be nice and persistent with station managers and ask for any promotional materials. Like you said someday hopefully this stuff might be wanted. John

I would have to disagree, the reason Old Gas Station items are collectable now is because nobody wanted it and it was all thrown away for years, That is what makes it desirable now. I would suggest new collectors to collect vintage items that are now collectible and they can afford. Collecting all the Gas Station diecast and the Giveaways is a waste as there is a way overabundance supply, Just look at all the Coke collectables and Diecasts that were bought thinking they would be collectible only to end up in dumpsters because everybody has them and you can't give the stuff away.

I am with KZ... collect what you like. If it has value later then what a bonus! Collecting only because it might become valueable is all the wrong reasons.

I like the old arcade games myself but one of them take up as much room as 2 pumps. LOL

I agree with KZ & Jarvis. I would also stay away from Plastic as it is not made to last more than a few years outside & may become brittle as it ages.

Just the reason to buy plastic, store it in the dark, don't dare open the box it came in up and play with it. Having said that, I buy stuff I like, play with it, show it off, that's why don't collect plastic or made in china anything. Long after we are all gone, they may do a documentary on those people who saved all that "old stuff" Do you think they will know how much fun are having? or will be seen as ?????????? tt

I agree with KG, Jarvis & DB. Items made to be collectibles will never be worth anything. How many of you are buying Obama Coins?

Wy mife has a loft, NOT A LOT, A LOFT, of collectible Barbie Dolls, I doubt If I will ever live to see them worth what she paid for them, and I also do not believe she will ever live that long for them to be worth what she paid for them.

IF YOU ARE A COLLECTOR, DON'T EVER PURCHASE ANYTHING THAT ADE Made to be a collectibles. We are susposed to know what we collect, we buy book to tell us what these collectibles are worth now in the future, we are susposed to believe them, because they were written by guys with more knowledge that waht we have.

finding things from 20-30 years ago are worth collecting, as long as you have nothing in them. If you have a choice between buyting cases of cans from the 90s or one nice used can from the 50's, buy the can from the 50s. They will appreciate much facter than anything you purchase from today's market.

People are not looking for things made in the last frewyears, they are looking for things that were mande years asg. Unless it is free, pass ut the junk pay for the good stuff, they are like money in the back.

Let's look at this one more way.

You show up at IG or CTO, you have 300 to spend. You look up and down the isles. You spor a few thing.
Then you grag a beer, sit back before maing you decision.
I can take my $300 back home and put it in the local bank. They will give me 3% interest for the yeer. That means, I give them $300 and at the end of the year they will give me back $309, (but wait, I have to pay fed taxes on that $9)

Or I can walked the isles, of IG or CTO, look for that perfect signglobe, whatever (You are susposed to know what you are looking at) and pick out a picce that you know is worth more than ypou are paying for it) then take it home and put it away.
My theory is, you don't have to be in love with everything you prucsase, just like it long enough for it to gain in value, sell it and buy the piece you do like.

Jack Sim

In the same vein as plastic,I suggest draining cardboard (composite) oil cans,cause they weep as time goes by and weren't designed to hold oil long term.

Always collect what you like..First & Foremost,regardless of it's monetary value to you or others.

I do not suggest collecting diecast as it is a big waste of money but the supporting promotional items especially out of the ordinary items might be a good idea. And as I also said (please reread my posting) the stuff is free if you are nice and persistent thereby allowing money to be spent on older stuff. John

Just to throw my two cents in. I feel that the baby boom generation is the last group of people who by in large both remember these vintage items and have some sentiment or connection with them. Let’s face it; gas pumps were ugly by the 1970's and many companies started moving more to plastics than porcelain. Kids in the 80's can remember the sterile gas station which hardly represented anything special like they used to. I feel that there will come a time when the prices for gas items will peak and then begin a slow decline. Do many of the kids today care about a Sun Oils sign wit rust on it? No, most have their faces half buried in an Ipod and don’t appreciate the past.

Young collectors need to try and spark interest in other young collectors to keep the hobby alive. There will come the time when many of the older collectors will have to chose between that sign on the wall or say a retirement nest egg or a medical procedure. I feel that the days of 50,000.00 gas pumps and 17,000.00 globes are numbered. If younger collectors want to protect the hobby and their investments they need renewed interest in what we do.

Ryan--
I couldn't agree more. Whether it's globes, pumps, or maps, the next generations do not seem interested at thie moment. If it's price that's the problem, oil company maps from the 1970s and 1980s are still affordable. But I have the feeling it's beyond the economic situation. Whatever causes this apathy toward petroliana, I hope it ends soon.

I believe the thing you want to collect is the things that bring good memories back from your youth. As a 15 year old I spent a summer in a small town in Iowa and have real fond memories of the old pepsi machine that sat out in front of the saw shop on main street. It's a plain machine but I want one. People wont want things that have no meaning to them. For the most, In my opinion. I wonder what will triger memories with my kids. With gas stations I think the plastic lighted signs on the canopies will be the most worthwile parts of todays stations. Also does any one collect the Gas station company commercials you see on TV in the past and now? Like movie reels on tape

For both the "new" and "old" collectors a like here, you might want to "revisit" a thread that that posted originally on 1/9/'07. The thread is entitled: "What got you started"? by Savinsam. Very few members(at the time) started out collecting "gas and oil" related items at a young age. I won't be around when a lot of the newer younger members reach their 50's. But like collectors of the past historial items I believe the "gas and oil" hobby will survive. Depending on future events, the number of collectors could be smaller, larger or about the same. Only time will tell. One bit of advise and it has been given by much better collector's than I. Buy the best item you can afford. If you only have $20 or $1,000,000 to spend. Research and buy something that will hold up, something with history. Something you will be proud to display and possibily past on to your children and/or grandchildren.

Having read all of these...I am going to through in my two-cents. I agree on don't buy anything marked collectible if you are wanting to see an increase in value. I sold diecast for years and that market has collapsed. Not that I bought and sold for increased value...but evennew items are hard to sell for retail. I just sold about $500 wholesale worth of diecast to my brother for $200.

As far as oil and gas collectibles. Many of us bought items for a low price or free, years ago. Although, often we have had to 'pony up' the $$$ for good pieces. But look at it if you were starting now. Would your collections get to be as big? Maybe not. There just aren't many Wayne 60s in the barns at $100 a piece like there were 25 years ago. LOL Also, as has been stated, many of today's youth have no memories of these brands. Even the common brands like Texaco and Mobil. And what are we doing to encourage the youth to get in the market? My son is interested, but hasn't caught the bug. He has gone to shows and travelled to look for things, but he would rather put fancy wheels and tires on his vehicle than pay $$$ for a sign. (especially since he knows the old man will buyit and he will inherit my stuff.)

Reading these posts gets me to thinking again! Just look at the latest poll on how long members have been collecting. Vast majority over 20 years (40 for me). I have two grown boys that know all about my collection,(albeit small) but have no interest in keeping it.
They quite honestly are advising me to start unloading some of it now, take the $$ and enjoy doing something else while I have time to do it. There are many others out there in the same boat.
As others have said on this thread, DON'T put your money in stuff that's been mass produced called "collectables"! Just be patient & wait for someone like me to start selling off. It's coming to that for many in the near future. But what do I know?
I bought fuel oil last fall at $4.36 per gallon to beat the higher price that was coming!

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

So if I understand this right I am NOT supposed to pay alot for some thing then take it to the scrap yard later.
THATS WHAT I'M DOING WRONG I'M DOING IT BACKWARDS!!

I'm sooo glad I'm not the only one guilty of this practice!! I do my best studying in the bathroom.....affectionately known around here as my office LOL!