Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Johnson Oil Crate.....

Hello All,
I was at my usual antique mall today and spotted this Johnson shipping crate. I normally would not buy these since they take up a lot of room, but if they are in nice shape I at least take a look. I've seen lots of Gargoyle, Sinclair, and Standard crates over the years, but not many from this company. I bought it with the hopes I wasn't paying way too much for it. And although I primarily collect Mobil I know that most Johnson items are quite collectable. Can any collectors out there ease my mind with a guesstimate of a value on this? It is in really nice shape and the graphics on it are all nice and easily visible.
Thanks for your help,
Darin



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Dont know Darin but that is a good looking crate

A great find, Darin. IMO, not too common,possibly quite rare. Never have bid on something like this but, just a guess .... in the $125-$175 range, because it is Johnson.

Hi, Darin. What is the size of your Johnson Oil crate? Knowing that might help some folks in giving you their opinion as to value. Best, John

The piece measures 10" high, 25" wide, by 16-1/2" deep. On the top is stenciled Johnson Oil Refining Co., Kansas Ohio. The one end says Johnson High Pressure Grease. Sure would have been nice if all the grease cans were still in there, lol!
Thanks for any opinions,
Darin

Kansas Ohio is a very small town about 8 miles from my house. Might have to do some snooping around over there.

Prices on these boxes seem to really range and float around in my experience. Many collectors will have one or possibly 2 but not as a collection as a general rule so it's personal flavor as to price. Strong color will always help value. Gargoyle examples which turn up more often around me generally range in the $50ish range. I would think a Johnson would fall somewhere in the $70 to $100 range. It's one of those things that on the right day could sell for more than that or not move for a while for less than that. Wish I could narrow it down a little but it's a nice box and enjoy having it.

Darin, great looking box. Maybe you or someone else knows how to bring back the great wood color, without loosing the printed logo and words on the box. I've had a couple wood crates before that were all "washed out". Wood was grey color, you could hardly see the printing or logos. Some of the crates (like Gargoyle) actually were stamped in the wood, and were painted or dyed with colors. Red on the gargoyle.
How would you restore one of these? If you use stain, wouldn't you loose the color? Fine steel wool to clean up the surface? Wouldn't that also cause the loss of the logo?
I don't have one to work on now, but just thought this would be a perfect chance to get some answers.
Don

This one in person has the great golden color you see in the first pic. It seems as if it does have a VERY light coat of varnish or sealant on it as it has a nice sheen, but not so much as some I've seen that really look overly shiny and un-natural. On the only other crate I have, a very nice Polarine one, I used 0000 steel wool to do a light cleaning, not anywhere near the color designs, which did brighten up the wood and didn't make it look cleaned/restored at all. This may of only worked as it was a pretty darn clean box to start with and may not look right on a more "seasoned" wood box!
Personally though I don't know what one might use, other than the previously mentioned low luster varnish. I think it darkens the wood a little while still bringing out the design. Maybe others on here have tried and true methods.
Darin

Years ago while repairing/replacing wood on old furniture, the re-finisher I was doing parts for used Oxalic Acid to bleach the wood. Corse we never had printing to preserve.
AS always try on test piece 1st.
http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/OxalicAcid.html

My first guess, it is coated in shellac which will do a nice job on the wood tone and help to brighten the stamping. On a light colored wood, the blonder the shellac the better. Orange shellac would be better on dark woods such as walnut. The only problem with finishes is that in time they will crack or peel. I recommend nothing more than a good bees wax rubbed on carefully. That box will look good for a long time with minimal TLC.