Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Old VARSITY neon sign - value?

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[This message has been edited by bettin (edited 08-22-2005).]

Ebay auctions sell, on average, for 50% or less of their "real world" value, so that would not speak to what the sign is worth to a collector buying from a dealer outside Ebay. I buy stuff on Ebay frequently and sell it at an Antiques mall here for 3-4 times what I paid for it or more.

Duplicating the sign get you a replica. I got a quote from the neon sign maker in fact, as I do really like the sign. He said to do an "exact" copy would be $600 minimum and the colors can't be matched because the chemical used then can't be legally used now.

I agree completely with the shipping issues. The guy I know who sells a lot of neon said he does it all the time, but I'd be sweating like crazy. However, it can be securely crated by a custom crate house here for $50-$75. If the Oldgas gang really wanted to do a road relay to MO. this would make the effort safe and viable. I may not trust the UPS guy, but someone taking this personally to a friend in a custom crate... I think we could all agree that chances would be very slim that anything would happen.

I had a neon shop 40 ft from where I worked for quite a long time, plus I know another neon maker.
A few comments; colors as far as I know are derived by type of tube coating, color of gas and combinations of the 2. Now some glass used mercury or other coatings, which may not be in use anymore. So if it is a rare color it may be the tubing.

Now this sign appears to have a continuous tube on the varsity word, however it looks to me like that tube is built from at least 3 pcs. The joints I can see from here are bottom of the V, , top of the T, and bottom of the Y. Now that may be good because if it breaks and you can find the tubing it can be repaired. I cant see any joints or welds on the lower words, but those are doable in 1 piece while the top word would be very difficult.

By old type work they likely mean the type of bending, some are still capable of that kind of work, espescially if they were trained by a very old or already departed gl;ss bender.

If you want to see difficult, my buddy has a motorola sign, the motorola is in Script, I believe about 16 inches overall length.. now that one is difficult to get done these days!..I will see if I can find a link to it.

Proper crating is a must, not showing a bidder or buyer that it will be properly done will affect pricing, im my opinion.

Good and different points as usual, part of the fun.
If it were my sign and I did not want to keep it I'd put it on ebay and not expect it to go to $1000, but you never know..the best price would come from a couple of Pep Boys collectors that wanted it, and they might want it bad. It seems to me ebay brings higher prices than an antique mall for a special item like this..how many Pep Boys collectors would walk into that mall?

Shipping would be dangerous no matter what and neither the seller or the buyer would jump up to claim responsibility, but seems to me the buyer has to abide by the sellers terms, like if you want it it's your responsibility to pick it up or make arrangements you are comfortable with.
And what good is insurance with something like this? If it's broken you end up with something that is no longer completely original, and we know nobody pays off if they can say it was not packed properly, and that's what they would say.
Maybe the relay idea is not a good one, especially since I've only owned one neon and I broke it! (beer sign) Hows that for comfort level?

Good luck to all!
(All above and forever more stated in the future is my opinion and subject to change without notice.)

Shipping is not as big a hurdle as packing it properly..

Ebay is not "Real World" pricing?? I think ebay has shown may items are not as rare as once thought and are overpriced in the marketplace. Why would someone go and pay 3 or 4 times more somewhere when you can buy the same thing on Ebay for much less? In my opinion Ebay is Real World.

This topic is becoming similiar to the pumpjockie thread regarding the visible.First you solicit an opinion about the value of the sign,then you determine on your own it's worth a $1000.Now it's a debate to see what it's worth.I say move this thread to "For Sale or Trade".

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Sorry been busy the last week & didn't have time to deal with this.

We could argue about Ebay all day, but the truth is that Ebay values are "bargain basement" and that's why Ebay thrives. The "second chance" spoof thread also says alot on the subject of how great a venue it is.

ANYWAY I would like to see Jim get the sign as much as anyone at this point. He loves it, and it really is a great rare find for his collection. If you guys are really willing to help him buy it like you say, I'll drop to $700 if you guys figure out how to get it to him.

Thought I would throw another log on the fire here. Ebay is "bargain basement" prices?? That's pretty funny. From an antique shop's perspective I get where you're coming from. The antique malls in my area have been reduced to glass shops because Ebay has made the world a smaller place. Collectables are much easier to find. It pushes the prices up for truly rare pieces and it appropriately places value on the not so rare pieces. The mom and pop stores have had to deal with Walmart. The mom and pop auto parts stores now have Autozones to compete with. As a former independent gas dealer the conveniencer stores drove me out. And now the antique shops have Ebay to contend with. It's America.