Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion TEXACO letters...what are they worth?

What are they worth??? I have a set of TEXACO letters that are black with red plexiglass fronts. When laid out they are about 17 feet across. In great shape.

depends who wants them, A set sold this weekend at auction for $300.

Do they look like this?

Biggest issue with signs like this is they are so large.

I would say $200-$300

They look exactly like those. What are they worth?

Do they all work? There are two different types. One type has flourescent lights inside, while the other has neon tubes and transformer in each one.

I picked up the set pictured at a swap meet for $75 about two years ago. They even came with a few extra plastic letters. The guy wanted $100 and it was one of the last items in his space. One of the issues with signs that have the neon inside is that the tubes are prone to breaking when the letters are taken down and moved from place to place. That is what happened to the four out of six letters in my sign. Only the "T" and the "O" work. As you may know, it can be expensive to repair the neon.

You may want to open up each one to see what lighting set up is inside and wire each letter to see if they work.

As for the value, it's whatever the market will bear. I would agree that the size of the sign limits it sellability. It's too bulky to ship and would have to be sold locally or picked up by a non-local buyer.

Hi. New here and I bought the letters from Joe so now he knows what they are worth.

I'm happy with the deal but had a few questions and was googling and found this site - there seem to be the most people here familiar with these letters.

The letters have the neon lighting in them. The wires were cut when the letters were removed. When I opened one up, there is a block that at first I thought was the transformer. Rather it just appears to be a ceramic (?) block with an aluminum cover that holds (and protects) the connection of the wire to the neon tube - 1 wire on each end of the tube. The letters have a UL listing on the outside that say they are 120v. Can I just connect a 120 supply line to the length of wire left (or reattach to the neon) or is there actually a power supply involved? I have also seen a pic on the net of the backside of a new one that shows 3 wires exiting the back - anyone know where the ground attaches? Thanks greatly for any information...this will be a neat addition to the shop.

BTW, badgas - you got a GREAT deal on yours.

I too just bought and sold the same set, Mine was NOS and with the set there was 3 Transformer boxes, 1 box was used for 2 letters. each box had the letters written on that they were to be used with.

Thanks KZ1000.

So if I am understanding correctly, the transformers were separate from the letters? I assume you don't know the specs on the xfmr? I am guessing my best bet is to have a neon sign company review what I have and make a recommendation. Thanks again for everyone's help.

I talked to a sign co. guy and he said the transformers would have been in the attic or canopy. I could get the info for you that was on the transformers if you have to have it.

I got two sets from a station that was rebranding. There were two distint different types. One set had its own transformer inside each letter and what I would call "normal" wiring for each letter. The other set had an external transformer and had wiring that looks like the cable wiring. I hooked up the "normal" wires just like any other electrical appliance and everything was fine. I did not have a complete set of the different style letters, so I never did anything with them. I have a set of Mobil letters with the external transformer and cable style wiring, if you have these, get professional advise from a sign shop before wiring them up. Brady

Great info - thanks. Yes, mine appear to have more of a "cable".

KZ, if the info is easily obtained, then anything you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Don't knock yourself out however.

PetroFan - good info - thanks for the time to post.

Mine have a transformer in each of the letters. I was going to wire them up in a series until I found out that only two letters lit up.

Ok, I stopped at a local neon shop and the folks there were more than helpful.

Yes, I needed transformers. He found 2 used xfmrs they had and wired 3 letters to each one. The xfmr is a 12kv - he recommended doing 3 9kv transformers to each set of letters or 2 12kv xfmrs to 3 letters.. Nice guy - made me a deal on the 2 xfmrs with enough wire to do what I want and enclosures to put the xfmrs in. Strange enough, he had just taken down 10 Texaco round flourescent lights (~33" dia) from a station.....so I bought one - Merry Christmas to me. And he threw in the offer of a number of large (4x4) Fina sign fronts if I wanted to pick them up - not sure I need them.

Thanks again for everyone's help. I have been involved in restoring cars on and off my life...am currently doing a 48 Ford F5 flathead v8 dually and started becoming interested in oil/gas related items...I'm afraid I see an addiction coming on. Is there a cure?