Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Moving large porcelain sign collection to US

Over the past three years my son and I have been clearing out a building for a company I worked at for 30 years. During this process, we uncovered over 6000 porcelain advertising signs. About half of them are US, and the rest are English or from our local area here in Bangladesh. My son is moving to the Louisville Kentucky area in the spring of 2011. He plans of moving his personal property to the US via a shipping container so he can also bring all the US signs with him. Can anyone help us in that area with the sale of these signs? Bongo

Well, theres 3 ways to sell them! ALL AT ONCE via the public auction method, or ONE BY ONE on a web site such as ebay, or in SMALL GROUPS by advertising in national trade and collector magazines!
It all depends on how you need to market them and there are multitudes of marketing companies available to help you with it(at a fee of course). If you have the time and patience to do it, you can sell them individually through ebay, on web sites such as this, through national advertising, or by taking individually priced items to national swap meets(transportation costs a lot).
The bottom line is that there are lots of different methods by which to market these signs and a vast lot of people that would be willing to help in your endeavor.
By the way, you picked a good web site to ask for advice because any information obtained on here will be fairly factual and honest and will help to guide you along. Also its free!!!
WELCOME TO OLD GAS!

KW do you have any friends in the Louisville area?

No offense meant, but why not wait until your son is here in the states? The signs can take months to be released by customs, especially if they are counterfeit. Again, no offense but, you are coming in from a region that is producing thousands of counterfeit signs and other counterfeit items. The US Customs and other countries are putting out advisories about them.

I'm not saying that you are trying to scam anyone....... but after reading you "found" over 6000 signs, I for one have some real questions. As according to the 'net there is a flood of counterfeit items coming out of India and Bangladesh.

That was my first thought after this.

First are all the signs non English or for foreign brands? Can you or your son find out the history of this building or company that owned it and why these signs where in Bangladesh? Why where they being stored or made there as all the USA brands like Coca-Cola, Country store, Gas and Oil companies I have collected in the last 30 yrs where made in the 20's to the 60's in America, Mexico or Canada! Thanks for the info

WHY IS THERE A DISTINCT AREA OF CHIPPING JUST BELOW THE STAR?

Bongo--Realize from the accompaning posts that people here in the US are fed up with the counterfeit industry and will be very leery about any such large influx of advertising signs. If you are on the up and up, just make sure you document every phase of these signs from discovery to transportation and all! It will be very important for you to be able to prove how they got to Bangledesh in the first place and how you were able to access them all! Continue your quest for information and I'm sure you will be able to get answers to your questions. You've picked an excellent place to start, if this is an honest endeavor. If you can prove to the membership here that this is an honest deal, then you will be on your way to having a marketable product!
If not---I wouldn't even bother because this membership has a tremendous avenue for dissemination of information and the news of this project will be in all corners of the US within days!
Thanks for contacting us!---KEVIN

Let me be honest. If I found over 6000 signs and someone took my photo with one of the signs. You wouldn't be able to see the sign, because my grin would be so large. I would have just "hit the lottery" and I would be set for life.

Instead the person in the photo is hiding their face.

Why hide one's face unless they are trying to hide their identity? That is the first thing I thought of when seeing the photo. I maybe wrong.......... but I don't think so.

Bob--If hes honest and this is a legitamate deal, he will continue to explore avenues of saleability and will be forthcoming with documentation to prove the originality of all this! If not--that will be the answer!

That sign looks fake- Why would someone have 6,000 signs in one place- seems a little strange. I bet the back of the sign is rusty too. It just seems very odd. Maybe its legit but who knows until we see these signs in person.

I smell fish ???????????

come on man, Bob hit it right on the head, bangledesh is one the worlds leading counterfieting countries and I KNOW that for a fact.

WELL..... LET'S CONSIDER THAT BONGO DIDN'T SAY THEY WERE ORIGINAL OR OLD!
REPRODUCTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR OVER 30 YEARS. 1980-PRESENT.

Maybe he and T-ray had a spat.

Honestly they have been made long before the 1980's.

Since it is almost 5am in Bangladesh, maybe once their morning's routine has been set. We will see some answers to the questions that have been raised, as Kevin said.

As too what Doc just brought up, are there members here who want to help sell repop signs, marked or unmarked, that are made to look old? Unless it is hidden where the photo was cropped, that "black T" Texaco sign isn't marked in anyway I could see.

One of my problems with the sign is the lack of rust. Where the porcelain is missing on the sign, found in a country with a ton of humidity. That sign after 70+ years, if it is original, should be rusting much worse than the 5 gal can I bought and showed photos of.

I spent almost 6 months in India as a military advisor in the late 70's. During the summer, monsoons. A lot of rust, because of the wet conditions. Looking at the 'net, I see that Bangladesh has the same climate, pretty much.

container needs to be shipped to Buenos Aires

DEEP 6, next to Marianna Trench.
Unlikely for 6,000 originals to be found in one building let alone one country. STINKS like Pole Cat.

lol

That sign does not even look right All the Texaco signs Iv seen like that said Gasoline on top not Lubricating Oil

His plan is already in motion..... I'm sure he has already been pmed with offers to help. You will most definitely see these signs stateside quicker than than honest man would think.

Maybe I'm too trusting but I would hope that his plan would fall apart if they are phony and that would be the end of it. If they turn out to be real, then he should have no trouble getting help. Either way, I hope we eventually hear the final result!

Ya and I just found a 30 yr old collection in my shed.....what do we look like idiots........

O and I forgot I had them......lmao

In his profile. His occupation is listed Hojia Porcelain Works.
Sounds like he owns the warehouse where he found them. Probably bad economy in banglaesh for porcelain signs.

I can not see the photo, it is not showing up as an attachment. I am an hour from Louisville, but have my doubts like the rest of you.

if they are comming out of a building that made signs why are they beat to h*ll???

NOT factory 2nds that's for sure.

Joe, if you were a "new" collector, would you rather buy a "new" sign, one that looked like it just had been made? Or an "original" sign? One that has been beat up by the weather? One that was hanging on an old gas station until the seller took it down?

6000 signs flooding the market, even if for some reason they are real, will most likely kill some values. I've got to wonder if some of these signs were purposely imported to that country to use as "masters" for the new stock.

[quote=lordparaffin I've got to wonder if some of these signs were purposely imported to that country to use as "masters" for the new stock.[/quote]

Good Point

I never expected to get such nasty comments from this group of collectors. Most of you guys just sound stuck on yourself and think you know far more than you really do. Based on the E_Mail from roadrelics, I would say he needs professional help, and where did you learn such words? We will not bother you people with our quest to learn more about our collection. For the few of you that did respond in a positive way, thank you.

I've got somebody willing to give me $65,000.000 in Nigerian dollars, I don't need it all, Would you take $63,000.000 for 5000 of you signs.

Thanks for the offer, but if I accepted your offer, then you would be back on the George Bush Food Stamp Program. Perhaps you can share some of your money with roadrelics so he can get some professional help.

I'm new to this hobby but I love the hunt for items . And what you don't understand is that a lot of these guy here it is their way of life and a hobby that has been a big part of their life.....so when someone comes up with 6000 sign who is not going to think they are fakes...if someone has been collecting that much they would have been known to these gas and oil nuts......and the worst thing that we hate is fakes littering our hobby....but if they are not fakes I'm sure you will have the biggest apology from us.....so I'm sorry for the neg feelings....but the fakes are out there and coming from place where you live and here where we live........dave

Strange that you aren't going to answer any of the questions, that were raised here on the forum.

I can't answer, as none of us can, to specific emails you have gotten. (Strange but you don't have an email address in your profile, must have been PM's from members that you received) We, the general membership have no knowledge of what they contained.

But, why not answer the questions raised here on this thread? Because it was a scam from the beginning as some, possibly most suspected?

Honestly, I figured that I would be the one attacked by you here this morning. Not because I am in any way special or because I sent you any kind of personal PM. But because I am the first one who posted my suspicions about your endeavor. Suspicions of many on this site, seem to have.

As to the knowledge of this forum, you said; "Most of you guys just sound stuck on yourself and think you know far more than you really do." Is your statement based on your knowledge or based on "damn they are much smarter than we gave them credit for, they figured out that this was a scam right away"?

Bongo--Don't feel slighted by any of the negative comments that were posted on here. Its really nothing personal at all. Just about every collector on here has been burned at one time or another by a reproduction and when the majority of those reproductions that are being sold as originals, come from your country or areas around you, then you can see the reason for their apprehension.
There are many open minded people within the hobby that will give you the benefit of the doubt and save judgement until they can see and touch the product. It is these very same nay sayers that you need on your side in order to validate your product and your investment, as they are the experts within this field of collection! Convince them and you have instant validation. Turn your back and walk away is like admitting they are right! If you walk away from comments such as this, the communication system will have spread the news far and wide before you could ever get even 1 sign to these shores and it would be worthless.
Invest the time and energy to correctly convince the nay sayers and you've hit a home run! Its pretty much up to you but please don't take offense as it was not directed at you personally!

LOL, Kevin, this guy is not really "BONGO" & not really from Bangledesh, rather from Ma. ............i was just alerted to this thread by a couple of other old gassers about bongo & his post about me......I have never emailed him, this is a LIE & now we are sure this is all a lie....we believe its the same person "ebaygenious" & many of us are sure who "ebaygenious" is & he's not from Ca. .......This person is attacking me here with lies & i will need to say a few words .....this is the epitome of one sick person & probably bordering on being a
sociopath ..he is now making up names & identities here on old gas, so you can only guess what he is capable of....

...there have been a couple of us who have been threatned by phone calls & emails after the "ebaygenious" thread now he's taking on the name "BONGO" & he's going to take his signs elsewhere.. LOL.....

WOW! If thats true, its truly a new one for me! To go to that level of deception should put someone in jeapordy with the hobby!
I only hope that its not true and that noone within the hobby would stoop that low.
Have you tried the phone number that Bongo provided in his profile?

No Kevin i have not contacted this phone # as i can't dial international with my phone, but my guess is its phony, however i did a google search on his occupation "Hojia Porcelain Works " & the only thing that came up was this thread......you would think that such a large company as this, there would be some info on google, however i found nothing....this person is very capable of this & i am getting more calls about how bad this guy is....just ask the guy who started the "Most of us all know but reminder Beware " thread about his capabilities..

Google says it's an INVALID #
dial 011 + 91 + area code + phone number

And the plot thickens!!!!

no suprise DB.......we already know that after the "ebaygenious" post that he changes identities like most of us change underware, of course a few of us already knew that , so Bongo does not surprise me especially when he attacks me for no reason....its very obvious who he is & please let him go on as he 's just exposing what type of person he really is...

db that won't get you to Bangladesh, LOL

The international prefix for Bangladesh is +880

Here is an actual telephone # in Bangladesh 011+880+1 2 832 577(when calling from the US)( it is to the Bangladesh Telegraph & Telephone Board)

Plus, each and every city in Bangladesh has it's own area code; the creator of this "hoax" couldn't put 5 minutes in and do some research?

http://www.rebtel.com/en/Cheap-Calls/Bangladesh/
http://www.howtocallabroad.com/bangladesh/

When I quit my Dial-up I was connected to India ! English was terrible to understand

Roadrelics it is you the ***** and big deceiver!. My ip is 119.30.38.37 and you can check it is from Bangladesh not US. The gas board moderator has my permission to confirm it and post IP'S.You are troubled and very hateful person with a Big Mouth. I have a buckeyeman tradesman in Ohio offered to help us like before so KZ you cant buy them. You probably have no money to spend.

So so funny, my phone number is correct, if only you knew how to use the telephone

Oh Bongo this is great........you have no email listed here & i sure hope the moderators here will check & see if in fact i did send you a pm....
you are about the worst imposter i have ever seen LOL...now your even taking on an India dialect ?? LOL....this is almost a comedian act ecept the joke is on you as many of us know your real identity... however you are making a mockery of thxis site & every post you make is just another piece of evidence that we have against you.....I have had many emails & phone calls just this morning & its very strange that they all know who is behind this slander & attacks & i say oh yeah its him, then we have quite a conversation about you ....

All I can say here is this reminds me of the typical Nigerian scam of: "I have one million dollars in the bank and I need you to help me release it and get it to America" The scammer will then ask you to send him a few thousand dollars and in return you would share in the million dollars.

Somewhere down the line if anyone pursues communications with this fellow, I have the feeling you will be asked to "help" financially with the shipment or whatever. By the way, IP addresses and phone numbers can be faked easily. That part of the world ships LOTS of containers to North America - why does he need any of our help really? 6,000 signs? A bad pic with dudes face hidden x2? Questionable area chipping on the Texaco sign ? Asking KW if he knows anyone in KY of all places? Good of KW to give him the benefit of the doubt but we all like proof. Bongo - take a photo of just a few stacks (maybe just 1,000 signs), post them here, then we may take you more seriously. Imagine how many PMs this guy has already. Tread lightly.

WOW good reading anyway.I can feel the heat off my computer reading this topic! marty

Send them to KY, I always need more targets. LOL

In case you were wondering what words are scratched off that Texaco sign: "MADE BY THE TEXAS COMPANY" is missing. Also, never ever seen another with "Lubricating Oil" on the top. A sign with the Texas Company wording intact:

heres a neon sign on ebay that says lubricating oil on top
130460336696
it says made by the texas company U.S.A
i believe this was after texaco went worldwide because some say just made by the texas company. if i'm wrong on this or have it backwards someone please let me know, and NO I am NOT trying to defend Bongo.

I'M SUPPOSED TO CHANGE MY UNDERWEAR?

EXCUSE ME.............

IF the TEXACO Lubricating Oil is that rare, why would Anyone ADD Neon to it?

Why would a Porcelain Sign Co. keep 6,000 old chipped up signs? If they also changed out signs for customers, WHY save instead of trashing them or using on roof to stop leaks?

bongo,if you have all these signs and feel they are original,post pics and prove that you are on the up and up.if they are not,and you dont post pics then,you must be hiding something.simple as that and not too much to ask from the people who might spend lots of money on them.

At this point, I think there is plenty of room for doubt and that alone I find rather disturbing. I've been burned so "wary" is my middle name. I am also man enough to make big apologies and welcome with open arms but it's in Bongo's hands to show us the proof. Post up a multitude of pics (good quality images) answer questions to the best of his ability and let those who can verify be the judge. Anything short of that, and I think it's fair to say most people will draw a negative conclusion. If that's the case, I only hope the damage to un-knowing people can be minimized.

I received the following email when I got home tonight, I hope all get a good laugh out if like I did.

Hey Phil,
I was reading that post about 6000 signs and was playing around doing some research about it. Oddly enough the I.P. Address the guy posted is from Bangladesh. But that can probably be found online? It's the right city and everything!

Here is the funny part! I was looking for his company and typed it in Google India. Nothing came up at all. Until I hit the Images Tab!!

Check this out!
http://www.google.co.in/images?hl=en&...q=&gs_rfai=

So Phil, do you have heavy shelving and good original gloss and color?! LOL!! By the way, I only wish that plastic lense I'm standing next was porcelain. This whole thing just gets better and better! I think I know where I stand on this whole subject at this point.

WOW!

Phil, this qualifies you as an international celebrity.

Just so everyone knows, Bongo's actual IP address matches his stated location. He is for real on at least that.

Deleted by Ryan Underthun

hey Phil, can I have your autograph?

check the link out below.i just googled fake ip address's....seems like there very easy to get... http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds=...6dfc76583d8f423

No personal attacks on oldgas allowed!

This thread gets more bizzare as it goes along.

So Phil is really Bongo? Is that you hiding behind that sign Phil?

LOL

Tis the season to be swindled.

Come on guys, let's have a sign sing-a-long:
"6000 signs in a pile, 6000 signs,
if one of those signs should happen to sell,
5999 signs in a pile"

CHANGED MY UNDERWEAR!

The fake IP methods are very dangerous for the user's vulnerability to identity theft. Everything you do through a proxy can be captured and logged, including passwords, credit card info and whatever else there is in the communication, including anything encrypted.

Since this topic has no where to go but downhill, it is being locked.