Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Sign prices

Ok who wonders where some of these high price on these signs come from.....on c-list and ebay.....I mean is there a hat that they are pulling the prices out of.....I don't mind paying big money for a great sign in great condition. But some are poor condition and asking big bucks.....what you all think?

There is not such thing as a cheap sign anymore, and you don't see those signs selling either. The antique, flea market craze is in full effect due to what TV has produced. Eveyone is buying signs it seems and anyone who have one thinks thiers is worth the most. I usually wait people out on buying stuff. They seen a sign kinda like thiers, or so and so told me that, or I seen it on TV are the top three replies that I get when they start pricing stuff.

They are thinking If they don't ask, they won't get the high $$$

Iv'e said the same thing concerning prices in Hemmings and Auto Trader too. Somebody has a 4dr 89 Chevrolet sedan that has every bit of 300,000 on the clock, needs everything . Cause some ijit had one at Barrett -Jackson , they think theirs is a one off meuseuem piece too! Hey, go invest in comodities . Ed Shaver

I agree. It is getting harder to find signs at reasonable prices. I collect my signs with lots of patina but some people thing that rust makes them more valuable. I've had to learn to walk away if I think they are too proud of their items. I like to say that they don't want to sell it, they just want to display it at that price!

I think that signs have always been kind of high in the moving mkt - in the last 25 years which I have been collecting anyway. But I agree they are in some cases nearly outrageous now. I think eBay, inet in general and the TV shows have caused a lot of this and also same with oil cans. Hence, realistic grading is often ignored. Used to go to auctions and maybe 1 or 2 others knew value and you could get a reasonable deal. This fall I went to a number of local auctions around NE Ohio. Unbelieveable. Have seen both signs and cans go for much more than some of these "high" eBay prices and/or book prices. Now around here CL is a major joke. You all saw that ESSO sign not far from me a while back on CL. People asking 2x what the sign is worth and they keep re-posting it.. major CLutter. Once in a while a resonable deal is gleaned from CL but not often.

I collect a lot of signs and within the last month or so I have seen the prices for signs sky rocket. I always tell people a sign is worth what the market brings. If someone wants to pay you $300 for a $100 sign- Why not? It is their decision and responsibility to know what the true value of these items are. Even if I Find a sign local(the big ones)- the prices are crazy and condition is usually poor-fair. What eventually will happen is pickers and antique dealers will have to drop their price. I love these old signs- But I have a limit when it comes to buying and I stick to that limit- and I will not overpay for a sign.

Dealers are the biggest cause of this, or atleast people who think they are dealers. We have a local guy that would turn tricks with his own mother if he could...very up standing guy.(sarcastic) Everything is a piece of junk until he owns it; one of those guys. His outfit sells on the internet all the time to make a living or lack there of. Ofcourse the millions in inheritance helps out too. Anywho...He use to bid on signs and oil related stuff up and over max retail price. He would try to sell as is them over and over again on ebay, then drop the price and then again. Finally taking a hit just to move the stuff because he has no idea what he is purchasing. He has moved on to buying fans, bicycles, and retro furniture that no one wants. Between people like this guy and legit dealers that have $$$$, signs will always be high. There is a Antique store roughly 30 miles from me that has had the same signs since I was 16 years old and the prices are still high on them. When I buy from an individual I will give them an idea of it's worth and tell them what I will give, because in the end I have to make money. Most people appriciate that honesty and usually when your standing there with cash, the item is usually yours and out of thier hair. I run across stuff every now and then that I am not sure what the price is on them because of the rarity. I try to stay in my area of limited knowledge, every now and then taking a $10-$30 gamble. If I need help, that is what OLDGAS members are so good at!!

Well said there Chad!!

I had a guy over a year ago try and sell me a porcelain street name sign for $100. It is a major street where he lives. I told him I would think about it. The guy had about 100 of these street signs. I see the same ones show up on ebay, and Craigslist every once in a while for around $50.

Fast forward till 3 weeks ago. The guy kept calling me to come buy the sign, since he sold his house and needed to get two display cases sold as well. I told him I would come by, but kept blowing him off, since I knew his prices were way too high. He decided to call my counterpart for the museum I am building and struck a deal with him instead for the display cases. (Idiot payed to frigging much for the display cases!!!) Then my counterpart calls me and says he can't pick up the cases and needs me to pick them up. I blow him off too and tell him there are 30+ display cases on Craigslist right now for 1/2 the price. Well after 30 calls from the two of them in 2 days, I go over today to pick the display cases up. The seller starts trying to get me to buy the porcelain sign again. He now tells me he wants $150. I thank him and tell him I can't pay the amount he wants. I counter offer and he tells me no friggin way. He again says to me the street is a big named street in his city and can easily get his asking price. I can see in his place that he has not sold a single thing since I was last there and he tells me he needs to have everything moved out by the first of the year. (I look at all the ***** he has and say to myself, no way he will be moved out by the first.)

His place looks like the places shown on American Pickers. Stuff everywhere! He has always asked top dollar and upwards of 200% the value of an item. He told me he is going to retire on the money made from all the stuff he has, since it is worth so much money. The problem is he is thinking max Retail price and that is just not going to happen. He has been asking these prices for years.

Mike

He will be in for a rude awakening when auction day comes, especially if there is a lot of stuff in one place.