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#245451 Mon Apr 04 2011 05:24 PM
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Now this question recently came up on another forum that I visit, but they were asking about membership. I'm wondering though, WHERE this hobby is going....I'll offer a few observations, but I'd like to hear some other input....
As far as collecting the items that we collect, try to keep in mind....

Gas pumps... With all the different type of pumps, such as curbsides & previsibles, visables, clockfaces, computer pumps, (both the Art Deco style 36Bs & Wayne 60s, and the smooth body pumps, like the Tokheim 39 & G&B 96)..... What do todasy pumps have to offer? Besides those irritating credit card readers?

Cans... The old, multi colored, graphic cans. made of metal, so they could be used for other purposes when they were empty. 5 quart cans, grease cans... Today we have plastic quarts & gallons, with paper labels, that soon fade and peel off. Grease comes in little cardboard tubes, that get tossed when empty.

Gimmies... Service Stations had all sorts of stuff for their customers. S&P Shakers, Gas tank sticks, (Thank you Bob Richards) wallet and desk calenders, ash trays & matches (Probably not safe at a gas station) Trash bags, which were hung from the vent knobs. (Who remembers vent knobs?) just to name a few....

Station attendants... Snappy lookin' clean cut guys, who smiled and asked "Fill 'er up?"... Remember those guys? They'd check the oil and tire pressure, wash the windows. And if something needed to be tightened, they probably had a screw driver in their pocket for that too...

But most recently I noticed, and this is what prompted me about this..... Maps... With the new GPS Systems, Onstar, Garmin and others, whats going to happen to all the neat things that we love, and loved, about our hobby?

Any thoughts?


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I sometimes wonder why they still make and distribute phone books. I use one ever so seldomly when i can go online and get the same info. Similar to GPS replacing maps!

Everything changes with time. Nothing stays the same except the flavor of my oatmeal that i've eaten since i was a kid. Bigger, Better, Faster, More is what it's all about these days. Gotta roll with the changes. Can't turn back the hands of time in the real world.


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Thunder I will give a few thoughts since I go to a lot shows and conduct several auctions a year.

Gas Pumps-visible & pre-visible or curb pumps are dieing unless they are rare or have great aesthetic value. One more thing about these pumps is that they do not look good sitting next to a 1950's or 1960's car. People with these cars want clock face and computing pumps. The same pumps that filled the cars up.

Cans are all about graphics and rarity. I think that cans are coming back.

Gimmmies unless rare are going no where. Collect them because you love them not because they are going up in value.

Dont have a opinion on Station Attendants.

I think maps are just like gimmies.

On the rest of the hobby like signs and globes, I have new and more people registering for my auction all the time. I heard people saying that there are no new people in this hobby. I disagree with this, I have had over 300 people register online for every auction. This has been the case for the last six months.

Also if you notice that any auctioneer that comes across a sign puts it in their ads no matter how common or rare it is. The reason is that there is a demand for the them. A few years ago you never seen a sign in an ad unless it was for an advertising auction.

Just a few random thoughts.

Dan

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They will continue making phone books for as long as they can sell space in the Yellow pages. There never was any money in printing White pages.

Last edited by Watchdog7; Mon Apr 04 2011 05:57 PM.
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Judging by the steady increase in the number of new members here on Shop Talk, I'd say the future is strong. Popularity and value of items will always vary with time.

Take a look at the collector age poll we had in February 2011 to see the even spread of ages:

http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=233509


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That is why I'm keeping my old phone book for the white pages!!

Randy


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We need more young people like ME! I think a lot of new people are coming into the hobby to make money. Once these fad shows go away we will see the people that are sticking with the hobby. To be honest, there are very few people I know my age into gas stuff. The rare will always be rare. The membership will correspond with what is being collected.

Last edited by 57tbirdkid; Mon Apr 04 2011 06:30 PM.

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Sorry gentlemen, but I think that this thread is staring to drift. I'm not asking about the new collectors, or where the market is now, I'm asking about, what will be collectable in the future.

Any thoughts?


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hmmmm....Pumps with tv's built into them!!


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I figure very little will be collectible past 1975... which makes what we collect all that much better and sought after.


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Originally Posted By: 57tbirdkid
hmmmm....Pumps with tv's built into them!!


Already out there....


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Originally Posted By: Thunder II
Sorry gentlemen, but I think that this thread is staring to drift. I'm not asking about the new collectors, or where the market is now, I'm asking about, what will be collectable in the future.

Any thoughts?
The title of this thread is "What is the future of the hobby?" The new collectors ARE the future of this hobby. Without them, it will disappear.


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what will be collectible is the very items that we have no idea about. THAT is what always makes an item collectible, things that are discarded. If we think something will be collectible and we all start saving them now, Guess What?, IT WILL NOT BE COLLECTIBLE because of that very reason, (they were saved)


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Like anything, I think people will find what they remember most when they fill up with gas. As with each generation that comes into the hobby they will invariably seek what was the norm for THEM. So the pumps of today with all the bells and whistles will be what they relate to and collect in the future. Today is the day of the convenience store so all the advertising for everything from lottery tickets to food and cigarettes along with soda and banners although plastic will probably find a place. Granted, you may not find much interest in these things of today, but not many people gave much thought of the things of yesterday at the time either.......hence why we seek them out today. Plastic signs and canopy signs are starting to get reasonable money. It's just they're time because the "plastic generation" is going to remember that as "back in the day".


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Originally Posted By: pumpingethyl
Originally Posted By: Thunder II
Sorry gentlemen, but I think that this thread is staring to drift. I'm not asking about the new collectors, or where the market is now, I'm asking about, what will be collectable in the future.

Any thoughts?
The title of this thread is "What is the future of the hobby?" The new collectors ARE the future of this hobby. Without them, it will disappear.



I stated... "Now this question recently came up on another forum that I visit, but they were asking about membership."

I'm all for new members. I'm asking about TODAY. Is anything that we have TODAY, going to be collectable? And what IS is available TODAY? GPS systems have pretty much eliminated maps, so what will we have to collect?


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