Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Bowing out

All of your points are very valid. Tons of repro ***** out there and fantasy items. The funny thing is these items sell for hundreds of dollars. I am a new young collector but have acquired many great original items. If you look at what sells it will give you an outlook that this is the only cash cow hobby out there today. Everyone and their brother now calls themselves a picker and are using the site for free information and then most of the time it goes right to eBay. Some of the so called Pickers on this site are great and find many rare items. They have added to this hobby in a tremendous way. The days of cleaning out bulk plants are long gone, but the stuff is still out there. I have found some hard to find items miles within my house from the ORIGINAL stations. Items that are 80 plus years old. There are many people looking at these repro signs as decoration items. If someone is going to spend hundereds of dollars on a reproduction sign they have not done their homework. It amazes me how much repro stuff is on eBay. From signs, to made up oil bottles, to telephones the list goes on. I am in this hobby for the history of the service station industry. Sure I sell stuff to fund my collection but we all have right? This is a great hobby, but when people see the opportunity to make money in a bad economy everyone flocks to it. No repro junk comes close in quality to the original.

Steve, There is no doubt reproduction stuff is hurting this hobby and collectors like yourself. We have had more fights on this site and disagreements about reproduction than one can count. Reproduction has gotten out of hand but thank goodness 95% of it is marked! The old days of hitting bulk plants and finding loads of stuff is pretty much gone. Finding $900 for $50 is pretty much gone also but it still can happen.

I myself 8 or 9 months ago went threw what your going threw and this "i am done with this hobby" but just take some time off. I did and re focused on my collecting.
This forum has an ignore feature... take advantage of that. When searching ebay... on the left side click used and not new. That will eliminate a bunch of the repop stuff! You might miss something every now and then but that's better than clicking threw pages and pages of repop junk. Become friends with guys that are true collectors and not decorators or dealers. Go to gas shows and enjoy the collectors there. Keep in mind there is a difference between a dealer and a collector selling some stuff.
At almost every show a bunch of us go out to dinner and chat or go to another collectors house to talk gas.

I guess the bottom line is don't let a few bad apples spoil the whole vine yard.

Hi Steve:
PM sent...Dale

My thoughts exactly!!!

I'm still having a ball and not whining like above. Quit being so serious and HAVE FUN. There is still stuff out there and they have been reproducing priceless art for centuries. If you've stopped having fun then it is a good time to get out but, like above, take a breather, relax and then refocuss

If you think I was "whining" you missed the point entirely.
Not surprisingly, I suppose.

Hi Steve, I have been collecting since 1978 but still enjoy it so if your getting out I would love to see what you have for sale or at least give us old gassers a shot at your stuff???? thanks Dan

Steve,
Several veteran collectors have expressed those exact sentiments. Repro's, greed, and fraud are taking their toll on the hobby. Five years ago it was commonplace for rare and desirable signs and globes to be pictured on here. Now a collector doesn't dare post pictures of their good stuff because the repro guys will use those images.

We have the choice to not buy from the "greedy" dealers.
There are many reputable dealers that sell at reasonable prices. With a little homework we can find out who the frauds are (yet some in the hobby seem to worship a few of them).

The acceptance by many (mostly newer collectors)of the vast amount of repro's is driving many veterans from the hobby. It really sucks the fun out of the hobby when you work (search for, buy, sell or trade to better your position) at the hobby and after many years add the once elusive item to your collection, then some ***** comes along and reproduces it for the instant gratification crowd.

Sorry to see you leaving the hobby, but I certainly understand your reasons for doing so.
Bob

How are we younger guys suppose to identify the reproduction *****,if veterans like yourself leave the hobby?
...don't go.

Sure it was fun back then buying visible pumps for $100, ripple body globes for a lot less than $500ea, lenses for $50ea, qt. cans for $5-10ea etc. Bulk dealers would give us some of the old/out dated stuff just because we showed an interest, some bulk dealer thought we were paying crazy money for stuff they had been taking to the dump.

Just think of the items you passed/left because they weren't in mint condition or items you considered to be common/plain! How many clock face pumps did you pass up only wanting to buy the visibles? How many early VR computer pumps?

Bet ya Smiled all the way to the bank every time ya sold out too.

I started collecting gas and oil in 2004 because I kinda got forced out the Mopar collecting scene. The cars that I wanted were demanding big money. So all of a sudden I couldn't aspire to build the collection I wanted. I got introduced to gas & oil and in a short time built a decent collection (for the price of 2 high end Mopars).
Along the way I made a few observations. That most of the owners of long time high end collections would never pay the prices I was willing to pay. I can say with absolute certainity that they wouldn't piece the collections that they have in the current market. Because they are spoiled. They are stuck in pre internet prices. Finding stuff and paying very little for it. 25-30 years ago $20,000.00 allowed one to put together a killer collection. But it required a lot of effort and manual labour and time. Now a days $20,000.00 will only buy two killer signs and requires very little effort. Search e-bay, pay via paypal and have it delivered to your front door. In a matter of 1 month and a lot money a guy can put a collection together that would have taken 20 years to put together.
2nd observation. It really irritated long time collectors when they saw my collection because I was able to put it together so quickly. It bothered them when they saw better pieces in my collection.
I respect everyone's right to do what they want. After all that's what our forefather's gave their live's for "everyone's right to do what they want"...freedom. It doesn't bother me if they are making reproductions, collecting reproductions, selling reproductions...ect. I collect for purely my own enjoyment. If I like I buy it, if I don't I won't buy it. It's my money and I spend how I want and where I want. I don't look down upon someone who collects reproductions, they too are a part of this hobby. Sooner or later they will become advanced collectors. Everyone has a place and important part to play in this hobby. Let's focus on collecting rather than creating boundaries or divisions amongst ourselves.
I don't like people selling repops as originals or people taking advantage of another person. Plain and simple; I hate liars and thieves.
I can't force morals or values upon people. I can not change anyone. Bearing that in mind, I enjoy everything I do. If I focus on all the bad around me...I'm going to have a bad attitude and a bad day. If I focus on all the good around me....I'm going to feel good and have a good day.
I refuse to let a few bad apples rule my mind or my world.
I collect not for an investment. I collect for the fun of it, coming together with great people in the pursuit of an common interest. The stress relief (better health), the good friends I have made, the pleasure of collecting are priceless....money can't buy those things. If that's what collecting has given me then I couldn't care less if someday my collection was worth nothing. I don't collect for the money, I collect because I enjoy it. That's why I focus on all the good things about this hobby.
My point is collect for only one reason and that is you! Don't worry about what others are doing or not doing. If you are having fun then don't let anyone else rain on your parade.

Nicely said Dave. I was off base with my "wining" comment. I too sold my entire collection two years ago. Looking back, was it a mistake, maybe, but I'm having fun building a new collection, tough much smaller. The big lesson I did learn at my sale in Iowa is people are not paying for restored signs. As little as a year prior to my sale restored orginal signs, if rare, were selling for almost as much as unrestored ones. I had many signs restored because I loved the graphics and in most cases they were signs that I could not have afforded to buy otherwise.
Best of luck but I think you will find a desire to start buying again