Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Air Meter & Gas Pump Books

I plan to be inside just opposite the registration table, I'll be there for the whole show.

Thanks,

Jack Sim

I dont think Ynots post was meant to short Jack. Just to plug the oldgas.com bookstore.
We all appreciate what Jack and Jim do for the Hobby. I am in good company here in Missouri.

Jack,

I bought the book and wanted to say thank your for your contribution to the hobby. However, I have a question...why did you not include some of the Canadian Pump companies, like Service Station Equipment? These pumps were very plentiful there and have become a hot item here in the states, especially the doubles. Its not like there wasnt any info available, I am sure our friends accross the border would have helped you with that. Another question would be why didnt you include Bowswer's square double visible in the book? I know Pogo has seen a few of these pumps plus I also have one.

Pricing is another thing I dont understand...How can a Wayne 800 be worth only 8500...seen these sell for much much more(would gladly own acomplete one for 8500) and then a Wayne 802,804, 805 for only $12000 plus. I would think it would be safe to say that a Wayne 802,804,805 would be worth at least`16000 or more. A Correct Measure double clockface is 18500, makes the Wayne 802,804,805 seem less desireable. Then lets compare the Wayne 491 (roman column) and the Wisconsin and the United States A and B-40. The Wisconsin and United States pumps are probably 10 to 20 times more rare than a roman column but price makes these pumps look cheep compared to a roman. I would rather have the previous 2 just for the fact where would you ever find another one. I dont know of anybody that has ever seen these pumps. (by the way if anybody has these pumps, I will pay book price for them if you have them).

I would just like to know the answers to these questions and please dont take it personal, these are just questions that I have and am sure others will have also. Thanks and hope you do a 3rd edition.

Sincerely,

TN Volunteer

Jack,
A quick thanks for all the work on these books! I finally got my autographed copy at Iowa Gas! This is the BEST priceguide of any kind I've EVER bought! The detail is in depth and quality is top notch!
Thanks Sir!
Tom VanHolten

[This message has been edited by tomzcollectiblez (edited 08-03-2008).]

I bought the new air meter book from Jack at Iowa. This is a MUST have for any gas and oil collector. It just like the gas pump book and helps a ton. I am sure since you self published it will be a collectors item before long. Everyone better get their copy before they are gone.



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Scott Wright-
http://www.frontrangegas.com/powerine.htm

TN, I'm going to try and answer your questions.

1. Canadian pumps: I have absolutely no literature on Canadian pumps, never found any, never any offered to me to purchase. I prefer original literature over photos (even photos I have taken) because they show more detail and there is less noise (a term used to describe everything in the picture that keeps you from seeing the item in the picture). Most pictures sent to me by collectors are taken in front of everything they own and I can't distinguish where the pump lets off and the Texaco sign begins. Also, emailed pictures are out because of the low resolutions.
Yes, Pogo sent me many pictures, and I want to thank him again here, but they arrived just weeks before the book was supposed to go to the printer, and the only thing I had on them was who made them, no model numbers, no dates, no original prices, nothing I could use in the caption.
I submitted over 2000 pictures to the publisher and they could only fit 1900 of them in the book, so even if I had submitted Canadian pumps, something else would have had to go. While, as you state, there is an interest in Canadian pumps, I doubt that people in the deep south have that much interest, other than seeing what they look like. If there is ever a third book, the only way it will be done is for the publisher to give me more than the 352 pages I have gotten for the last two books.

2. Values:
I know you didn't use this word, but lets define Rare, or Hard to Fine, or Desirable.
Some pumps, because of their popularity are sometimes called Rare. A Fry Mae West, a Wayne 60 or a Tokheim 36B for instance. But if you had been at Iowa Gas this year you would have had numumerous chances to purchase any one of these three pumps. Because there was so many of them for sale, someone might make a case that the values I placed on them was too high. The question is, was the value based on how rare the pump was or the fact that everyone wants one of them in their collection?
I just looked over the list of pumps you questioned the value of, and I did not see even one of any of them at Iowa, and I'm not sure if many of them even exist (and this is the first year in many years there was no Greek (Roman) pump for sale. So for instance if I had put a value of $40,000 on the Wisconsin, and you found one, would you have been happy with my valuation? Not if the owner had read the book also.
Values have to strike a happy medium, if the value is too low, the seller is unhappy, if the value is too high, the buyer is unhappy.

My publisher Krause Publishing Company, will not (nor will any similiar publishing company) publish a book like this without values being in the book. Therefore determining values can either make me friends or enemies. I did my best, I tried to find that happy medium.

Regardless of the title of the book shown on the cover, this book is actually the only thing ever written on history of the gas pump. Just like the first book, in a few years the prices will have been forgotten and the book will be valued as a piece of written history.

Long ago I realized I was not an author, I was a historian. I was just trying to preserve in writing a piece of history.

One last thing, I want to remind you and everybody, the third and tenth word in the title of my book is "GUIDE."

Jack Sim www.petrolianacollectibles.com

got my autographed copy of the airmeter book in iowa also.great book!!never knew ther were so many!!

TN Volunteer,
How many un-restored WAYNE 800's have you seen or heard of that sold for OVER $8500 ?
Has anyone seen an original WAYNE 805, Wisconsin or the United States A and B-40 ?
If 1 sells at auction, does that set the price for the next ones that sell in an auction ?
NO.

Dick,

I have only seen one pump less than 8500 and it was restored, a friend of mine sold it and afterwards realized what he had. He had already sold it before I got there and he thought he killed a fat little pig when he sold it.

I have seen two sell at auction, one sold for 10,900 and the other one sold for 9600. I know of possibly a couple others for sale but I believe they want well over 10,000. I guess the rarer pumps are higher dollar than on the coast.

Easy G. Butler

Thanks Jack for the clarification, greatly appreciate it!! One other question...why has your publisher limmited the number of pages in the book?

Sorry for asking what may seem like stupid questions.

Easy

Were they sold after Oct. 2007 ?
Jack had to give his draft to publisher before Nov. 2007.

How many versions of the BIBLE are there ?
WHY ? Not everyone agrees.
Never have & never will as long as there are 2 Humans.

TN
First of all, Dick is a good friend and he is only trying to defend me. I don't mind the questions as long as you don't mind the way I answer them. I answer them from the heart.

I really can't answer the question about the 352 pages, they don't give an explanation, they just say you have that many pages.
If there is another version, I won't bother to submit it unless it is larger, but this will also mean the price will be large.

In the back of the new GP book, Krause has an advertisement for a Model T book:
304 pages - My book 352
200+ b&w illustrations - My book about 500
200+ color illustrations - My book 1400
Price $40.00 - My book $34.95

The first book sold out in 5 years and the second book sell out in a reasonable time, I can't see where they would not want to print a larger book.
We'll just have to wait.

No problems with the questions, keep them coming.

I would like to know what you really liked about the new book and god forbid, anything you didn't like about the book.

How about some opinions on the Air Book. After all, this is really the firs Air Book ever written. A new subject, was it covered adequately?

Jack Sim

Jack,

I would buy both of your last new books. At the first email I sent you replied me rapidly giving me the total. Then I wrote again to you for ask you the email address for pay through paypal but I never got a reply, yesterday too I resent an email. At this point I think my email don't arrive to you.

Please let me know something about, I desire these books.

Many thanks.

Enrico

petrolman,

Sent you a email on July 17, 2008, will send it again.

Jack Sim

Jack,

Sorry to get back to you so late on what I really liked about the book. I like that there are more pumps in it. I like the fact you took a lot of time to do research on the pump companies, and I do realize and appreciate the research that went into it.

Next time I come through St. Louis, I would like to make time to meet you and maybe talk to you over coffee or dinner if your schedule permits.

Thanks again for all your hardwork.

Sincerely,

Easy G. Butler