Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Cost averaging as a new collector & pump hobbyist.

ZERO, DRY Pump/Vineyard County

OK, then I'll bring some wine down from Napa Valley, and we can go look around the Fruit Orchards and Avocado Farms for a few hidden Pumps. LOL

NOPE

Gascam.
You are also missing a very important part if the buying and selling.
Around 1988 I started buying petro items I purchase everything a guy didn't want in a bulk plant. I brought home over 100 gas pumps. Within another year I was up to 200 gas pumps.
I was going and setting up at 22 shows per year selling stuff, in between we were attending all kinds of yard sales, auctions, estate sales all over the place.
When we got married in 1988 I found out my wife knew dolls, antique jewlry, glasswasre, silverware, watches and a few more I can't remember. I knew automobiles, when I was 24 and just out of the army I belonged to the Horless Carriage Club here in St. Loui. Because of my knowledge of the very early auto models (1900-19210) I used to judge these cars at the shows. I also had a working knowledge of paper, coins, stamps, old tools, jute boxes, sold machines and other coin operated machines. My wife and I started buying value guides, we still have about 150 of them packed away. Instead of watching TV we would sit by the hour reading these guides. We just wasnted a working knowoledge as to what was worth money.
My best example: Radio show here in St. Louis to sell things. Guy offers a parking meter (I still have it), jumped in the car, bought it for $10.00. Now here is where having knowledge of other items can make you money. I was all ready at the guys house so I asked him if he had anything else for sale. Said he had this old three piece train set for $10.00 (it was a Marx).
Also had a large portfolio filled with salesmasn samples for calendars. It was from the Brown & Biggelo Calendars Co. The sales man would make calls in small towns, when he went in a beauty shop he showed the owner the baby pictures she could use for next year calendar. At the barber show he would show the barber the pin-ups.
A bulb went off in my head, I remember from having read something in one of the value guides that pin-ups were worth money. Again paid !0.00 for the portfolio. Went home and pulled out the value guides looking up the artists of the drawings. Discovered Maxfield Parrish (and we had a 6 drawings by him each worth $200.00 each. Other names still in my head Moran, Eldridge, all their pinups worht $40.00 to $50.00 each. We eventually sold them all for over $2000.

I and DB have both been pushing knowledge, not just of the petro items, but all the stuff in the barn or attic. That pedal car laying under the straw might be worth more that all the pumps you just bought, so broden your knowledge of everything old. I have also spotted items at a farm auction that no one even knew what it was, and I got it for next to nothing.

Jack Sim

That's great advice Jack and thank you for sharing that. On my last trip, I scoured a few decent antique shops looking at art and other collectibles. I did end up buying a few other items on my last trip which included a Popeye neon sign, Drive In speakers, a Condom Machine and the Cigarette machine, and just missed out on an old pedal car that was in the form of an old plane.

My eye's are open and I'm still learning Jack. I love all things old. Some as keepers, and some I look at to net some dough against my addictions of Oil & Gas. :-)

Graeme with the luck your having you better take a big trailer, 3200 miles of picking you could fill a wharehouse.
Post some pix when you get back.

Wish I had enough time and money to do that, but business suffers if I'm away too long. Here's the next trip being routed up, and the wagon I can squeeze a good haul into. Always have the back of the truck as overflow. LOL


Another west coast trip being planned out.


Gascans Redneck Pump Wagon


Gascan and the Redneck flying down the Interstate

Looks like you are coming through Butte.....

Only if you put your guns away and take the noose down outta your tree! lmfao

3-7-77

My problem is when I get something I don't want sell it.

That's why, we are collector's. As collector's, we all share in that dilemma...to sell or not.