Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion FREE STUFF!

I have recently ran across a few "freebies" in my gas station memorabilia hunting. In the last two months I have got a six foot double sided porcelain texaco sign (1953). A 48" coke button. And the Rislone thermometer that I posted earlier this week. They are all in good shape too.
The coke button had a few major dings and a little paint loss but turned out nice after I went to Big Lots and got me some rubber hammers and beat the dents out.
My wifes uncle had the Texaco sign laying in front of his barn on the ground. And was actually walking across it every time he went in his barn. Turned out that there was actually three signs on top of one another. Two in good shape and one in poor shape. I am still woking on the other good one.
I know some of you guys have probably got that beat but i recon I'm not doin' too bad. I would like to hear some more free stories if you guys have found anything latley.
I hope to find a free gas pump someday and the way my luck is going I just might. Well good luck hunting and God Bless America, Dean

------------------

WELL I KNOW THE TEXACO SIGN DEAL WHERE A NEON SIGN GUY HERE TOOK ABOUT 20 6' D/S PORC TYDOL SIGNS AND PLACED THEM IN VARIOUS PLACES IN HIS WORK YARD. SOME WERE BASICALLY A FOUNDATION TO KEEP THE RACKS FROM FALLING OVER WHEN IT GOT MUDDY! WHEN I GOT THERE I PICKED OUT 6 FROM THE BUNCH AT A YARD SALE....NOT FREE
BUT NICELY PRICED TO SAY THE LEAST.

DOC @ THE AMERICAN GARAGE WEST

FREEEEEEE & NICELY PRICED STUFF IS GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!

I got 2 wayne 70s free. one was in a fire. the other is a cherry!
i leave the burnt one out behind the shop & see that the stainless & other odds & ends come up missing from it from time to time! LOL!
what are friends for anyway?!?! LOL!

My best freebie was my first petroliana item. Way back in '78-'79 my dad and I built a house for a guy that had a Conoco station from the early 30's - the 60's. The guy had a rental house next door with a barn style garage out back. In the fall of '82 he hired us to paint the rental house. He told me he had a couple of cans of mineral spirits in the loft that I could use to clean my paint brushes. I went up to the loft and found 3 or 4 Conoco and one Conoco Ethyl globes. I asked (repeatedly) if he would sell me one. He wouldn't. The last day I was working there he called me down from my ladder and handed me a green capco Conoco globe!
Bob
P.S.
I eventually got the Conoco Ethyl globe at the guy's estate auction