Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana COTM Lion Oil Co.

For the month of August we will be showing Lion Oil Co. Next month we are moving to the west coast so you guys out there get ready as I will need a lot of help. Here is a little info I got from the the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History. Feel free to add to it.

Lion oil
Lion Oil is an El Dorado (Union County) corporation that refines and produces oil, gasoline, and other oil-based products. Its products include not only fuels and asphalt but industrial solvents and oil-based roofing products. Lion is a major employer in southern Arkansas, with more than 500 employees.
When the oil boom began in southern Arkansas in 1920, Colonel Thomas Harry Barton, a Texas native, came to El Dorado and began investing in the emerging industry, organizing the El Dorado Natural Gas Co. In 1922, he took over a small refinery in El Dorado that became the Lion Oil and Refining Co. Initially, the refinery produced 2,000 barrels per day and employed twenty-five people. Reportedly, Barton decided to call the company “Lion Oil” because of his fondness for wordplay; the name of the company is a palindrome, spelled the same forward and backward.

This is all the lion oil stuff I have

Another play on words--Knik Knocks.
Nice globe!

Thanks the Knix Knox is a hard globe to find

How many of the Knix Knox globes are known to exist? I have a lens, and I think Coke and stuff owns the "mate" of mine. Here's a picture.

Here is a lion oil can I also have

Noah the Knix Knox globe is rare but not impossible to find if your willing to pay. To know how many exists would be tough to guess.

knix knox lens would be a cool lens to have..

Company award.

My Lion stuff.

Just returned home from Iowa. I will start posting pics tomorrow I should have enough stuff to fill up 2-3 pages. As far as the Knix Knox globes and rarity goes, they are out there I know of around 15 lenses in collections.
Some are complete globes other singles.

Joey

I have been waiting on you Joey lol. I thought of how many people I knew personally that has the Knix Knox and I came up close to your number Joey. You also have to consider the people who have them that we don't no about.

Got back late last night from Iowa with this one.It went from Arkansas to Iowa and now back in its home state!I will try to post a few more pics later.Mark

Here we go....

A few quarts





Globes



Black Lion Signs

2 pump plates



Naturalube and No Smoking both came out of a bulk plant together.



6ft Lion Sign



Promotional Towel



Lion Padlock

NOS Restroom Sign





Tin Sign with wood frame



Lubrication Letters I am still looking for a 10" "O" if anyone might have one any color is fine I can paint to match if needed.



Very Early Maps these two are not mine, But to cool not to share I am looking for these for my collection.

Pump in front of my garage this pump came off the Lion Pump Island at my Local Station in Mountain Home



Lion Inspect Spray The only one of these that I have seen.



Ad Glass and a NOS License Plate Topper





Maps Out of my Collection



Inside Early Map I picked up at Iowa. It is the one top row left in picture above





2 5 Gallon Cans



Misc Books. First is how to Sell Lion Naturalube Motor Oil, Second is Plans on building a 1960s Lion Station, Third is a monthly Newsletter Sent out to all Lion Dealers

Misc things two watches, 2 safety tokens, and a wallet



Ashtrays, Pens, Pencils, and a key chain



Lion Operation Book, Newsletter, and NOS Match Sales Brochure



Matchbook covers, credit card, and a tag



Ink Blotters



NOS Posters

Lion Fertilizer Flange Signs, Found the Nice one at Iowa this year happy to upgrade the one I already had.



Lion 5 Quarts, The one with Pistons is rare most have the cylinder heads, also the one on the Right is like the one pictured on the early maps.





Sign Sales Brochure



Price List for Signs pictured above



Warranty Return Form, and unused Oil Change record sheet

Thanks Joey and the lion gasoline with the lion in the rock is one that's on my list. That is a hard globe to find

Lion Credit Card, and Naturalube Flange Signs



125Lb Can



48" Lion Oils



Porcelain Lion Letters



Lionite Pump Plates

Thanks for hosting COTM, Shawn! Great stuff posted so far by everyone, have always loved the Lion logo!

A couple pieces from our collection.

Thanks!

Aaron Hop

A few of our lion stuff

NOS Oil can rack I need 3 more cans to fill it. Looking for one of each on the top row.



Lion Hat Topper

I dug through my old pictures today and here are a few of the better ones in my collection.

Tyronza, Arkansas 1934



Today it is restored and houses a museum of local history for their county.





Pulled from a late 1950s Mountain Home, AR Phone Book



Mena, Arkansas





Unknown Location check out that A1



El Dorado Refinery

Memphis, TN





Back wall of station in pictures above





Unknown location. Lion 5ft Neon



Another unknown possibly El Dorado, Arkansas 48 inch Lion Oils neon on can



Unknown location



Tupelo, MS

Unknown Location but another 5ft Lion Neon



Another Unknown Location



Gulfport, MS







BOBO, MS



Cool Billboard



Another from Tupelo, MS







[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/coke_and_stuff/Vendo340_zpsf1c0267e.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/coke_and_stuff/Vendo339_zps2bef5537.jpg[/img]

Delivery Truck





Jackson, MS

Thanks Joey those pictures are awesome

That is a great collection,Joey!I think it's grown some since I was there!
Shorty

Very impressive folks !!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

Maybe just a little Shorty, I will see what else I can dig up.

Joey

awesome

lion 5ft neon close up of original.

Keep them coming I love the the lion stuff

Probably the most common Lion item found on eBay and one of these has the most common ailment-loss of the tip of the tail. I'm not sure how many versions there are, but I know of at least one more.

A sign pole thermometer with the newer logo to go with older one posted by Lonnie and a flat cigarette lighter.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I am new to the site and interested in Lion Oil history and memorabilia. My grandpa ran Van Meter Oil Co. in Rogers, Arkansas and then Alexandria, Louisiana the 50's and early 60's and distributed Lion Oil Products. Here is some pics of his trucks, my family said he painted them himself:

Clean trucks. Welcome to OG!

Awesome thread. Im a HARD=CORE lion guy. would love to add some of the pieces to my collection. Great thread.