Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Authentic sign registry...

I've been thinking about this a bit - and maybe if there was some sort of registry for authentic signs, it would be much more difficult to sell reproductions as original.

An analogy can be made to the Shelby mustangs.... I'm quite sure there are more fakes out there than originals - But there's a registry for Shelby's and its fairly easy to tell if a car is fake by checking its VIN in the registry. Not foolproof, but pretty close.

If there were a registry of some sort and a sign could be certified as authentic (by experts) and added to the registry, it would raise its value...and reproductions would become less valuable. And yes, I know signs don't have VIN numbers - but no two signs are really truly identical (unless they are mint perfect), so an images could be used to distinguish signs.

I haven't thought this all through - but with the skyrocketing prices of signs and the proliferation of reproductions, it would seem worthwhile for someone to do this as a commercial enterprise.... Charge $100 to certify a sign (or something like that). I'll donate my idea to the cause.

Maybe a whacky idea.... but it might work, or why not?
Ray

I like it. That is my 2 cents

Good idea, but my only problem is how big the registry would be comparing the number of signs out there vs the number of Shelby's. It would be quite a huge registry but may fix a good part of the problem.

We spoke about doing this back in the late 1990s or so. Never happened. But, it should be considered again. I've thought about doing the gas globes as many are very expensive and some are questionable/confusing-like the undated Red Indian globes, etc. You would need a photo, a good data base/registry, and experts in their fields to get this going. It might be worth it in the long run. Scott B.

A huge registry would be a good thing. Todays computers and image processing algorithms can easily handle millions of images and detect whether pick out a match to a picture of that image. (Try Google image search sometime). FWIW, I would not have the registry images provided to the public (as fodder for the reproducers)... just as the Shelby registry doesn't provide the complete Ford VINS (I think).

Now that I solved the repop problem, I'm going to move on to bring peace to the Mideast and fixing global warming.

Ray

Pie in the Sky!

Scott, 1990s? Such a Board was discussed in the late 1940s (second hand knowledge on my part. My Father told me this subject was discussed often. Most times during very hotly debated discussions) ...

It was a topic at many a Sunday Dinner at my house in the mid 1950s and early 1960s... It was a topic, I added my .02 cents worth of opinion too in the mid 1960s... And has been discussed continuously since the beginning of the Hobby...

It was determined by those that Founded this Hobby, that such a Board was impossible!!!

The reason is? It came down to and still comes down too: Who has the expertise to be able to evaluate and authenticate a sign (item) from the 1910s-1920s; (and later) FOR EACH AND EVERY OIL COMPANY THAT EXISTED? ...

Most of the small Regional and Local Oil Company's have NEVER been identified... And if they have not been identified and researched how in the world can anyone determine if an item is original?

Also, more practical matters always came to the forefront? Such as:

Since there is no National Organization for this Hobby:

Who would determine the qualifications; To be on such a Board?

Where would the Board meet and how often?

Who would pay the Members and their expenses?

How would items be presented to them? Images would not be enough, these "Experts" would have to hold the items and inspect them and research them... So such a Board would have to physically control someone else's property for a period of time....

I'm sure there are a myriad of questions, that would need to be addressed.... Before such a concept could come into being...

Because this Hobby is made up of Individuals and not a National Organization. I believe it is thriving as it does... Everyone is entitled to Collect as they like... There are no National Standards to meet. There are no "Leaders" to tell one what is "right or wrong" as it relates to the Hobby...

I Nominate Bob Richards

LOL... And the other Board Members could camp out in my backyard... (of course they would have to pay rent and mow/trim the yard)... LOL

Truthfully, I most likely would be stumped with the first item discussed!...

The logistics of it would be immense. Like any other board that certifies appraisers or subject matter experts over time the expertise erodes. Eventually you have persons certifying just about anything as they simply want to collect their fees.

Appraisals and certificates are only as reliable as the source.

It wouldn't solve anything...might even muddy the waters even more then now.

End of the day no substitute for time and experience in the hobby.

There will be Better Counterfeits being produced, less but Closer.

And let's also get rid of the picker-flippers on here!..no one wants to see a sign being sold on here for double it's worth.

If someone can sell an item to an Oldgas Member for twice what they bought it for... Then good for them and too bad for the Oldgas Member who didn't do his/her research...

Flipping pumps and signs is what funded my collection.

OO, you just made my day!

Hen

And we could get rid of those that hi-jack a post with issues unrelated to the op.

I would equate this to autograph authentication. It seems there's so many "experts" out there that I think it has defeated it's intent. Give the same autograph to 5 agencies and I bet it comes out 3-2.

If Scott, who I consider an expert in the field, were to offer this service, I would feel more comfortable in a globe purchase authenticated by him.

I don't know who I would consider a sign expert. I consider OldGas members probably the best judges, but even then there's no clear conclusion to say the Texaco Marine sign.

I like the idea of authentication, but see too many problems for it to happen. Pretty soon you'll have to get authentication of the authenticationers.