Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion 5 Gallon Phillips visible measure

Love the original patina on this pump!! Looks amazing!!

Beautiful pump!! I know Jon the guy on the left!

fantastic looking pump

awesome pump...

Thanks Randy and guys . I just love seeing something the way it was almost 100 years ago . We have lost so much of our history and then to be able to find the original sign to . feeling very fortunate that this stuff was preserved .

Just found out this pump has the brass plate VO Phillips and sons . I thought it was a Phillip Gies but I have found the documents stating that a Phillip Gies bought out the VO Phillips gas pump company in 1922 , proving this pump is pre 1922 . Insignifigant to most but I thought that was pretty amazing .

That pump screams FRY and that scream is reinforced by the globe. lol
Dave

That's the cool thing about it Dave . Way back then the 2 companies were working together . Jack Sim or someone on here had some of the story of the history of the 2 working together . I found an amazing story on VO Phillips and his apprenticeship in Kitchener Ontario , in the late 1800s . Sounds like the guy was a mechanical genius .

Here is an add from the Saturday Evening post in June 1922 showing the Fry pump listing V.O. Philips as the Canadian Distributor. I had to recreate the lines because they were to faint to be easily read.

Sounds like something that vending(gumball and peanut) machine companies did years ago. If you bought a quantity of their machines, they would personalize them by putting your name on them.It confuses beginning collectors, but the patents on the machines tell the tale. Thanks for the great info. Dave

I am pretty sure they did all their own castings as it was a foundry . Love that info Tim . There are later pumps after VO Phillips called the Phillip Gies ( bought out VO Phillips in 1922 ) . Very cool stuff thanks Dave and Tim .

The connection between Giles and Fry has never been fully research or explained.

About a year ago I received a phone call from a person living in Michigan. He said either he or his wife were related to Phillips Giles and that Giles had invented what we call the Fry Visible. He even said he had proof, but he wasn't willing to give me a copy so I could put the pictures in my book.

This is what I do know. Giles does not hold any U.S. Patents, the Fry Visible was patented by MacKenzie, in the U.S. This is my feelings, MacKenzie licensed the pump to Guarantee in the U.S. and to the Phillips Pump Co. in Canada.

As mentioned before, Giles purchased the Phillips Pump Co., somewhere in the early 1920s.

Here is some more information. Go to this page of my website: http://petrolianacollectibles.com/guarantee%20pumps.htm

Scroll down to 1924 or 1925. Click on anyone of the ads for a larger picture. This is the year when the Fry ads added, Phillip Giles Pump Co., Kitchner, Ontario. One more thing, click on ad #Gua-43 and read the ad, somewhat interesting. This is also the year they started to put the base on the pump.

Now scroll down to 1927, again click on anyone of the pump ads and you see it now reads, Fry Equipment Co. of Canada. Sounds like Guarantee purchased the Giles Company.

I have written four different articles for "CTO" about these pumps, each one after I have found more information, but have never been able to put all the information together to get a true picture of the dealings between Phillips/Gile/and Guarantee.

It sure would be nice if that guy in Michigan would release what he has, but for some reason he wants to know he has something that no one else has. It will probably wind up in the trash someday.

Jack Sim

Thanks for that info Jack . Almost 100 years ago now . My Dad was born in 1928 , Its amazing to put ourselves in that time and imagine these great innovators at work . They had more mechanical know how then I can ever begin to imagine .From the University library in Waterloo " Phillip Gies learned the hardware and smithing trade at Hymen bros establishment Berlin ( Kitchener Ontario ) in the 1870's. In the first year he earned 25 dollars and board , the second year 35 dollars cash , both years given 2 weeks off to work at a farm to earn enough to buy clothes . In the third year 60 dollars cash . Later on at Hyman bros he was their highest paid employee at 11 dollars per week . The highest paid mechanic in Berlin ( Kitchener Ontario ) . Cool stuff to a history geek lol

drool

This is a picture of a 10 gallon Phillip Gies visible , it has "Phillip Gies" Kitchener Ont. stamped in the metal base casting on the pump... almost all complete and original.... repro globe of course..