Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana A "Great Moment" at Iowa Gas!

Needless to say, but I had a great time at Iowa Gas, with the great food, cold beer, amazing petroliana, and all of the truly GREAT people that showed up.
We all go there because of our fascination with petroliana collectibles, but to me, the real pleasures of the trip extend much deeper than that. It is the one time of the year that I get to see certain people with the same feelings about this hobby as I have. Its the one time during the year that we get to renew all of those old friendships and catch up on all of the happenings in their lives during the last year!
There was a defining moment in this years trip for me, and I need to tell you about it!
I arrived early on sunday, as it was the easiest day for me to travel, as I was in Minneapolis visiting my son and his family. Not much was happening yet, and I greeted old friends and got myself situated for the happenings of the next 3 days.
Monday had several more participants arriving and moderate trading going on, while I was busy making deliveries and picking up a few items that had been shipped to me! Fun, easy, relaxed times! I decided to walk around a little and spotted Clinton Newell backed up to a Tokheim 850 and about to load it? Since he was sharing my vending spots, I ventured over to see what was going on! He had just purchased the pump, but was actually the second owner, as it had initially been purchased by Bruce Hoffman, and resold to Clinton! LOL
I supervised the loading and transfer of the pump to my vending spots for storage for the next few days.
One of the first visitors to my spot, was Braden Splichal, as I had a clock for him that he had purchased. He immediately inquired about the Tok 850 and I introduced him to Clinton, so they could discuss the pump. It turned out that Braden didn't have enough money along to facilitate purchase of the pump and would have to pass. That's where I stepped in and told Clinton a little about Braden and what a great person he is. He was there with his parents and grand parents, and the whole family was there at Bradens request, because he wanted them to understand a little about his passion for collecting these old artifacts. I asked Clinton to be as fair as he could with Braden and possibly take payments, or a check from him on the balance and I guaranteed him that all would end well with the sale of this pump!
After understanding what Braden was all about, Clinton came to a deal with Braden and his family---yes, the whole family was involved in the negotiations and purchase of this pump! Tremendous event happening right there in front of me! After the deal was done, Braden inquired about leaving the pump with me for a day or so until they could get back with a different vehicle to transport it. I assured him that the pump would be safe and well cared for and he could pick it up at his convenience. The family was camping at a campground about 20 miles away, and hadn't planned on buying a big old gas pump! LOL
The whole family arrived again the next day and I had a great discussion with Bradens grandfather about petroliana and kids, and family! What a great time it all was and turned out to be the highlight of my whole trip! To be able to witness the interaction within that family, to enable Braden to purchase a pump he had been hunting for years, and see it all come together was truly a great experience.
To me, this experience embodies the spirit of why I collect this stuff! Bradens enthusiasm, his families connection, Clintons understanding, the whole event made my trip worth it!
I hope some of you got to experience Bradens enthusiasm over this pump! Congratulations Braden!!!

Great story Kevin.

love the story & congratulations Braden on your purchase ...

Excellent story Kevin. 850's are a bear to move!!!!
Nice to see people that care about the hobby for more than the money.

Dan

Great story Kevin! Congratulations Braden on a sweet pump!

Kevin, It was a whole lot of fun spending time in the middle of a few other deals with you my friend. I'm so glad everyone else gets to enjoy your wisdom, ideas, input, knowledge and as always your friendship!

I was attending a car show about 2 months ago and happened upon a Ford Mustang that had caught my sons eye. As many of you probably know there is usually a card in the window with the year, make, model and owners name in the corner. Upon reading the name on the card I said to myself "I know that name" and hunted up the owner of that car. Met Braden and his father and they both seemed to be very nice people. My excitement about meeting some other Oldgassers was only trumped by Bradens enthusiasm about wanting to aqquire an 850. It is so great to hear stories like this. Kudos to everyone that made this story so great.

It's things like this that really make collecting fun! Glad it worked out for you Braden, and I look forward to meeting you at a future show. Kevin it was great seeing you again, and thanks for bringing me some neat old stuff to add to my collection Great people sharing a common passion make this what it is!

Thanks for sharing this story Kevin..this is why i Love our Hobby and for me at least what its all about..the People and our Family of collectors and preservers of history, being good to each other and making it work. there are a handful of sellers that helped me out in similar ways by taking payments and being patient etc. my passion for these old artifacts way exceeds my wallet and i have built a decent collection on the graciousness and understanding of others. I do understand people need to cover their investments and make a little money to boot, but i have witnessed and experienced the dark side of some sellers that are only in it for the money and it warms my heart to read this. there are a lot of awesome people in our hobby and its great to be reminded of it. Thanks so much for sharing this and congrats to everyone involved....great peeps fighting the good fight

great story
I've never spoke to Braden, but you can tell by his posts that he seems to be a good guy in the hobby for the right reasons
It is also nice to see someone close to their parents and grandparents . this trip will probably bring memories for years to come.
I hope to get to this show someday, would like to meet some of you guys. It is hard for me to get enough time off to cover all the swap meets. Almost made it this year but wife couldn't get the time off as someone had it booked already.

Thanks for sharing this story Kevin. I know when I saw this pump and asked about it you said it was sold and that Braden had bought it. I want an 850 bad but that made my day! Champlinman and I had stopped to visit with Braden and his dad the Saturday before IG. Had a great visit and we got talking about what pumps were on our wish lists and his number one was an 850. It was number two on my list since I don't have a Wayne 60 yet. If I couldn't get that 850 for myself I couldn't think of anyone better to get it! Congratulations Braden! Great pump!

Great story Kevin and great experience. I like seeing the younger folks get into this hobby when they are so enthused. And good on you and Clinton for making it work.

Earl

Wow guys, I don't know what to say. I appreciate all the kind comments. Yes, I love collecting gas and oil, license plates, and cars simply for the enjoyment of it; money does not matter to me. I do it because I like the stuff. Along with my dad and brother also interested in the same stuff it makes for a great bonding experience together. Ever since I started in this hobby I have looked up to many of you for knowledge and experience on many things. I have a great mentor that I visit regularly that I learn so much from, he has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. I try to learn as much as I can about this hobby because I wanna carry on the hobby to people of future generations.

Clinton, thank you for working with me. It is the perfect pump for my 20th! I am beyond excited to own this pump. I appreciate it a lot.

Kevin, what a wonderful story, thank you! I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me over the years.

Take care everyone, and remember; you can find what your looking for with enough patience and being at the right place at the right time, I sure was that day!

I enjoyed reading this kevin

Great story

I love hearing these stories.