I was in an antique store yesterday in a major oil producing region that had quite a few porcelain oil company field lease signs for sale. They had several Texaco, Getty, and Standard Oil of California porcelain oil field lease signs. All were in the $75.00 to $95.00 price range. My attention was drawn to a Texaco porcelain oil field lease sign that, instead of Texaco, said “The Texas Company,” with the usual well and lot coordinates in smaller letters below. The sign was priced at $175.00. The condition was a 5 or 6 on a scale of 10, with dents and dings, and chips and rusting around the mounting holes. I am familiar with the Texaco/Texas Company story. I already own a near-mint “Texaco Producing Inc.” oil field lease sign.
My question is this: Is this “Texas Company” oil field lease sign fairly rare which obviously predates the now-familiar Texaco name? Or was “Texaco” and “the Texas Company” used interchangeably so no big deal? Or is a “Texas Company” oil field lease sign never a big deal and never will be. Or who cares. I researched on Ebay this morning and found a similar looking “Texas Company” lease sign that sold for $49.00 last March. So maybe I answered my own question. The Standard Oil of California also peaked my interest. Thanks for any input.
