Your right on that between the pickers and pawn stars , even out in the Ozarks of missouri some of the stuff is outrageous , I have found a older collector that has had his collection for years and understands the sickness of the petrol bug once it bites and he I guess feels my pain as a new collector and has been giving me some really good deals, it's sad but true this is the only way a new collector will ever be able to remotely afford , is if you get to know the older guys that have had their fun with their collection and like seeing new collectors carry on the hobby , thanks to all of you out there like that.
That's absolutely NOT the only way a new collector will be able to afford to build a collection. You have to work at it. Go to as many petro shows and auctions as you can. There are deals to be had. Network with collectors and dealers. Buy the best you can afford, but don't over pay. Enjoy the items for awhile then sell at a profit, or trade to better your position. Lonnie Hop wrote a series of articles for Check The Oil about collecting globes on a budget. Until then, I thought having a nice globe collection was out of my range. It took several years and some wheeling and dealing but I now have a pretty nice collection of globes. Lonnie has featured part of my collection in some of his articles. If you don't put the effort into building a collection you're right. You'll have to depend on someone else to give you deals to get anywhere. As a side benefit, the more shows and auctions you go to, and the more you network with others in the hobby, the more you'll enjoy the hobby.
