where are the best places to find signs?

For collecting or flipping

eBay?

I know a guy in long beach that has a few signs

Depends on what kind of time, money, and interest you have.

eBay is convenient but can be tricky if you are a novice collector. There are unscrupulous sellers who pass of fakes for real or participate in schill bidding to inflate prices. Educate yourself through sites like Oldgas so that you make the best decisions on what to bid on.

Local & regional auctions can be good places to find signs. Auctionzip is a great site to keep you abreast of auctions in your region and has a decent search engine to find auctions which might be of interest to you. Again, educate yourself before attending auctions and set yourself a reasonable bid amount on any particular sign or in general for the whole auction.

Antique stores are another source depending on where you live. Antique malls and specialty stores which cater to "guy stuff" will tend to have signs from time to time. Also you can often make contacts through these stores to be alerted when a sign might come in that you might like to purchase.

Antique shows, car shows, sign shows, pedal car shows, etc can offer opportunities as well. Some time spent searching for local or regional events can pay dividends for your sign collecting.

Craigslist is also an option, but beware of unscrupulous sellers or ads. Always meet in public places and/or have a friend with you so you reduce the chances of any issues.

Finally, Oldgas members often post signs for sale, so it is an opportunity you shouldn't pass up. Plus you may find members here who you can become friends or at least acquantances who may help you on your journey into collecting.

Those are just some basics.

get the word out to everyone you know... explain & show them what you are looking for. once it spreads far enough, the signs n such will start to find you!

I agree 100%. If you have a good network of friends who know what you are looking for you will receive phone calls, email, photos sent by text etc. in no time.
This works for me no matter what I am looking for. Apartment for rent, job etc.
Every time I attend auctions or swap meets I am notifying friends of what I see if front of me and they do the same.

Good friends with great knowledge...

both!

I am scared to buy on ebay because there are so many fakes! Any local southern california dealers?

89sheepdog,

No offence but you come across as a novice picker. I have been a picker even before I graduated from college in 1963. In 1958 I purchased a 1916 Harley from a ladies basement, a few months later a 1930 Studebaker Roadster, all while I was going to college, married with three kids. I could go on with more examples, but basically you need to know more than just signs. Twenty-five years ago my wife and I became a team, I knew petro, automobiles, illustrators, magazines, calendars, my wife knew dolls, silverware, ceramics, dishware, jewelry, and many more subject I can't remember...but all this information was in our heads, we didn't need guides. There was hardly any auctions we went to where we didn't find something we could not make money with. We are also possibly teaching a course (Picking 101) at our local community college this fall.

All around you are things that are worth money, just don't go out there looking for signs, learn what that nozzle/pump/oil can/everything listed above/etc. is worth, make that trip to that auction/etc. pay for itself.

If you do buy guides, and that is a good idea, put them in the bathroom, there is where you will probably doing the most reading.

Jack Sim