Hello fellow Old Gassers, To be perfectly honest with you when I started collecting gas and oil 25 years ago, "smalls" did not interest me in the least. I started out as a heavy oil quart can collector, then wanted one pump and a few signs..well, things change over the years and i have 15 pumps and a bunch of signs now..some call it an obsession, I say its just my Hobby..LOL. When I got the Hat badge/pin bug, i started looking at Oil Company "smalls in a new light. I thought they would make a nice display with the badges and started collecting shadow box frames from the thrift store and creating Company displays. I will be posting more photos as I finish them but here are a few for you to view. i hope you find them as interesting as they were as fun for me to create.


Mobil "Smalls"


Mobil "smalls"


Associated "Smalls"


Texaco pin display


Mobil pin display

I am almost finished with a Richfield display..will probably post next week and soon to come Pan Am/Amoco and Esso displays

Impressive collections of the various companies. Awesome displays!

super nice displays & looking forward too seeing the latest additions..

I love that Flying A chicken wing patch. I am almost done with my Flying A/Veedol smalls shadow box for our museum's early gas station display. Hope to be sharing that with you soon.

Great job on the "Shadow Box " frames ! Hey, small stuff can add to a room just as well as a bunch of oil cans . A lot depends upon how much room one can devote to the hobby . Ed Shaver

Looks great Hubba! Now, don't get too involved with Flying A or AL and I will have to pay you a visit... LOL

Very nice!!! Love the Texaco and Mobil layouts!!

I like it very nice

Another Mobiloil Display Box

Another NICELY done job ! Ed Shaver

Very nice!!

Sunoco/DX Shadowbox

Hubba, your imagination is running wild-
lookin good..

match books

Great matchbooks..I always thought they look awesome all together side by side :-) The Polly Gas is awesome

ESSO Shadowbox

Hubba,
another fine display, where are you going to put
all of them?..

Another great looking display. These displays are a testament to your artistic ability.

Thanks Randy..That I dont know...LOL I am having fun putting them together. Richfield is up next :-)

That's are awesome displays!! And ditto Randy... I will try to make one.

Thanks Dave..A friend of mine called me the Martha Stewart of Gasoline...I thought that was funny

You do have an attractive way of framing you're collection, an that's "A GOOD THING ! "

Ed Shaver

Richfield shadowbox

Looks great!

Hubba, I really like your display!

You and Bob Dalley have real talent for being able to "make a display" jump out at one and grab your attention...

...and your imagination. Looks great!

Love the way you have displayed your items.

Would you share tips on how you managed to attach items into a case like that? The pins and patches are easy enought, but how did you attach the pens, truck, lighter etc without potential damage. Paper items also. Any fishing line or such is not visible in the photos.

Chuck

Richfield, another display tastefully done..

Thanks for the comments everyone. Chuck..I use clear silicone..just a dab, if I wanted to disassemble them..the silicone will gently peel off the items without damage.

Shell oil Company smalls

Great job, Hubba!

Another great display, Hubba. ...man's version of scrap booking!!!!

You got that right Dave. Lol

It is isnt it..LOVE that..LOL

now Hubba,how many displays have you done so far????Man your
crazy in a good way!!!
Alan

Shell is my favorite brand. That looks great. Love the yellow frame.

Another Mobil display

your Mobil display looks great!!!!!

Alan

Thanks AL..alot of the smalls in that one came from you..I am sure you recognize them Thanks Buddy

A Big thanks to John Pizzo for doing a nice article on "smalls" and including some of my displays in the January 2014 issue of CruisNews

Thanks hubba for sharing the pics for me to use my editor said he would like to have just one of those items for his own.

John, would it be possible for you post a copy of the article so the Membership can read it?

Yeah sure I will when I get home. If it's desired I could put up each months article.

Here's the article I have three extra mags if anyones interested.

I am interested in knowing more about CruisNews. Does it cover only Michigan? Does it list car shows, cruises etc? Just a little more info!

Here's a link to the web site http://cruisnews.com

Here is another one I just finished. Mostly attendants hat badges ..with some other smalls thrown in to fill the gaps

Heres another Mobil smalls I just finished

Another great looking display!

You, have a real talent there Hubba!...

I must say just like Bob said,you are a very talented person..I just love how you put things together..you must have one large collection of smalls..it takes a lot of time and energy to put one of these together...thanks Alan

Looks great!!

Thanks Guys..here is another one with the same metallic distressed frame. I dig these frames alot..wish I could find more of them but thrift stores are hit and miss

Here is another Mobil one..i particularly love the Red Horse Auto Glare Shield from the 1930s..you dont see too many of them especially in the original envelope.

You're one busy gas geek (and man about town, too....)!!!

Nice work, Hubba!

Shadow box with mobil toppers and pilots badges.

This Sunoco battery cart doubles nicely as a display for my smalls.

I put this box together this weekend with some of the things I have.

Got to like that Sonoco display. Very colorful.

_______________
Kurt

AWESOME displays guys..thanks for the peek

Just finished this Socony Vacuum smalls display. Mostly Serrvice pins. It took awhile to piece together by chasing all the different years

How are you guys attaching the smalls?

i do mine with a very small dab of clear silicone i get at Lowes or home depot

Nice socony box.

I use t pins or just a a sowing pin not a needle.

very well displayed- cool...

As always, looks awesome!!!

I just finished this Mobilgas Mobiloil keychain display. took awhile to find all different ones. Some are foreign and i don't mind

Yet one more nice display. Like the two little oil cans in the bottom left.

Hubba, Your display looks fantastic, my Friend!

AL, has been picking up different Tydol and Flying A key fobs and rings...

I think he will be quite interested in how you have done this Mobil display...

Hubba,you amaze me another awesome display..giving me some ideas to display my flying A key chains..

Alan

Looks great.

Here are a couple new Mobil smalls displays i put together :-)




Here is one that is mostly old credit cards and matchbooks.

Hubba,
Displays look fantastic!!!
In the one with the razor for example, how are you securing the pieces in place?

Those are great! How come you haven't run out of wall space yet?

Thanks Guys..Steve..i just use a small dab of clear silicone, it works great and if I need to disassemble it can be done easily. Dave, I live in a warehouse, still plenty of space left

Hubba my friend, I think it is about time, that I made "A Raid" up North!!!

As always, your Displays look fantastic!

you are welcome to visit my friend Thank you

I just finished this one..mostly patches and service pins.

Very nice!

Damn, you do good work, Hubba!

Looks great!!!

Mobil Matchbooks, not really displayed yet.

wow..great matchcovers..I love the Mobil stuff. Here is another Mobil Smalls I just put together

...no doubt the displays are visually interesting - but you might want to use UV glass...once the displays are disassembled, there's liable to be some weird fading where pieces overlapped other pieces...

With the paper items do you use small tacks or a bit of scotch tape

Rip was using Riker Mounts - the only experience I have had is using them for botanical or insect specimens. Behind is a cushiony material that presses against the glass when empty. The specimen is gently pressed against the glass by the cottony material without smushing. The box is kept tightly closed by a set of straight pins the line up matching holes. Whether the fiberfill is acid free and the glass UV protecting--you would have to contact the manufacturer to get that information.

I use a very tiny dab of silicone. May not be the best way but its what I use. if your gentle you can remove/move items and gently rub the silicone off. i absolutely see the concern of the safety of the items , but I don't plan to disassemble these displays anytime soon. I get a thrill daily at looking at them

Another Mobil smalls display

advertising on your thermometer,
you almost have Hubba ...
another great display of smalls ..

Outstanding displays you have put together there Hubba !

Another great looking display!

Hubba, I'm surprised you haven't run out of space yet??

another Mobil smalls display. I really dig the Metro letter opener

a new "smalls" display i did last night,. Mostly Gargoyle Marine oil stuff, stapler, pen , key holder ect

Cool stuff Hubba

Great Displays.
I have some Mobil not displayed yet.
Here is some I dug out, have quite a bit more.

Awesome stuff The Rip..looks like we collect the same stuff and in the same state..:-) if you have doubles maybe we can do some trading..feel free to message me. Here is another Mobil smalls display i put together today.

Another fantastic one there hubba

Here is mine.
WJCurator

WOWSERS Awesome Associated display ,,very cool :-)

Yah, they all look great, but I have to give some extra credit to that Associated display!

Forgot about this thread. Here is a Skelly box I put together a while back. The case was my daughters trophy and medal display case that my dad made for her when she was ten for her gymnastics awards. I found it cleaning out the attic and boxed up her stuff and repurposed it for mine......