Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Rare oil company maps

I see maps for sale all over, at swap meets, yard sales, ebay and antique shops. I know very little about them and would like to know if there are any easy ways to tell if what I am looking at is worth more than a couple bucks? I would assume condition, age and subject matter all play into it. How do you tell if it is a $5, $10 or $100 item?

What are some of the rare ones to keep an eye out for?

Thanks

Look for ones with nice graphics but look for company's that don't come up often. For example, Hankock, gilmore, Grizzly, red indian, etc. They go for $50 and up. There was a Hankock map that sold on here for $100. I remember who bought the map too. I will try and find the link.

[url=Hankock map]http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=358896[/url]

Hope this works...

Wes, don't know much myself. I would think subject matter might up value,like the Sinclair map with the pennant hotels flagged.
But then maybe only to someone like yourself or I.

Wes, after all these years... I am still working at figuring out "what makes certain maps click"... with Buyers?

The age of the map, sometimes is a factor and other times; not..

The "superior graphics" idea just doesn't wash with some maps...

The "it is a smaller Well known Regional Company" sometimes works and other times.... Is a complete bust!

Here is a Map I was out bid on this last week:






The graphics are not "earth shattering", nor is there any real color to them... But, if I had had "deeper pockets". I would have pushed the "winning bid figure to well over $100"... (as it was I lost the map at $93) But, it is one I "needed" for my display... Someone else, "needed/wanted" it more... There were 12 bids on the map. Multiple bids from 5 of us... And the winner bid... just the once...


Here is a map both AL and I were watching... We figured it might get close to $100....



Hammer down price... Well over $200....

It doesn't have "fancy graphics". The back cover is as "plain jane" as it gets... Just an Ohio "mileage Chart"...





It is from a very small Regional Company, that didn't last too long... But.... There have been hundreds of Company's that failed the same way and their maps don't bring anywhere near that "kind of scratch"...

So I keep running my fingers through what hair I have left on the top of my head and for the life of me.... I can't answer your question..... LOL

Buy what trips Your Trigger & enjoy. Lay it on the tale For Sale & if it don't sell, take it home & Enjoy it till it does sell.

I had a Speedwing 700 map. Not great graphics but a rare small company. It brought $180 on ebay.

I see maps as one of the next big things in this hobby because they are so directly associated with the brands and reigons and they are less expensive than signs and other station items but when opened up they give a big show of how life was in that period in that region. They also go down to a very manageable size for the collector with tight space.
I really like getting some and opening them up and go through them to see where the highways were and the points of interest back in those days. Our America is completely different from what is usually in those.
I expect these will rise in price also but I don't expect them to go too crazy.

Wes, I am sure that you have Sinclair maps in your Collection. And I bet that other Company maps have caught your eye...

As to Dave's observations: For most Collector's; Maps have been "the next big thing" in the Hobby, for decades and decades... I personally, have not met a Collector yet; That didn't have at least a few maps in their Collection... And all of these were always on the "look out" for any map that "caught their eye", no matter the Oil Company.

Dave your statement about some of the more "graphic" Oil Company maps are absolutely correct... Here are a few examples:

1932 Shell Oil map:



1932 DX map:



1930s Deep Rock map:



1933 Sinclair map:



1936 Sinclair map:



1930s CONOCO map:




As to value; I've seen all of these maps bring between $15 and $50... So while "very pretty" they are also "pretty affordable" at the same time...

I have found the real early Trunk line maps and of course the early White Eagle maps usually sell for a high premium. I had 2 of the same 1929 White Eagle maps last year and decided to let one go. It brought $150 ballpark. Hope that helps Wes. Of course I still wish I had it .

Those are GREAT Bob, thanx for sharing!!!

Another map that went high!

http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=201457&page=1

Bob...

I was watching the Blue Flash map myself!!

It was pre 1930 map... Pocahontas Oil from Cleveland, Ohio.

It was before Hickok Oil bought them out !!

When ebay first started you couldn't touch the plain generic Clack maps for under $100.... now they sell for around $35.
The one I have pictured below I got off ebay fairly early on and I paid $165 for it... pretty sure I got it from Les. It was made in Spokane by a 1940s decal artist who was pretty popular and their maps still bring quite a bit of $$$ today.
Of course awhile after I paid the big bucks the price dropped and I had a couple of them given to me.... go figure.



Here's a sample of a non-petro map folded out done by the same company.

Thanks for the pictures and info. I will see what I can find