Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Archives of the best of past topics Best of Shop Talk Company of the month May 2004 Signal Oil and Gas Company

Mark sent me the picture one of the rarest Signal signs. A very early Ethyl @ 1931 - 1936. I have seen these in old pictures. thanks Mark for sharing and welcome to Old Gas. They used the Diamond signal till 36 or 38? then just the signal .double red lights show early also. thier first saying was because of the two red lights = STOP FOR SIGNAL.What did the GO stand for ? Thanks Mark.

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Dwaine
www.vintage-logos.com

[This message has been edited by Dwaine Buck (edited 05-08-2004).]

This week we will cover 1931 to 1947. The company now has gasoline stations going and producing motor oil. They have moved east to Texas where they started tapping into oil wells for more natural gasoline. They will also have refineries in Texas. I wanted to do oil containers for pictures this week. The firest picture below is one of the first quarts the company came out with.

The picture below is some glass quarts from the collection of Fred Stoke.

Mark, that is one GREAT Signal sign. Thanks for sharing & welcome to the site!!

This picture was sent to me.


This Lube gun board dates from '34-'36.
Thanks for sharing.

This is a very early can used by the Signal company. Notice the Triangle symbol. Ted

I don't have much Signal, but I did restore a Wayne 60 as Signal, put a display door on the front, made glass shelves, and lit the inside. I have a few Signal items on display in the pump. The five gallon grease can sitting by the pump has a small "slit" cut into the top. It looks professional, not home made. I purchased this can and several hundred "coupons" years ago at the Pomona swap meet here in Los Angeles. This was used by a dealer in Santa Paula, Ca. (Dick Bennett's home town) His customers would get a coupon, tear off a small perferated portion, and put the remaining piece in the five gallon can. He had a drawing for prizes. Some of the coupons are marked with his business name, and some are blank.

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Don "oltoydoc" Sherwood
Vintage Gas

Below are the Signal Penn cans the company started mid 30's . From left to right the earliest. The first one is a solder seam and the second is the same design but a crimped seam. The far right is crimped seam and the company used the two black lights for a short period.

Below is the back side of the cans. Ted

Here is a Signal lubricants can.

Here is a stack of Signal lubricants. Ted



[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-16-2004).]

The two quarts below are the same graphics but the one on the left is a solder seam early and on the right crimp seam later. RPM Delo Special Lubricating oil. Remember Signal was a business partner with Standard oil. Any connection with the Delo and RPM thing????? Ted



[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-12-2004).]

This all metal quart is probably the most common as far as Signal cans go but still fairly rare.

Here are three different varities of the same can. One of these Fred Stoke doesn't even have. All these cans are metal and from my collection. Can you see the differences? Look at the fine print and also the stoplight colors. Ted

Here are some all metal multi-viscosity Signal cans. The 20-40 is rare. Ted

The last two quarts in my collection are the all metal 4 star and the only composite I have a Signal RPM Delo. Signal had more composite cans but I really don't go after composites to collect. Maybe someone else out on this site could post them or have them. Ted

During WW II The Japanese actually were lobbing high explosive shells at Richfield and Signal oil fields in Southern CA. No damge was done but none the less the U.S. had shells fired on our homeland. Shells also were fired near Astoria OR. So Signal made it through the war and remained a strong independent. Pre war and depression advertising took on the theme of economy and inexpensive. After the war performance was stressed. The Go Farther theme advertised quality and perfromance. On Aug. 8,1947 Standard oil company took over the marketing outlets of the Signal oil and gas company but Signal kept all the drilling operations and changed there symbol to the half red and half black with the oil derrick in the middle. Standard had the service stations bulk plants advertising symbols but the Signal company was still and independent oil company. Six months later Signal was back in the retail busines and bought out the Craig oil company in southern CA. and opened 17 multi-pump stations. Signal now was concentrating on large stations and not the small neighborhood stations. Confusing , yes it is. This next week I will focus from 1947 until Signal changed and got out of the retail oil busines in late 1964 into 1965.
I have the last three quarts I forgot to post along with a little oiler from my collection. All the quarts are all metal and the Automatic was a symbol used right after the familiar round logo. Anybody got some composite cans to post? Ted

The automatic can.

Small oiler.

This next week I will post maps mileage charts and books and welcome all others to post any paper products they have from the company. Ted

Great info and cool stuff Ted!