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What a welcome surprise to see this old post revived. Marcus, let me add to the list of guys who wish you a welcome to this site.
You have a "killer" dispenser there. Dick is right, it is European vs. Made in USA, and yours is original, and possible more original than mine. I'm not near mine right now, but the top red portion of mine, might have been touched up? Your's looks correct! Mine also came from Australia several years ago, and I'm feeling very lucky to have it in my collection. I don't know of anyone making reproductions of this dispenser, but I know lots of guys that might tell you that, to get the asking price lower. LOL.
Your dispenser, the memories, and the family connection should make this piece priceless to you.
Welcome to the site, share more of your family petro history with us.
Don


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Don "oltoydoc" Sherwood
Vintage Gas

Stay away from that memorabilia dealer and HIS reproductions..

Thanks very much for the info guys - nice to know I wasn't going completely mad! My dad ran the Shell petrol station in a little country town called Carnamah in Western Australia back in the 1960's. I think he was also the regional rep for Shell but I am not 100% sure. I know he used to work on the industrial side for a while because before he died he blamed his rare cancer on some of the chemicals he worked with at Shell.

Funny, though, Dad was not a collector of Automobilia at all. The things that he collected and are important to me (and will never be sold) are things related to my grandfathers campaign in WWII in the pacific.

Thus this item, whilst nice, doesn't have the emotional attachment for me and I had always planned to sell it as part of the big clean out.

I'm really, really embarrassed to admit that I had planned to sell it at the garage sale for $10 before I found out about this website :0

So any recommendations on the best place to sell and for roughly how much? And the first person who says $10 will get a boomerang thrown at him!!!

Marcus

How about $150 ? LOL
db

Welcome aboard Bammo. Since I am out of boomerang range I will say .......Trade you a nice parking meter.

Hey Don, I e-mailed you. Did you get it?
Mike

*sigh*

In all seriousness, what sort of price should I put on an item like this if I was the sell it on eBay? I'd hate to be one of those sellers that get bagged in here!!

I mean, I *could* sell it for $12,850 just like this guy:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=015&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=250040953337&rd=1&rd=1

I mean seriously, and the seller is supposedly a professional trader too!

Marcus

Actually.... it's interesting taking a closer look at the photo's in that guy's auction - in particular the pictures of the top of the unit when unscrewed and comparing them to mine.

I rather suspect that my unit has been repainted at some stage as there is yellow paint on the inside of the tube and the colour scheme at the front is slightly different to both other examples I have now seen.

A closer inspection of mine suggests that only the yellow has been re-done as there are some very small overruns and drips on the back.

I guess I can only sell mine for $11,000, huh?

Marcus

BOY, did he waste his 15 cent listing fee !