Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Gas Globe Theft Alert - Keep an eye out

Scott Benjamin just told me that somebody stole 3 globes from Wes Nilson in Indiana. They are:

Single insert Martin's Super Regular
Metro on capco
Pure on capco

Keep a close watch on Craigs List, eBay and locally.
Call Wes Nilson if you see something 219-362-8600

That's a shame to hear! Thank you American Pickers.....

We have already contacted all the local pawn shops and antique stores! They messed his van up also as they were trying to steal it!

WOW... Wes had all 3 globes at Peotone for sale. He had 2 Martin globes complete.
Well keep an eye out!

What a-holes. Hope they get caught!!! My eyes are peeled!!!!

Really?

Wow, that's too bad to hear. Too close to home. I will keep an eye out as well.

Ryan

Please explain.

I think what he is getting at is that with the popularity of american pickers there are more people with the thought that this stuff is very valuable, even common stuff.

I have customers that come into my office every week (20+ globes, tons of signs, cans, pumps, ect) and say that american pickers should come here, because I have a gold mine.

With the popularity of many of these new shows, theft might start to happen more, I certainly hope not.



In the mean time, I will keep my eyes peeled for the stolen globes, I absolutely hate thieves (and hate is a very strong word that I rarely use).

Sorry to hear about it. We had a couple of nice visible pumps stolen in our town from a guys yard. They found the pumps a few years later but the police wouldnt do anything about it.

Ryan, I figured that's what he was getting at but blaming American Pickers for some else's wrong doing is ridiculous.
Tom said they tried to steal the van. Pretty hard to make the connection to the pickers on that! The blame belongs solely with the low lifes that committed the crime!!!! Shows like American Pickers will keep allot of stuff we collect from going to the landfill or scrap yard.

I couldnt agree more.

I wasn’t directly blaming the show for these globes being stolen, it sounds like they targeted the vehicle and yes it ultimately comes back on the criminal. BUT, thanks to this rash of rags to riches shows, Ala American Pickers, an entire new group of people (Including the dishonest) are being exposed to the value of many of our collectables. Yes, it may save some items from the scrap heap but at what expense to us, the COLLECTOR?

Gmstuff i see your point but like anything we own we have to protect it. Insurance, alarms, noisy neighbors, guns is what we need. criminals will be criminals and these deterrents only slow them down.
Remember my dad saying once... locks on doors are to keep honest people honest.

We're getting off the original topic but I'm much more concerned about the people in the hobby that are selling unmarked repros and fakes than I am about some crooks that happen to watch American Pickers.

Gas globe, dog, leaf blower, old rusty chain, gas pump, pine straw bales, bike, jewelry, cat, gas grill, camcorder, lunch box, half gallon of liquor, scattergun, whatever??? No matter WHAT it is, or WHERE it is, it can be stolen by ANYBODY..... You can never be too cautious ...... I guess the only thing that comes to mind right off that couldn't be stolen is a block foundation house..... but I'm sure that has happened somewhere, at sometime...... always gonna be thieves. I fully understand the American Pickers comment - good, fun, relative show at first, but when you really think about it, it is an outsider/leach for us that live this lifestyle..... and collecting is just that if you do it at any serious level, it becomes a lifestyle. Peace in the middle east ! Take Care, Whatever ......

Might as well add the "Antiques Road Show ","Sotheby's Auction House", etc., to that list to blame,,We all need to look after and protect out valuables.

Hopefully these will show up and the crooks will get some jail time...and Wes will get back his globes and his van fixed...Normally crooks are stupid...which leads to them getting busted

The stealing of globes, pumps, and various other collectibles never happened before American Pickers came around.

A real shame because I liked that show.

Seriously though, with a bad economy and people being hard up for money, ALL my stuff is inside, complete with deabolts and security system. Not to mention we have the Castle Law in Ohio if you catch my drift. Don't come around here with ill intent.

Too bad about the globes..will definately keep an eye out.

Well, there have been a whole lot of thefts actually , right many have been previously discussed and reported on this here site. Quite a few people here in North Carolina and Virginia have had some thefts. I know of some really large ones in the western part of the state and in northern Virginia. It's always been going on..... but it just doesn't help the collectors.... say what you will; An "education" can be dangerous. MDHIII

will keep my eyes open for them tom. chris

We had about five different break-ins in Ontario stealing gasoline collectibles but none that I'm aware of for the last five years or so... these were all about 7-10 yrs. ago... we had a rash of them then, we kinda figure the stuff all went south as none of it ever showed up in Ontario..mostly signs...

The Picker's drive a van. Coincidence? I think not.
John

Thanks Everyone for keeping your eyes open for them...
Wes had unloaded his van after the last show BUT kept 5 globes in the van to try to sell them to a couple local friends...
He had 2 martin, 1 clark, pure and a metro....
He thinks he startled the crooks by waking to pee in the middle of the night...Thus they grabbed and ran...
But they had the steering column all messed up and broke turn signals in an effort to steal the van...
Here are pics ...They took the martin globe with a little wear around BOTH lenses BUT left this MINT one??? They also left a Clark globe???



pics from the book of pure and metro globes

Honestly I can't believe the thieves were after the globes. They were after the van.... and took the easiest items available once they were found out.

If the van had belonged to a mechanic they would have stolen tools, a plumber tools and copper pipe, an electrician tools and copper wire.... etc.

Since I joined Oldgas almost 6 years ago, there have been alerts notifying members to look out for stolen signs, globes and pumps. This was long before American Pickers ever was on paper, let alone on-air.

Theft happens everyday and since we are all proud of our items we display them. Not hard for a thief to comprehend that if something is displayed it is probably worth some scratch. If it were dusty stuck in a closet or underneath a bed it wouldn't catch anyone's eye. Add lighting to the item and a display case...

Wasn't it just last year that a large Pegasus was stolen off a building? BEFORE American Pickers was on the air? Don't blame a TV program, because some people feel the need to take something that belongs to someone else.

Of all things to steal @ Chip's Dixie Gas, I heard BBQ lost his CABLES !
Makes you wonder why.

It doesen't matter what you own,
there is always someone who would be more than happy to steal it from you.

I can and a lot of others on here can remember when this stuff was of no or little value, all of it. What happened to the "hobby" and how did every day junk get so valuable? Repro's, insurance,unmarked, fake, never heard that 25 yrs ago, just one lying fraud dipstick that unfortunately still is breathing. The hobby that we all started was intercepted by greed, period.

Bob: That Pegasus sign was stoen in Shelby, MT in broad daylight off a 30 ft building. Rumor has it that it is in Kalispell, MT, but the police have indicated there is not enough evidence. Probably gone by now. I don't blame american pickers, but it does help educate the crooks. I work in the utility business and whe copper skyrocketed a while back, we have had rolls of copper wire stolen. Seems to happen after their are news reports on the prices. Can't blame the reporters.

I got a phone call today from someone wanting to sell me a pump, said they saw one similar on pickers. They knew I collect stuf. So, thanks to pickers, I got a lead.

Well none of that will be happening here......thank god for my 3 friends smith,wesson,and colt........

Never?... Ever?...Really? I have had stuff stolen from me before at my antique booth long before the above mentioned show was ever thought of. Pin pointing one reason, act, event, show, whatever is ridiculous. It is called GREED and it comes in many forms.

Keep a look out for the globes that were stolen, hopefully they will be found.

I'm in Kentucky, so i'll keep an eye out!

Guess you've never heard of sarcasm.

Note my next line that I posted...

I understand thieves steal guns too, now that you've advertised you have them. MItch

What do we have now that we didn't have 25 years ago: repro's, insurance, unmarked, fakes? Nope, they were all around 25 years ago, even 50 years ago. Maybe not in petroliana but they were out there.
INFORMATION, and lots of it, available to everybody via the INTERNET (that we didn't have 25 years ago). Lots of great stuff on the net, this site for one and knowledge to enable all this old hidden stuff to come out of the woodworks. But that same information in the wrong hands can and does have its down side too.
Theft has been around for a LONG time, what things are worth to a small nitche of collectors and new means to sell them is information now available to all.
One thing I'm curious about, did those globes have any price markings on them? If a scumbag is breaking into a van to steal whatever and see's "anything" marked at $50 or more, he's gonna take it.

Tom, This guy close to you up there? Martin on ebay?
I know every Martin that gets listed we can't assume it was Wes but being where it is and starting bid of $50 with now reserve?

Ok lets go.....

Keeping your collections locked up, afraid to have them stolen, paying through the nose for stuff, trying to beat the next guy to it....

The late Marlin Brando was on a talk show years ago, where the host was asking him about a recent house fire in which he basically lost everything, his art collection, antique furniture, cars ect.. and saying how terrible it was, blah blah..

Marlin looked at him and said it was the best thing that ever happened....now I'm free...

Nothing is everything......Everything is nothing......

Thanks guys for watching for them!
Wes had a local buddy list his other martin globe in an attempt to get a bite or possible information about others...
Here is Item # 180595461884
Special thanks to Jarvis for calling Wes the second this globe hit the market! LOL
Ill also place the add in the ebay section!