Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Where Do I Start?

With all the newcomers joining Oldgas I think a few comments from those who have "been there,done that"over the years and experienced the swings in the value of things over time might be interesting reading for those entering the hobby in this day and age.

The cost of many pieces has risen to the point that many I talk to ask,"where do I start?"Cans?Globes?Signs?Pumps?Smalls?Maps and paper?"Then,"I've got a lot of room,I've got a garage,I don't have much room,I can't afford this hobby,I'm on a limited budget".Those questions and comments are common to me and seem to be coming up more often lately.I'm sure many of you hear the same thing.

Where would you tell them to go for the most "bang for the buck"in todays market?Personally,assuming they had about $500 - $1,000 to work with,I would say a variety of entry level cans,one or two entry level globes,a few signs in the $50 - $150 range and a few good smalls and maps as accent pieces.For $1,000 I think one could assemble a good eye catching display of original pieces,decide what they like the most and work their way up.

Of course more space and money would tilt the discussion toward entry level pumps accened with the stuff mentioned above.Thank you for your thoughts.

IMO if someone has 1000 now and wants to start somewhere then they should get some barn hangers and lubesters. Before long they will have another 1000 and get addicted like I am. I spend every extra dollar I have and in 2 years have 6 pumps and not cheap ones at that.... And over 100 signs. It's addicting once you start and people will come around if they start even with cheap stuff. I hate that prices are soaring when it comes to buying but on the other hand it makes it fun to get a good deal when you can find one. I just wonder in 10 years when the older collectors start passing where all the good high dollar rare items will go... Junk yards? Garage sales? Who knows. Everyone keeps hoarding and their kids could care less and it just makes ya wonder.

Anyone just starting into collecting should EDUCATE them selves. Don't be ashamed of walking away from anything Your not sure of.
Call someone IF in Doubt of originally, size, color, etc.
Collect the Quality you can afford.
Collect what You like, not what you Think someone else does.

DB hit the nail on the head completely

I have been buying and selling ECO air meters since 1988. The first purchase of the meters was in upper Ohio where I purchased 21 of them for $40.00. These same units are now selling for over $900.00 (with shipping) on Ebay, and honestly, I see no end in sight. Maybe they are still a good buy.

The best thing I have ever seen about getting started in any one area of this hobby, is Lenny and Arron Hop's articles they wrote for "Check the Oil" for a couple of years. They told of buying reasonable price globes at the swap meets, and what they wrote about I believe is still true. I hope they see this post and really tell you what their theory was, and how it worked out or is still working out.

Jack Sim

I think DB really nailed this one. (Way to go DB) I encourage people to educate themselves on this hobby first and then start to figure out what you want. Signs? Cans? Globes? Pumps? Specific Company like Texaco or regional stuff? All of it..a mixture? Then I tell people to figure out on what level (quality) of items? Common? Barn hangers and then go from there. It is easy to get the "kid in a candy store" syndrome as I call it when you first start and buy everything.....

People also collect out of just falling into something sometimes and just liking what they see or what a friend has. Never really wanted to educate myself at the start just jumped in with what I like to see and make something look better. It just happens. Collecting when you want to start buying for investment takes the fun out of what you like and turns it into a business of sort. It is all limited to space, money, time, and family responsibilities.

I started 10 years ago and was pretty aggressive collecting signs. If I had to do it again I would echo DB's statement about education. I was an originator of many "did I buy another repop" post here on oldgas. In the short ten years I've been at it I can see where education is even more important. With that said, the mantra should be: buy what you like, buy the best example you can afford. Go to shows to touch it and feel it. Ask questions. Most collectors like to share knowledge to a certain extent. Have fun!

All good comments. I believe Craig is onto how many collectors get started. They find something that is interesting for a reasonable price or even for free. We often hear, "I just wanted a gas pump (or sign) to have in my garage with my old car." Then they pick up additional things as opportunity presents itself. Many will deny being a petroliana collector until they've been totally bitten by the bug.

The key is in how your collection evolves. When you admit to yourself that you are a collector, the "How to start ..." needs to be thought about. Educate yourself on the things you like the most. Read the books about petro topics and Petroleum Collectibles Monthly and Check the Oil! magazines. Watch eBay and the live petro auctions on Proxibid. Go to petroliana swap meets and talk to experienced collector/vendors.

I've noticed that the people who are the most concerned about future values appreciating are the ones who have the least fun.

I think it has alot to do with space you have. Out side fence or side of a building or inside a small room or garage, And depends what kind of grade and quality you are after, I think for a basic two car garage on one wall you could do a pretty could (Bang for your buck) display for a $ 1000.00 bucks or so. A shelf with a basic common globe and maybe a few oil cans on the same shelf and two or three common pump plates. And then later on add a pump to go with it and make them all come together with the same brand.
Just talking about bang for your buck ! When you start collecting to impress other people. That's where you stat getting in to trouble. DO WHAT YOU LIKE, DO IT FOR YOURSELF.

Like mentioned above "BUY WHAT YOU LIKE" it can be tough at times because of the prices of good early pieces ,however..... i truly believe there is plenty of good stuff "pumps,signs,cans,lenses/globes,smalls,cars" un-touched & hiding out in the wild!It's a challenging search that requires patience & perseverance "but" if you enjoy spending your time "on the hunt for the holy grail" it will pay off & 9 times out of 10 you can buy for pennies on the dollar & meet great folks along the way that will probably produce other leads as well!Today these types of treasures are not on the surface like they used to be ,you no longer can take a Sunday drive & see this stuff all over the place like you could 25-30 years ago,so the search/pick has evolved & that's where the "patience & perseverance" comes in !I too am guilty of being pessimistic & thinking that my area was picked over "right & left" by the dinosaur's like Kyle Moore ,Howard C., Nicky F., they were doing this when i was in pampers "buying out collections/closed bulk plants"and assembling amazing collections & still at it !But if you do not let that kind of thinking get the best of you ,you can have a great time traveling with your friends & family attending swap meets networking with others & assembling the collection that suites "you" ,my opinion is that the hunt is what it's all about & that feeling you get when you come across something that lights you up,kinda like waking up as a child on Christmas day dashing to the living room to see what Santa left,awwwwwww that feeling is "priceless" ! OR..............the day & age we live in today where nobody has time to "hunt" i guess you could acquire this stuff all on ebay ,but it's just not the same,if i had all the money in the world i still would hunt & find on my own in the wild, rather than window shopping on ebay & the internet!There's definitely a time & place for that "ebay & internet" but i think most other collectors would agree there is a certain high/payoff that one gets when discovering a piece in it's original location! jmtc!

At my age I don't worry about future value. Collect what I like - restore it to the best of my ability - not great - and enjoy what I have and can afford. As to future value, let the kids worry about that.

As I have said many times, WE are only caretakers of the past for future collectors.
This Stuff will be here LONG after we are gone.
SO, ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN.

Interesting turn of words there Diesel " In The Wild" We hear that term a lot around here and I'm wondering what you mean by that ?

To me " Found In The Wild " means it was at location of last use in business of selling or distributing gas and oil products by that standard , many times " Barn Fresh " or " from an old guy who worked in a station " May not apply

As example I have a few pieces in my collection that I consider " Found in the wild" pieces from an old Texaco station and Conoco bulk plant and a Wayne 60 I got from the station where it was last in use . Relative to my collection, very few pieces
.
I'm wondering how guys define "found in the wild " Maybe my stand is to high .

I will jump in. To me, "in the wild" is anything that is not in someone's collection, on ebay or at a show, In the wild for me means, in a bulk plant, at the old station, in the attic/rafters or in the barn or still being used by the farmer or abandoned in the woods.