Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Company of the month "Sinclair"

Nice cans Dennis!

still learning to resize and post pics , I figured I might as well join in with you guys.

Here is some of the Sinclair stuff I have. The globes I have have already been pictured



The larger version of the Opaline sign.

forgot pump

All I have from Sinclar is this pin.

Enyone knowe enything abaut it ?

I should be able to add a couple pictures. Grandpa used to have the local Sinclair bulk plant in Millersburg Ohio. When he and his buisness partner retired, dad and another guy bought them out. Dad was with Sinclair untill they were bought out by ARCO in about 1969 or so. Dad used to bring home some of the cans, globes and signs and a pump now and then that were at the time considered junk. I remember when I was little dad brought home a couple pumps, probably Bennett 700 series ones that he wanted us to tear apart. We saved the nuts and bolts and if I remember right, dad kept the pumps and motors to fix other pumps with. (Now people keep about everything except the pumps and motors when they "restore" a pump) Anyways, dads collection grew and my brother and I also picked up on the petro collection bug. Picture to follow, enjoy


Grandpa is on the right. The building behind them is still standing. The tanks and building on the far right are now gone. The poles holding up the strip sign on the roof are still there

I first started collecting Sinclair stuff in about 2003 when I was stationed at Whiteman AFB in Missouri. We had the B-2 stealth bomber there and I was close to the shows in Columbia Missouri and Des Moines Iowa. Mom and dad and my brother would go to the shows and I would meet them there for some family time. I recall thinking, "You paid how much for that?" many times before I started collecting. Even a short 10 years later, those high prices now look like good deals on most of the stuff. After the shows we would make a road trip to see Jackie Knott and his wife. Jack had a huge Sinclair collection at the time and he was selling! The book Sinclair Collectibles by Benjamin and Henderson have a lot of Jacks collection in it. I could look through the book, see something I liked then go see Jack and buy it if he still had it and my military pay could afford it. Plus Jacks wife would always give us a cold Pepsi and some homemade cake. Good times


At a Sinclair station close to KC MO in about 2003

Where to start? Sinclair was a major company that did buisness in most of the US plus overseas. In 1966 they had 21,900 service stations and other retailers selling product.

What a great story Wes, and I really liked the pictures. Sinclair must hold a special place with you knowing your grandfather and father worked with all the things we now like to collect. I'm sure they threw so many meaningless things away that could be valuable today not even knowing. Please continue to share, would love to hear more and see some of your collection.

Neat story, Wes. It seems like it has been a lot longer ago than 2003 that unleaded gas was even $1.82/gal!......we had a local Sinclair distributor for years in Monett, MO by the name of Sheik White. His buildings looked just like your grandpa's, right down to the sign on top.....

Couple pics of Sinclair holding tanks in Fremont, Michigan

In 1924, the Pierce Petroleum Company, owner William Clay Pierce embarked upon a business enterprise to link the chain of Pierce-Pennant gas stations with motor hotels and restaurants. The plan was to establish roadside hotels and taverns approximately every 125 miles on Route 66, connecting Chicago and Los Angeles, and Route 50 to Jefferson City. In July 1928, the company opened the Pierce-Pennant Motor Hotel in Springfield, Missouri. This first motor hotel complex included a bus terminal, restaurant, soda fountain, restrooms, gas station, automobile shop and car washing facilities. Other Pierce-Pennant hotels and taverns opened thereafter in Rolla & Columbia, Missouri and in Miami & Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 1930, Pierce abandoned this business enterprise and sold the chain to Henry Sinclair of the Sinclair Refining Company, who later renamed the chain the Sinclair-Pennant Hotels. Three years later, the Missouri Highway Department moved Route 66 to the Meramec Valley, altering the business traffic for these hotels and taverns, turning many of them into white elephants.

Here is a postcard of a Sinclair Pennant Tavern and a fork & menu I have in my collection

Back of menu

Couple more pics of some Taverns

Mid 30's


1954

Two different Pennant globes. One has flag touching the pole the length of the flag and the other does not.