Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion prices of things....

hi gang, i know prices of gas and oil things have gone up , but doesnt it seem like its going out of control lately? it being good for us that own these types of things of course. just an observation on my part. what does everybody else think?

I think the high prices are due to supply and demand...many buyers out there but few quality pieces on the open market jm2c

Yes I think its referred to as steping up to the plate now.
Seems like there is no limit as far as asking price. As long as buyers keep steping where will prices stop. With the internet and the know how to search items sales are a big factor in pricing.So many are in the mix with only one thing in mind ,turning the profit and banking it in the next item.
JM2C.

It seams that ebay & local auctions are where things are going out of control. You can almost get a better deal at a show or swap meet.

I feel bad for new collectors trying to get into the hobby at this time that have a geniune interest in preserving history, more than just flipping stuff to make a buck. I got into this hobby just 6 years ago and in the last 6 months to a year I have seen things going higher and higher, some rediculously high! I've mentioned to Dan McGuffey that I'm almost getting priced out of the hobby anymore. Mobil pump plates I paid $85 for a couple years ago sell every day for $250+...blue Lubrite cans I paid $30 for are now $80. It's certainly good if you're the seller, but like Loyd said if you really want something bad these days as a buyer you have to step it up, and a lot of the time I can't justify the prices anymore, especially if you've been in the hobby "pre-Pickers"! High prices aren't just being paid for quality items, junk is getting just as expensive.
It would be nice if prices stay up like this and my items really have appreciated many fold, but I have a tough time believing this isn't a frenzied peak that in a few short years will come back to reality. If prices stay high, I just won't be able to add as many decent items as I used to and will enjoy the stuff I bought years ago at bargain basement prices!
Darin

ya i know gas pumps are getting outrages every where i try to find a pump they want double the book price

The problem I see is that I have gone to shows and swap meets but haven't found what I was looking for. I have seen more on eBay and in auctions. I look at it like this...the diesel and time I take off to go to a show cost me something. Yes, I might pay more on eBay or at an auction but don't get me wrong, I love going to shows and meeting people but I can't get the items I want if they are not there. I went to Iowa looking for two companies and only found a match book. I still had a blast but was dissappointed.

cig31 I feel you for sure. I go looking for those harder to find items and the shows are suppose to have the "best of the best" and i have better luck shooting fish in a barrel. If it wasn't for this site i wouldn't be able to get a decent collection. Prices are higher but that isn't stopping me from buying. Just slowing me down a tad like Darin mentioned.

I think what as happened recently with prices is due to several factors that have all came to pass at the same time. One thing you have to remember is that the very nature of collectables contributes to their appreciation. They aren't making any more Neptune L-1 or Wayne 80 pumps or Parco gas globes. If only a few people want these items, their value is going to be what the person that wants them the most would give for them. But, if there are 500 people who want them, there is bound to be two or three folks that will give much more than the rest so their value escalates exponentially. Enter venues like EBay and the vast exposure that the Internet gives and this whole thing grows faster than ever thought possible. Add the fact that more and more people who have money to invest are now fed up with the stock market, real estate, and low interest on cash and now you have an influx of money into a collectors market that used to be our "hobby". Will it peak at some point and fall back to what it once was? I don't think so. It will fluctuate, sure. But this hobby is fast becoming a business investment for a lot of people with more than enough money to keep the prices rising for a long time. You can still make good buys and there will always be deals out there, but you will have to be on your toes if you want to be the guy that gets first fruits. To me, it makes it sweeter to find a real buy on a piece that you know is really going to hold its value, let alone appreciate. Now more than ever patience is a virtue that will reward you if you can hold out for that special piece you've always wanted until it comes along at a good price, or even comes along at all.......

I've been in the Hobby, for "just a bit"....

It is my experience, that prices go up and down, just like every Collectable.... Approx 6 years ago, this same conversation was being discussed on Oldgas... Prices seemingly, were going into the Stratosphere...

A few years after that, the conversation was just the opposite. Prices were dropping drastically, according to those looking to sell their items...

When I started in the Hobby. Oil Company's and Independent Station owners actually paid us to remove items and to "tear-down" stations....

So now, if I have to pay for an item... Based on when I started back in the early 60s; Prices are high!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL.............

Can't believe what visi are going for!!

I think rabbitman nailed it

You have many valid points...but there are still a ton of people making money in real estate and the stock market. Most people who lost money dont know what to invest in or have other people playing with their money. With any investment you have to be educated and play the market correctly...knowing when to buy and sell is key to your success. Same thing goes with this hobby...whats the item to invest in? Signs, cans, ect.... I personally do not look at this hobby as an investment. This is a niche market and just because it has been on an upswing for a while does not mean it cannot turn the other way. Young collecters will be priced out of the hobby and only the very wealthy will have these masive collectons.....unless they are passed on. I like the history preservation part of this hobby, but everyday it is Getting much harder to find items at what I consider to be fair prices. But those who consider these items as an investment....who will want this stuff, what will they want to pay, and who will be able to afford the prices you paid?

I thought prices were crazy back when i started collecting big time in the mid 80's. Today i still have the same thoughts.

X2

But boy is it fun !!

Been buying and selling antiques for 40 yrs.Everything has it's day in the sun.Popularity of an item comes and goes.Publicity and awareness drive prices and create trends.Prices escalate and price many collectors out forcing prices to level out and sometimes go down.Everyone collects and buys what they related to when they were younger,unless they are just buying to resale.The real fun is buying at realistic prices and enjoying the bargains that you are able to find.Granted now- days it is getting harder and harder to do.The joy of hunt is what it is all about for me.Face it, the next generation for the most part will have no connection to things of our past.They will relate too and collect things that they were familiar with growing up.That is if any of it endures the test of time?When I look at my small collection, I can almost remember where I got each piece and what I paid for it.Memories that's what it's all about!

I agree Buzzy, My collection will never be for sale. My only hope is to pass it on to some young person, Who has that look in their eye. And when that day comes it be will all be free, no charge!! But that will be awhile because I am only 43!

I've had several visitors to my place look around and say,"I can't afford this hobby".And then,even when I point out that they don't have to start with high dollar stuff they just drop the whole idea of getting into it.

I'm just saying that the price of this stuff now is limiting the number of newcomers willing to become involved.And further,those who are financially capable many times choose to not become involved because they realize that investing in collectibles is a risk they are not willing to take.

Just my experience and thing to think about;if they keep going up means fewer people entering the hobby which,IMO,is not a good thing.

Most of this STUFF was here before us & will be around LONG after we are all gone. Preserving the past for Future Collectors/Collections [Mini Museums].

Buzzy56, That is "reply of the month" material in my book.

To me basic law of supply and demand. I can go into antique stores and see for example dishes, see same ones for years (some patterns they still make)in stores around here and not just one store. Lucky if you find one or 2 gas/oil items in most antique stores,stuff just not there.

Supply and demand will affect prices on items that are no longer produced. When I got interested in gas station items back in 1995 the local gas bash attracted a lot of buyers and sellers. In recent years not as many buyers and sellers. I know, I sold at Fred's. I have seen high prices recently on rare items, grade 9+ cans and mint signs. Check out Dan's auction for Friday March 1, 2013. The prices bid so far are high and will go higher.

Step Up for Quality or Lower Your Standards for lower prices.
There will always be buyers for Quality.