Every hobby changes and evolves as new collector's come and old collector's leave. Some of these changes are born of necessity and others are simply a testament to changing tastes due to the generational differences.

Being a car guy, I view original survivor as something totally different then a restoration project with original paint. I see the importance of saving pumps that have 85-95% of their original paint intact. According to the posts that I read on Oldgas; the threshold at which point a pump is deemed a candidate for a restoration has really changed in the past few years. Fortunately or unfortunately this is one trend that I haven't bought into.

Personally, I feel people are losing sight of what a real survivor pump is and what a rusty pump with old flaking paint is. In my opinion there is a vast difference between the two.

Some have stated that restored pumps are declining in popularity. In my opinion restored pumps are just as desirable as they ever were. Simple economics are making unrestored pumps more acceptable to some.

For most, it is much easier to come up with the $1000 to buy a pump then it is with another $1000-$1500 for a entry level restoration. This in my opinion is the number one reason why we are seeing more pumps left unrestored.

Don't get me wrong...I love all kinds of gas pumps. Rusty, short, fat, ugly...I like them all.

The purpose of this post isn't to disagree with others...but, to simply promote discussion and share our preferences and thoughts. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is no right or wrong answer...it is simply a matter of what we each like...and it's a good thing that we all don't like the same stuff!!!

This same trend can be seen in signs. Signs that were left behind before because they had no collector value are now bringing hundreds of dollars.

I agree there is a big difference between a true, Clean, original (1 coat) paint job, survivor. and a rusty flaky paint pump being preserved. I love them both but they can't share the same (Survivor) rating IMO

I dont think its so much about economics as eye of the beholder. Rusterations are not always cheaper when you are buying original cloth hoses, original signage, and original weathered globes. You can save yourself alot of money buying all that repop. I think alot has to do with the Rat Rod movement. Also leaving somthing the way you found it, reguardless of if it was found along a fence row or tucked away in a barn for many years. The same movement can be found in the antique tractor market. Tractors are being mechanically restored but left rusty and weathered then labeled as "in there work clothes" Just like anything else styles and prefrences change. I agree I like them all from original to over restored but the unrestored ones just seem a little bit more nostalgic!!!

Dave-- Good topic for discussion! I think that point of decision rests with each pump owner and differs between individuals. I have several restored pumps and each one of them needed restoring in my mind.
I do believe that a restoration will sometimes reduce the value of the pump, because when you restore it to a brand, you reduce the customer base for that particular pump. A good case in point is the Wayne 60 showcase that I recently found. It has super excellent barn storage patina, and absolutely no rust issues. A prime candidate for a very easy restoration----BUT, if I restored it to say, Texaco, my only customers would be the guys interested in Texaco, and I would have lost all the potential customers that would have restored it to their favorite brand. I also would have lost that impossible to duplicate patina that is so impossible to find!
Having been close to the car industry all my life, I realize the best cars to rebuild, are the ones with the least damage, and in the best shape! Same should be true with gas pumps also.
When it comes right down to it, the decision is a personal one that rests with the pump owner. I love restored pumps,---BUT--they are only original once, and can be restored anytime. My Wayne 60 showcase will retain that barn storage patina for as long as I own it, and I intend to set it right alongside the Wayne 60 showcase pump that I restored to Cities Service!
Its a great hobby, and gas pumps are my first love. Its also great that we have so many options! LOL

its all just a matter of opinion... I prefer the nice, straight, complete original pumps. Will I turn down a good price on a restored pump, no... but I won't pay that much extra either. Cause if I am going to have a restored pump, I want the enjoyment of doing it myself.

I think there are plenty of 'car' guys who want the restored pumps for their garages to sit next to that classic car, street rod, etc. but it seems to me that survivor pumps with good original paint or patina are on the rise, and restored pumps not so much.

Perfect example is the 2 Wayne 60s that showed up at the Ozarks show. nice straight complete original 60s with a great original Sinclair paint/patina. Everyone was hot after them, and you could tell that they were going to sell right away. take those same 2 pumps, add a few repop parts and a so-so restoration, and they would have been a MUCH harder sell... even at the same price point. but I do realize the collector crowd is different than something like a carshow or car swapmeet crowd

i have seen some pretty rough pumps be turned into works of art after a restoration... so that just tells me any pump can be turned into something nice, but there are only a limited number of 'nice' originals.

Pumps are pumps I have both restored and unrestored in my garage and every time someone stops over they always go to the one that has the layers of cracking paint walking right past the restored one and saying man that is an awesome pump. To each their own, I think every body has seen a sum what restored pump at a restaurant or what have you, but they don't see one that hasn't been messed with and I think that's was most interesting to people.

Pumps to me, have to be pretty nice to leave untouched. That is my preference. Then again all the pumps I have had have been rough when I got them and had horrible paint jobs done with a rattle can. I would love to find some nice original ones to display. Those seem few and far between.
Dan

I like and have a mix of restored and unreastored pumps. When a non collector looks at my collection they spend more time looking at the unrestored pumps. I also have a variaty of restored, some are nice base coat clear coat paint jobs, some powdercoated, a couple brush painted and the rustoration paint jobs. I think the mix is a good look.

Hard to beat a nice restoration IMO, most of the buyers are looking for decor to go in their garage, next to their restored cars. Pumps I've had are really beaten up by years of being in harsh winters and general neglect, missing parts, falling apart, not restoring them isn't much of an option. I do agree though, nothing worse than a cheap restoration, rattle can over rusty metal, rather it be left untouched, do it right or not at all.

Great topic folks. Excellent points made by everyone tonight. It's interesting, I know and deal with 2 gentlemen who in my opinion have 2 of the best collections in the country (east of the Mississippi). More than 100 in each collection. One is in Michigan and the other in PA. One collection is all very rare unrestored iron. Not a single pump is restored simply because they don't or never needed it. And that's why his collection is so spectacular. If you dream of the rarest pump in Jack's book, its sitting there, along with its duplicate or more. The other individual restores everything that walks in the door, and sometimes that's ok. These are high quality pristine restorations where if there was a scratch, a chip, or a run in the paint, it gets sent back until its perfect. Both collections are mostly rare pumps, no 50's pumps. To be honest, I can't decide which one I like going to see more? One collection is just as cool as the other and its always satisfying when I can help either one out. However, there's just something about the unrestored original stuff that gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling. To me, that's the pump that grows in value exponentially because of that time capsule appeal.

Goober

Interesting, because I am looking at some that I have had and they look great the way they are now to me. Others have been restored and have their place, where others I have left as many have seen in restored to primer condition. This enable me to enjoy the pump without branding it. It is the restoration that I enjoy.

As is? Prob not what we are talking about.Lots of different opinions on what is attractive.I can say from past experience that old pumps have a great attraction to lots of people in all forms!I love them all!

I restored the first six pumps I bought and my friends thought they were great. I sold most of them to buy older pumps and left them alone. The first thing they ask is when am I going to restore them. They don't understand why I like them better with patina.

I don't have a problem restoring a pump that is past my opinion of leaving them unrestored either. I'm just as proud of them as I am my originals. Maybe a little more proud, I feel like I saved it from being scrapped or parted out. Brady

I love pumps, restored or not. I have been focusing more on the original paint, survivor pumps. If they have say %80 of good paint and look okay I leave them as is. I have restored probably 150 pumps and I get as much pleasure out of looking at the originals in my collection also. I currently have 8 unrestored ones that blend in well with my 47 restored pumps. Its all a mix of what the person wants, I say enjoy them all no matter how you display them. After all, I think KW said it, we are just keeping it for the next generation anyway.

All pumps are great. Some pumps restored correctly look gorgeous, that can be said about original pumps. My personal preference is unrestored pumps because like Kevin said, they are only original once...