Hello, all!

This is my dad's oil drum (Paul Kilgore) that I am posting for him. He's a 2nd generation antiques dealer and has seen many things in his time, but this drum seems to be a rare bird. Was picked up from a barn from an estate that hadn't even been touched since the 50's, so authenticity isn't even a question. Based on the location of the estate, it most likely came from the old Crown Gasoline service station in Sardis, MS, but this is just educated speculation. He is interested in finding out just how much it's worth, since we can find no comparable specimen anywhere, specifically one advertising motorcycle oil. Thanks for your input, and I have more pictures if needed, but the site would only let me attatch 4.

Ian Kilgore

Hey Ian,

That is a really cool barrel, but if your asking for a value.... I'm sorry to say, but I don't think its worth anywhere near the $15,000 you are asking.

Agree 👍

It is very cool and very rare but it does not specifically advertise a brand like Pope, HD, Indian, Yale or etc. I think it would command a lot more if it did.
It is obviously from a motorcycle shop/dealership but without having a label, you will never be able to prove it.
Barrels are only collected by few, also, because of their size and difficulty to display. Many cut off the ends for display reasons.
Wood also needs care including finding a way to keep the wood moist so that it will stay in the shape and not dry out so that it falls apart.
The big thing tho is that it could easily be faked even tho I do NOT think yours is. Someone could find a old barrel and use a old wood burning pen/paint and stencils to reproduce this, so many collectors stay away from stuff like this if it is big money because they don't want to take the chance on being fooled.
My opinion is that as it is at the moment, it's worth around $1000 and if cleaned up/?restored? and put into a decent auction, maybe around $3K???

If you really want to know, throw it out there on ebay or facebook, that will tell you what you need to know.... I really dont think you plan on keeping it at this point.

I think 350. Is a realistic price

I found a cool site that has a lot of information on wood oil barrels, if anyone is interested.....

http://www.petroleumhistory.org/OilHistory/pages/Barrels/barrels.html