Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Petroliana Value Questions 6' Union 76

well I think you all have almost talked me out of it. I get torn, especially the 76 stuff,(and with it being local) its one sign I've been wanting for a while. I have a few other things going on and just hate to put the extra money into a really nice sign. This stuff is such an addiction!!!

I would like to remind long time collectors of the phrase "times change" and the other phrase "prices change" in reference to this hobby and buying pieces. Also they seem to have selective memory in effect, forgetting they started collecting when it was easy to procure most petrol items as 'minimal value' and therefore easy to pass back in the day when everything lay around as easy pickings. That is not true today no matter how much they might protest.

vwbusjukie if you are a collector and like the sign, $300 is reasonable to pay. Is it a premium piece? No. Is it going to go up in value over the years? No. But it is available to you now at a price that doesn't break the bank.

A single half of that sign in nice condition at most swaps will be priced at $500 because they don't pop up everywhere. And a complete sign on pole WILL cost you $2000 or more currently.

I deal with stingy collectors all the time, old-farts who've been collecting so long they readily tell the younglings in their sphere this or that isn't 'worth' such and such a price. These same old-farts however will beat it to your front door to buy a specific piece they've wanted for 10 years and pay far more than they would openly admit in public. So when I get flames from the like that I receive in this post I chalk it up to who they come from.

Finally I will say this..... Is condition important when buing? Sure. However it isn't the primary factor in buying. The FIRST factor is you LIKING the piece you are looking at! And as a collector the furthest thing from you mind is 'I can sell it for more money 1 year, 5 years, 10 years from now.' It is that you get to enjoy this thing you are buying regardless of what some other old fart says.

Paul why are you such an A** when someone else has an opinion???
But then again you are the expert on Beat up, Broken train wreck signs.

IMO if you want the sign and it's in your budget, it's your choice. But just remember us "OLD FARTS" (I'm 57) have been at this a while and we remember buying junk signs in the beginning and later wondering why we wasted that money and time.
Paul's a "picker" and looking at his Facebook page would buy that sign every time he could. The "OLD FARTS" are collectors who take their time to try and find the nice piece the first time because in the long run, we know what we have later and don't need to replace it! Something the Picker can't understand.

Again, if your budget forces you to choose this sign, so be it but know it's value repaired or not will stay pretty close to what you pay, your time and materials to repair.

Good luck and again just remember that opinions are just that!
Some pickers don't understand that others have them.

Back in 1989 when I was a beginner collector I was given this same line of BS from flea market sellers trying to sell me their junk. I did buy some of it and it was a mistake nearly every time. When it was time to try to get rid of those same items no one wanted them, NOT EVEN the same guys that sold me those "investment" pieces.

We're all aware that times and prices change. We stay on top of current pricing and collecting trends by attending shows, auctions, and participating on this forum, networking with other collectors and dealers, etc. One thing that hasn't changed is junk is still junk! Some of the best advice I got in my early years of collecting was to buy best that I could afford, and to buy the best one item I could afford rather than several cheaper items. That was outstanding advice. Not because I was buying with the intention of reselling, but because my collecting preferences have evolved over the years. As my collecting preferences changed I've sold off items that no longer fit the focus of my collection. It's a whole lot easier to sell desirable items in good condition that it is to sell damaged or less desirable items.

While it's true that it was easier to find stuff in the wild for low prices in the past, overall it's easier to find petroliana items for sale now as there are far more buying and selling venues now.

What a single side of that sign in good condition might be worth at a swap meet is irrelevant. The sign in question is in poor condition.

This stingy old fart (I'm 55) has bought 32 globes and a few signs and other items this year. Maybe I can grow my collection if I pry open my wallet? I like bargains just like everyone else, but at this stage in my collecting they're tough to come by. I do step up when I need to. When stingy old farts like us offer advice we're just trying to let less experienced collectors benefit from our experience so they don't make the mistakes we did.

It's easy to see that Carolinaskies has an agenda and doesn't interact well with others on this site. That's why he was prohibited from posting in the value forum for a few years.

So Brandon, if you think you'll be happy with the sign in five or ten years go ahead and buy it. If you plan to sell or upgrade you'd be better off waiting for a better one.

Old fart=experience, those who consider experience useless, well, just not very smart, 55 here too and I've been picking since I was 10. It's not a rare sign Brandon so if you do want one you can find better, sentiment however can make something worth it despite the condition, if you love it buy it. Strictly speaking regarding value, not worth it.

I would pass on this sign also. I have seen lots of these in much better condition in my travels that were available. Union is changing some of there stations in our area from the RED back to ORANGE signage so we may see more UNION stuff come available. Just my two cents worth---

While I can see both sides of the argument, If I bought only quality items since I started buying I would have a 1/3 of the stuff I have now. If you buy something that is not quality, buy it right. Make it so you can make a little if you decide to sell it and upgrade... Its not a sin... The question is do YOU like the ball? Would I Personally pay 300 for it? probably not but I don't think its "crazy high". Without a doubt plastic is the new porcelain (in a way), a new generation of collector and higher prices on metal have forced up plastic... At the end of the day Id rather have a rusty sign on the wall than nothing at all!