Thunder,(that's the point,i understand now) are you trying to drag me in this, i was just asking a question. i didn't understand the post, THEFT & TRESPASSING i thought it was very random. the man fond a piece of forgotten junk on the side of the road, so tell me what's the big deal. now i think you and other's are way off base, and certain people have to much time on there hands and should stay out of the hot sun.

If the sign company owns the sign and let the station use or leased it to them, then the property probably should have been returned tot he rightful owner. Depends upon the agreement. If the company required the owner to buy it, it proabably belongs to the station owner unless the agreement says they can't sell it.
When Texaco was converting to Shell and chevron I know many of the sign comnpanies had (were supposed to anyway) destroy the signage. Part of the contract. I wouldn't be suprised if some of those old agreements with station owners didn't require the same thing. But, no one enforced it.

almost every one of the 100 or so gas pumps i have bought over the years, was bought from an individual who never paid anything for it, it actually belongs to the company that put it there not the individual. so am i buying stolen property?? chris

Hey Quincy. I'm not trying to drag anybody into anything. Its actually quite simple. If you dont have permission, to be on the property, its tresspassing. And, just because the sign, was laying down on the ground, it does, belong to somebody, so by taking it, its theft.

We deal with theft, on many different aspects, everyday here, in our business.

It seems that a bunch of you folks, think that its OK, to jump a fence, and snoop around. Or that its OK, to pick up whatever you see, and take it.

Maybe, someday, somebody will treat you, in that manner. I bet your attitude will change....

WELL THERE'S A BIG (ONCE AGAIN) HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TAKING AN ABANDONED SIGN FROM THE SIDE OF A STATE HIGHWAY (NO TRESPASSING INVOLVED) THAT HAS BEEN LAYING THERE FACE DOWN IN THE DIRT, LEAVES AND WEEDS FOR AN UNTOLD AMOUNT OF TIME FROM THE PHONE COMPANY, WHICH ONE I DON'T KNOW SINCE THE NAMES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS....AND ACTUALLY ENTERING A PRIVATE RESIDENCE WITHOUT PERMISSION AND HELPING YOUR SELF TO THE OWNERS (NOT A COMPANY) PERSONAL COLLECTION.

"BIG HUGE DIFFERENCE!"

LIKE I SAID IF THE PHONE COMPANY WAS AT ALL CONCERNED WITH THE FIXING, REMOVAL OR REPLACEMENT OF SAID SIGNS AND POSTS THEY WOULD BE DOING IT. OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE NOT THE LEAST CONCERNED. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL POSTS MISSING THE SIGNS AND THEY ARE NOT IN MY HANDS.

THUNDER IF YOU DIDN'T DO WHAT I DID UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES THAN GOOD FOR YOU. JUST BECAUSE I DID IT DOESN'T MAKE ME A BAD PERSON... AS I SAID, I WAS CLEANING THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OF AN EYE SORE! SORRY, IF YOU DON'T LOOK AT IT THAT WAY BUT I DO.

Try cutting the cable. That will show you, that SOMEBODY owns that line! Thats the owner of that sign.

I was going to stay out of this after I said my piece, as I thought it would die. But it seems to have "grown legs". My niece's husband works for Qwest Telephone Company as a "lineman tech". I asked him if there is such a thing as "abandoned items from ATT, Pacific Northwest Bell or "Ma Bell".(the different companies that took over after "Ma Bell" was broken up) According to him/Qwest, and I'm sure it is the same with most every phone company that took over when "Ma" was broken up, everything is theirs. Even the old metal phone booth I have been eyeing for the last 10 years just east of Astoria, covered in blackberry canes. It hasn't been abandoned nor discarded. They collect and destroy old telephone items, but they do still control these items and atleast here, will prosecute those that have them in their possession or trespass to collect the items. Here we have a problem with metal thieves destroying miles of telephone lines looking for copper, unfortunately 90% of the old telephone lines have been replaced with fiber-optics. So when they destroy the phone lines they wipeout phone service for a number of small communities including cell and 9-11 service. Qwest is going after all trespassers big time now, they don't care if one is going after signs or copper. To them it is trespassing pure and simple. I bet all telephone companies feel the same way. But each of us has to do what they have to do. Not my place to preach or anyone else's(in my opinion) so why don't we let this thread die a peaceful death?

...from time to time other collectors ask me if I'm on Oldgas...I say yeah, and ask if they are...they say they no, but (1) they get a kick out of all of the thin skin and ridiculously petty arguments posted, or (2) it sounds like a bunch of old women bickering...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!??

This is just too funny...

I just came across this forum a few days ago and maybe my two cents doesn't matter but I'm going to give it anyway cause I think this is quite funny.I think this comes down to commen sence.I ask about the John Deere sign,that sign came out of the county dumpsters.There is a sign that says no rumanging right above the dumpsters.So I took that sign from the county,does that make me a thief?I call it a good find!I didn't take it off the wall at John Deere,that would make me a thief.I scuba dive and have a yard full junk that has came out of state owned lakes and around here the state ownes the land and everything in it,does that make me a thief?It's junk to them and a treasure to me,that don't make me a thief.We have miles of railroad tracks around here and I have found junk to them on thier property.I diddn't go down to the depot and take it from thier building.And I could go on and on with this.You will get my point or you will call me a thief.The man took a piece of junk out of the ditch that doesn't make him a thief!
A little commen sence goes a long way.

WELL SAID WITH HIGH REGARD TO REASON!

Thunder do you ever take anything out of a rolloff befor taking it to the landfill? I am sure you do from time to time as anyone of us would do. You may own the container but not what is in it as someone is paying you to take it to the landfill so it belongs to the person that put it in there or the land fill after it gets there. Take something out would be Theft because it is not yours right?

Diver, I can guarantee that if you check with your county they will tell you, in fact it is theft. They own everything put in a dumpster, just as a private company would if they owned the dumpster. As to pulling items out of lakes, be very careful. There is/was a program on the history channel I believe it was, that was about loggers from my "neck of the woods". One of those was pulling "abandoned" logs from rivers, streams and small lakes. He now is broke, facing jail time and lost his business because the State of Washington prosecuted him and his son for THEFT. On state land, county land, city land, community land, etc... the items there are owned by someone else. In Longview as along the Washington coastline, if one is using a metal detector and they find an item, by law they are required to turn it in to the local authorities and it be held for 30 days to see if the "rightful" owner will come forward. I "hunt" using my detector in the local parks, the police stop to ensure I know the law. I have had the same thing done while on the beach. If you don't own it, it belongs to someone else. You may not like it, may not seem fair because it has been "abandoned". But it does belong to someone else. Common sense says: if I didn't buy it myself, I don't own it. If it isn't my land,I am a visitor and should treat it with respect. Or atleast that was "Common Sense" when I grew up during the 50's and early 60's. I got to quit looking at this post, the excuses for bad behavior are getting worse and worse.

Bob,you are correct with everything you said.Technically did I STEAL that sign out of the dumpster,yes.If I had not someone else would have and that doesn't make it right.Do I think as myself as a thief,no.Do I think the old guys around here that take cans and what not out of the dumpsters to sell so they can eat as thiefs,no.Maybe commen sence wasn't the right words to use.As far as the lakes there again you are right.It is the states property and this has been a subject of debt in our state.I do keep what I think is junk.Now I have found buffalo skulls and other Indian artifacts that I have returned to the tribe and was highly praised and given gifts for returning these things.Now these are worth alot of money to collectors but to the Tribe they have much more meaning and thats where they belong.Every one has thier opinon and beliefves on whats right and wrong.I personally don't feel bad about taking a sign out of the dumpster that was someone else junk,just as I'm not going to hold it against the guy digging pop cans out of bottom of the dumpster so he can eat or pay his bills.Nor do I feel bad to take a old wagon wheel,fishing rod or whatever it might be off the bottom of lake or river home.Instead of calling it "technically stealing" I'll call it "RECYCLING"