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grabber Offline OP
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Hey everyone...I've been collecting signs for a while now and have picked up a few oil cans from time to time. Just wanted to get your thoughts on which oil can guides are must haves? I recently picked up an American Oil Cans guide which is cool however some of my favorite companies are missing inside (Nourse/Husky/Union to name a few). Which guides do you all like the best and do any of them have muchos pics of rare varied oil cans? I guess there are so many different ones its tough to put all of them in a guide...Thanks for viewing my post.


Wanted: Husky Cans/Signs, Interesting Pump Plates and NC Road Signage


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My oil can collection is not real large, approx 70-80 cans.So maybe the books I use aren't what the big collectors use? I use the "Collecting Oil cans and More Oil cans for the Collector" series. No book(s) will have all the cans, but each of these has a good selection of cans in them. I'm glad you asked the question for if I need to get other reference materials I want to know.


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grabber Offline OP
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Bob - Thanks for your input...the American Oil Cans guide volume 1 is really nice (I believe over 1k full color photo cans...). I'll do some searching and see if I can find the guides you use on the web. It seems like the more I get into this hobby the more guides "I need" lol smile


Wanted: Husky Cans/Signs, Interesting Pump Plates and NC Road Signage


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Check the bookstore here on Oldgas, also. I have gotten a good portion of my "reference library" here.


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Ed Love's And Tom Allen's books are the best "IMO" they are for the collectors.


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WHAT SIZE CANS ARE YOU COLLECTING? QUARTS? OR EVERYTHING?

I HAVE THE 2 MILLER & STONEWOLD BOOKS. "AMERICAN OIL CANS" IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED AND ALL QUARTS. THE VOLUME ONE BOOK IS LIKE 7 YEARS OLD! GLAD I'M NOT HOLDING MY BREATH FOR VOLUME 2....I'D BE LOOOOONG DEAD!


DOC @ THE AMERICAN GARAGE
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grabber Offline OP
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Well I like quart cans but also like rocker cans and other varied oil cans as well...I'd love to see a post on different rocker cans that are out there...they have a great display appeal in my opinion. The Miller and Stonewold books you're referring to...what are the names of the books? Thanks for the info - by the way...picked up my best looking quart the other day a super nice full Invader can from a buddy over in Midland NC. Thanks again for the info smile


Wanted: Husky Cans/Signs, Interesting Pump Plates and NC Road Signage


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DOC @ THE AMERICAN GARAGE
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INVADERS ARE MY FAVE!

JUST GOT THESE 6 THE OTHER DAY FROM N.E. GAS BASH!



DOC @ THE AMERICAN GARAGE
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I have both the Miller and Sonewald books and the Tom Allen books. I think they're all ok but still missing a bunch. I guess if you're a collector trying to seek every qt can out there they're ok but it seems all three wasted a lot of space for 5-20 dollar generic or plain qts. Im hoping there's someone out there putting together a new volume to come out soon.

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I really don't know where to start, but let me give my opinion on what was asked for. The value guides probably cost less than one can in most of your collections, so why even ask. Get every guide you can find, again I am astonished by guys buying items costing 100s or even 1000s dollars at shows, but stand in from of me when I am selling a 352 page (with 1900 illustrations) Gas Pump ID book and tell me, well I'll pick it up later. My book, Scott's globe book, the cans books, these are the cheapest thing for sale at any given show.

Now my opinion about future books. By now, all of us who have written books have come to realize that the only gratification we can get from writing them is it boosts our ego a little. "Oh you are the guy who wrote the XXXXX book, I'm going to buy one of them soon."
If a publishing company is publishing the books (like mine and Scott's) we make $2.00 every time one is sold by the publishing company (and then the mothers wait 6 months to pay us). We spend 6 months of our lives (my wife said all she ever saw of me for six months was my back as I worked on the computer) and then receive 3 or 4 thousand per year in royalities. I could have made more money during the six months it took to write the book being a greeter at Wallmart.
I don't believe there will be anymore books. When I first got into gas pumps back in the 80s there was only one book. I waited almost 15 years for someone to write a gas pump book. I had been collecting literature because I liked it, I had no intention of writing a book. I have a great collection of literature, but there is one other person in this country who also has a great collection, possibly better than mine. I have been waiting 25 years for him to write a gas pump book, but at almost 75 I don't expect to see it. What a waste, all that literature, all those great gas pumps we would all like to see, but probably this hobby will be on the down slope before we ever see it, if we ever will.

Jack Sim

Last edited by Jack Sim; Mon Feb 22 2010 10:27 PM.

Author, 1st & 2nd editions of Gas Pump ID book, 3rd edition is now available at www.gaspumpbible.com
Air Meter ID book also available
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Well said Jack,and there are 100's if not 1000's of fantasy,(Reproduction),items out there and these books help you figure that out.
I like to buy real..

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grabber Offline OP
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Doc - Thank you for the pictures smile They are on the 2 buy list! Nice quarts as well. Jack - thank you for your post as well...you are correct that anyone is crazy for spending huge money on items without having the right books/guides as a info source to make sure they are not getting burned. I have never really spent more than $20 on a can (every time I have I have been burned lol...). The guides (and other collectors) let you know that even though something may "appear" to be worth a ton it may be super common. At $2 per book its a wonder anyone writes guides. It is evident to me its about the amount of passion/love you have for a hobby that pushes you to write a book/guide. Thank you for your efforts and for others that have written the guides we depend on. Our oldest boy is 5 and he has the gas/oil collector bug...I hope to pass this on to my kids to keep it alive...We love Mustangs as well and he can spot any Mustang on the road at pretty much any point in time...(he is rarely wrong). The other day he went with his grandpa to look at some wood working tools...My father in law said while they were there Elliott kind of "nonchalantly" said...you have any old signs or gas stuff around here...My little boy is too cool! Hopefully he'll be able to make it up to Peotone w/ me smile Thanks everyone for your input!


Wanted: Husky Cans/Signs, Interesting Pump Plates and NC Road Signage


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IMO books and guides are great for reference to see the different cans, signs, globes etc. that were originally made and enable a person to decide which ones that they find the most appealing and want to collect , but as far as pricing, some are very inaccurate. Some may be simply out dated and others have prices that may not be realistic. My advice would be to collect what YOU like and PAY what YOU are comfortable with. To me, if you collect what makes you happy and you enjoy your collection, that's what it's all about.


Dennis Leith / Always looking for unusual Gilmore Oil Company items and Automobilia Displays

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