Back in the day
Back in the day when Jim Potts first started Oldgas.com, I registered as a collector of globes and other gas and oil stuff.
One day, I got an Email from a person who wrote to ask if I was interested in buying globes. The Email seemed strange but I went ahead and answered “yes that I collected globes and would be interested in buying any globes that he might have”.
A few days went by with no reply so I forgot about it. Then I received another Email asking how much I would pay for the globes. Again, this was a strange Email. The person didn’t mention what kind of globes or anything about them. He just asked what I would pay for them. It didn’t make sense.
Again, I Emailed back and said I was interested, what kind are they and how can I see them?
Several days went by again before I got a reply. This time he stated that the globes were Ashland and how much would I pay for them.
So again, I replied and told him that I need to see the globes. “Email me your phone number or call me and we will get together”.
Two days later I got a phone number and I called. The person that answer said yes that he had some globes for sale and wanted to know what I would pay. I said that I needed to see them and what kind they were, Capco or Glass bodies. He replied that the globes were in 13 unopened boxes and they weren’t sure what kind they were.
I was really DROOLING at this point. I asked him to open one of the boxes, which he did. He described the globe as saying Ashland and being plastic and what would I pay for them.
I told him that I was sure that they were worth at least $100 a globe and that I would have to see them. Remember, this was 1997 or 1998. He acted surprised and his reply was “are you sure that you would pay that much for these globes apiece?” I assured him that I would. We made arrangements to meet with him the next day. I found out that they were in Eastern Kentucky, back in the hills. It was a 6-hour round trip.
When I got there, the place was a house and their garage had been converted to a small grocery store. This appeared to be the place where everyone took care of his or her business. There wasn’t any other store around. It was really back in the hills. Looking at the place, I realized that I could have offered a lot less for the globes and they would have sold them. But the price that I offered was fair.
I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. There were 13 globes in sealed Cincinnati advertising products boxes that had never been opened with the exception of the one that he had opened at my request. Again, he said “are you sure that you will pay $100 apiece?’
I told him that I would have to open the boxes to make sure that none of them were broken. WOW, what a thrill. There were 5 Ashland A’s and 8 Ashland Flying Octane’s all in Capco bodies. Not the rarest globes but enough to get your heart pumping. Two of the Capco bodies had chips and I bought those for a less amount.
I asked him how he got them. He replied that an old Ashland distributor had died and his son had come home to settle the estate and found the boxes of globes in the barn. He also found 8 Ashland signs of various sizes and condition. The son brought the stuff to the local store to see if the man could find out what they were worth and to sell them.
The man at the store had no computer so his son used the school computer to search the word “Globe” and 3 names came up. Mine because of Oldgas.com. I was the only one that responded. The son had to wait to do his Emailing in class and he didn’t take computer class every day. Therefore the strange emails.
I was packing my truck up (TAHOE) when the Ashland distributor’s son came by to get the money for the globes and signs. I asked him if he had anything else. He said that there was some stuff lying around in the barn. I said, “let’s go look at it”. I could see when we got to the barn that there was an 8’ porcelain Firestone sign nailed backwards to cover up a missing board. The barn was empty except one corner. There were a dozen NOS porcelain bonnet shaped light shades there.
So I came home with 13 NOS Ashland globes in the box, 8 Ashland signs and 12 porcelain lampshades and one very nice Firestone sign. All for a very reasonable price.
The truck (TAHOE) was full and three of the signs were tied down to the top.
What a great day!!! I will never forget opening those globe boxes.
Thanks to Jim Potts, Mr. Oldgas.com
THANKS REX