Has the antique gas and oil sign business started to fade already?

[uh6077]

It seems that old signs got REALLY hot about 5-8 years ago. Of course there have always been collectors looking for rare signs but when the whole "man cave" craze took off the signs started selling for obscene money. Now it seems that every local estate auction and antique store is flooded with signs. Now that people are seeing that old signs are not at all rare I see the interest fading. Much like wood machinist tool boxes, Honda Z50 motorcycles and beanie babies I see signs as the next thing that people will soon say the used to collect. Same goes for other auto culture stuff like gas pumps.  Is it the same where you live?

[keiser31]

I don't think the interest has faded at all. Not by some of the prices I have seen for the genuine vintage signs. There are just so many reproductions out there that you really have to be aware of what you are actually buying. That part scares people away.

[auburnseeker]

From what I saw at a recent very large antique sale that goes on for over a week straight if you had less than 300 in your pocket you wouldn't buy much and it would be an off brand in fair shape with just a name and no graphic,  probably just single sided.  Minty graphic stuff and especially rare or not real common seems to be going up almost daily.  It's all about condition.  Probably fair signs will linger a bit and exceptional ones will continue to rise steadily as people that bought anything start to spend more and learn to specialize in quality ones in as near to perfect condition as possible. 

  Those nicer signs that I would have considered adding to my collection were in the several thousand range and none of them were Neon or really all that great.  Just a little different and kind of neat.  I think even if I had 5,000 in my pocket I wouldn't have bought one.  Then again maybe I'm just getting old and more frugal.  Na 

My wife and I went through this when I started adding to her Lunch box collection.  I bought a bunch of decent fairly common,  not real desirable boxes, which look nice mixed with the other rarer ones but as her collection grew,  I became much more picky about condition buying stuff that was around an 8 or better in condition on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best)  I also really searched out for the most graphic and rarest ones,  passing on some good ones just because to add to the collection i felt they had to be extraordinary. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Yes, actually have this discussion with my dad regularly. Good quality gas and oil stuff with eye appeal seems to be going strong, and our theory is, unlike cars it is less cyclical or era specific in terms of the age groups of the collectors. At 51, same signs appeal to me as to him as to some younger friends I know.

I do think a lot of the really good stuff is in private collections now, as condition but not price, seems to be down at venues like Hershey. Serious collectors pass on the poor stuff, and the guy who just wants a sign or two for the garage tends to shy away from the asking prices that are more appropriate for higher quality stuff. This may create the illusion of a softer market but I don't think that is truly the case.

Also, signs, etc require little care and feeding unlike a car, so no cost to keep them over the years like our cars.

Last, these are cross collectibles as people who are into vintage marketing or nostalgia in general like this stuff not just car guys. Most of our stuff was acquired 25 or more years ago, couldn't afford it now...

Edited September 4, 2015 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Guest AlCapone]

I personally think the market is flooded with the mundane, non detailed signs. The market for the rare ones is as strong as ever. Fall Hershey will tell the story ! Wayne

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Yes, there are 3 factors, I think, that determine the value of these collectibles, rarity, eye appeal and CONDITION. Also to some degree oil company. Oilzum, for example is especially big in the northeast. Very little can be done to change condition, and lesser stuff will always be lesser stuff.

Wayne is right on mundane stuff, like the $75 generic oil bottle -worth maybe 25, with a master top, or more recent signs. But the porcelain stuff that's dated and generally hard to reproduce is getting really hard to find in top shape.

To some degree repro stuff has hurt values bur not for the most desirable pieces.

Counting days now, to Hershey. ..

Edited September 4, 2015 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[ScarredKnightfan]

I don't think the interest has faded at all. Not by some of the prices I have seen for the genuine vintage signs. There are just so many reproductions out there that you really have to be aware of what you are actually buying. That part scares people away.

 

 

Agreed.  Definitely has not faded; if anything, it seems to have increased, causing the reproductions to be a bit more ... numerous.

 

 

Cort www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve | 1979 Caprice Classic

"Crumpled bits of papers filled with imperfect thoughts" __ Mike & The Mechanics __ 'In The Living Years'

[1937hd45]

I passed on a 1920's Mobil sign last year, had a hole in the center for a wood stove pipe. Dumb move it would have been perfect in my garage with the addition of a wood stove. Sold all my good signs years ago for good money, don't miss them. Bob 

[uh6077]

I have never been in the market for signs but as a car collector they tend to show uo in my searches and the places I frequent when looking for parts and collectibles. Maybe what I keep seeing for sale but never "sold" are the ordinary stuff you guys mentioned. If someone finds a old sign in a barn they are automatically going to assume it is super rare and worth it's weight in gold much like all the people who find the Model Ts and As then try to sell them for $35,000. As a casual observer the signs I see never sell but I guess the collectors around here already have the common ones they want and now are looking for the hidden gems. 

[edinmass]

At the RM Andrews collection they sold about 75 dealership signs in May of this year. Prices went to 35 k for lots of them, several brought more. The good stuff is on fire, the junk just sits around.

[Robert G. Smits]

At the Iowa Gas Auction this August 20% of the signs sold for over 1K and 10% sold for over 2K.  Top price was 35K.  Like automobiles, people are willing to pay for rarity and great condition.  Non automotive paper advertising is also going through the roof such as Brewery advertising.  Just my TCW.  Bob Smits

[old car fan]

After market at Auburn this year was out of this world,Big dollers