Old Prestone rack

[Dave Henderson]

From a local flea market, this rack is assumed to have been designed for outdoor display of the product. When Prestone came in 1 gallon rectangular cans, 9 cans (assuming current day paint reducer cans are the same size) would fit perfectly on the top shelf. But then why a second shelf? Quart cans? There are drain canals and a hole in the middle of each shelf. The structural parts do not show signs of ever having been painted. No evidence of plating exists either, but perhaps it was terne plated which eroded away. It has very uniform non'debilitating surface rust.

In a lot of years of observing things gas station, I haven't encountered one of these before. Anyone?.

[Rusty_OToole]

Antifreeze used to come in round gallon cans too. Looks like a display for retail sales at the gas pump or in the show room. Lower shelf could be for storage of "spares" so you could keep the top shelf full during the day. Drain holes for outside use so rain would not accumulate.

When I worked in a garage years ago we did inventory and restocked the shelves once a day. With a display like you have we could have kept a full display of antifreeze stacked up using spares from the bottom shelf.

From the style and construction I would date it to the forties or late 30s.

[Guest noncompos]

Google for "petroliana" sites...oldgas.com is the only one that comes to mind but I'm not even sure it's still there. They're gas station item collectors/enthusiasts/obsessives and they'll know what it's worth.