I want to have a general discussion of frequently asked questions concerning globes and I’d like to cover other topics important to globes. Some of what I discuss here is covered in the new globe book yet these questions and issues still come up often.
People still ask me if White Eagle globes were reproduced. The answer is still no. The reason you see a lot of Eagles is that people often kept them after their use instead of throwing them away like other globes. Eagles are just neat to look at whether you are in this hobby or not. Also, after picking up four eagles in the last six months and having to figure out over the phone which version the person is selling I have a quick sure proof way to tell which one you are buying. The blunt nose has no chest feathers. If you are buying one over the phone ask about the chest feathers. If there are none you have a blunt nose eagle. If the feathers are evenly pointed on the bottom all down his chest you have the medium detailed one. If the feathers down his chest are rounded at the bottom all down his chest you have a home run as this is the most detailed and rarest version of all the eagles. Some call this one the crow or full feather. I don’t like the term full feather because both the latter two eagles mentioned above are full feathered. But the last version does have the beak that is more pointed like a crow’s.
Now to the Standard Crown globes. First off, any Standard Crown shaped globe with a six inch base is phony. Any Crown with a small one inch hole at the top is phony. Any Crown with a four inch opening at the top was used as a light fixture or promo piece and never sat on a gas pump. These are only found in gold or red colors and are fairly common. Repainting Crowns is okay on the red or gold ones or the raised lettered ones but destroys the value of the rarer Crowns such as the blue, green, gray or purple ones.
Read the new globe book about pricing single sided globes, broken globes or globes that you don’t find in any books. There is some logic to pricing unknown globes and if you read and understand some of the basics you can learn to price any globe and get a reasonable price for it. All this data is found in the new globe book.
Don’t forget when you ship a three piece glass globe or a metal framed globe you should always remove the inserts unless the inserts are caulked in. Tell or explain the sender these rules. Auction houses and packing companies need to understand this as we still hear about too much breakage in this hobby. The only way to avoid this is to tightly wrap the globe in bubble wrap so the inserts cannot move at all and then double box the globe. You must realize inserts vibrate during shipping and inserts are either touching glass or metal which is not good.
Keep in mind repro bodies with original inserts are having less and less effects on the hobby. Most collectors don’t care as they say you can always find an original body later. So there is little difference in price as far as the new bodies are concerned.
Collecting sets of globes from the same company is becoming increasingly popular. It not only makes an interesting display but adds an extra value to your collection in terms of future salability. As the prices of globes and other collectibles in this hobby increase narrowing your scope of collecting becomes a wise option. Regional globe collectors, brand collectors or specific type of collectors is a smart move. And then there are some of us that like about all of them!
I have also been asked about temperature affecting globes. Globes were made to withstand sub zero or 100 degree temperatures. So setting your globe inside or outside should not hurt it. But sudden changes have been known to crack globes. Hot water on a cold globe is not a good idea. Same the other way too. I had an insert for plastic on a glass body—they fit tight—and it cracked after sitting on hot pavement. Had the insert been on glass, it would not have cracked. So use common sense and you shouldn’t have any problems.
A few other points of interest here. Sixteen and a half inch globes are not older than fifteen inch globes. Fifteen inch globes came first. Hull glass globes are typically older, 1930s and threaded collar globes are also older—usually 1930s or 1940s. The early four inch base one piece etched globes that just say “Gasolene or “Gasoline” were the first globes, about 1912. Metals followed immediately after that around 1914. If you see a one piece globe that has tall narrow blue letters and it says “Gasoline” you have the first Gulf globe! I see many turn up and people don’t realize what they have. Inserts with five notches can fit either regular glass bodies or Ballcrank bodies. Ballcrank bodies have notches at twelve, four and eight o’clock and are the earliest glass bodies dating back to 1928. Capco or plastic bodies are seen in photos as early as 1932!
By the way, there was a globe overseas that brought well over $20,000 American dollars which blows away the old record of the Texaco Fire Hat globe. Oh well!
In the next few issues we will do extensive coverage on repros as well as cover other interesting facts and questions about gasoline pump globes. If you have any questions on globes call or write me and I’ll address them in upcoming issues.
BOOK REVIEW - GAS GLOBES by Henderson and Benjamin
On a cold, rainy day in November 1990, I returned to my home in Marshall, NC from a trip to Atlanta on business. As I had ridden back home in the rain, I made up my mind that before the day was over, I would make a phone call that at the time I considered important. In retrospect, it was a call that changed my life for the better, as well as increased the enjoyment of our hobby by virtually everyone who has ever or will ever participate.
At the time I was in training for a new job, and was looking to make some changes. I was publishing the WOCCO newsletter and deeply involved in the history of the petroleum industry. I had heard about a globe collector on the West Coast, someone who I had never met, Scott Benjamin. I’d seen his advertisements where he had been buying globes as far back as the middle 1970s. I had already started a handwritten list of known gas pump globes, and I had the wild idea that I could team up with the one of the best known globe collectors and write a book listing all known gas pump globes and detailing the history of the various companies.
I sure didn’t know what I was getting into. Anyway, I called Scott, and as fate would have it, he had gone out to a video store. His wife Jeannette assured me that she would have him call back, and in about 15 minutes the telephone rang. From this one conversation we decided that we could and would assemble a book that came to be titled “Gas Pump Globes.” Over the next year and a half we assembled our material, and in July 1992 the book was accepted by Motorbooks, International for publication. Oddly enough, we finally met face-to-face for the first time shortly thereafter, when we met in Ohio and traveled together to Iowa Gas in August, 1992. The entire publishing run sold out, one of our most popular books ever.
Several years and eight other books later, we got the chance to do it again. The new book was entitled simply “Gas Globes” and this time would feature full color photography throughout. Over two years went into the creation of this book, and when it was finished, it totaled over 250,000 words and nearly 2,000 photographs. Somewhere around 5,000 globes were listed, although I don’t think we ever counted. About 1,000 new discoveries had been added since the first book.
With the publication of every book that we have done there have been concessions made in order to get the finished product in your hands. Despite the fact that I fought it vigorously (almost to the point of litigation), the new globe book was separated into two parts. In retrospect, I guess that was okay, since otherwise the finished product would have been of almost an unmanageable size. By now many of you have purchased the first volume, entitled by the publisher “Gas Globes - Amoco to Mobil”. In it there are over 900 color photos of globes and complete listings of all major oil companies alphabetically along with all of their affiliates and any companies from the United States and Canada which they purchased or operated at any time in this century. The clarity of these companies are preserved to the extent that several companies are listed twice, in two separate places, deliberately so that you as a collector could understand the changes that those businesses faced over the years. One example of this is Martin. Martin Oil Service globes are listed in the Martin section along with globes from Martin Oil Company (a family owned affiliate) and J. D. Street (Zephyr), the company that eventually purchased the originally Martin Oil Company operation. However, since after J. D. Street purchased Martin Oil Company, the division Martin Oil Service continued to operate separately until being sold to Marathon’s Emro Marketing, those globes associated with Martin Oil Service are listed with other Marathon affiliates. The logic behind these duplicated listings was this: If you wanted to collect everything that had to do with Martin, then look in the Martin section and assemble your collection accordingly. Likewise, if you set out to collect everything associated with Marathon and their affiliates, then you could refer to that section and everything would be listed there.
In addition, in the new book Canadian and some other foreign globes are listed, first with their United States affiliates, and later, in the second volume, they will be contained in specific “Canadian” and “Foreign” sections. Other specialty globes, including automotive globes, air globes, generics, etc are also listed in the second volume. Both volumes contain all of the introductory text, greatly expanded from the original book. Collecting tips, and an extensive listing of all known reproduction globes, guide to globe values and more.
Gas Globes - Volume One is available now, see page 35 for ordering information. Volume Two will be available in the late summer, hopefully in time to be released at Iowa Gas. Shown on the opposing page is some color excerpts from Volume Two. We hope you enjoy these two fantastic books!
made in order to get the finished product in your hands. Despite the fact that I fought it vigorously (almost to the point of litigation), the new globe book was separated into two parts. In retrospect, I guess that was okay, since otherwise the finished product would have been of almost an unmanageable size. By now many of you have purchased the first volume, entitled by the publisher “Gas Globes - Amoco to Mobil”. In it there are over 900 color photos of globes and complete listings of all major oil companies alphabetically along with all of their affiliates and any companies from the United States and Canada which they purchased or operated at any time in this century. The clarity of these companies are preserved to the extent that several companies are listed twice, in two separate places, deliberately so that you as a collector could understand the changes that those businesses faced over the years. One example of this is Martin. Martin Oil Service globes are listed in the Martin section along with globes from Martin Oil Company (a family owned affiliate) and J. D. Street (Zephyr), the company that eventually purchased the originally Martin Oil Company operation. However, since after J. D. Street purchased Martin Oil Company, the division Martin Oil Service continued to operate separately until being sold to Marathon’s Emro Marketing, those globes associated with Martin Oil Service are listed with other Marathon affiliates. The logic behind these duplicated listings was this: If you wanted to collect everything that had to do with Martin, then look in the Martin section and assemble your collection accordingly. Likewise, if you set out to collect everything associated with Marathon and their affiliates, then you could refer to that section and everything would be listed there.
In addition, in the new book Canadian and some other foreign globes are listed, first with their United States affiliates, and later, in the second volume, they will be contained in specific “Canadian” and “Foreign” sections. Other specialty globes, including automotive globes, air globes, generics, etc are also listed in the second volume. Both volumes contain all of the introductory text, greatly expanded from the original book. Collecting tips, and an extensive listing of all known reproduction globes, guide to globe values and more.
Gas Globes - Volume One is available now, see page 35 for ordering information. Volume Two will be available in the late summer, hopefully in time to be released at Iowa Gas. Shown on the opposing page is some color excerpts from Volume Two. We hope you enjoy these two fantastic books!
Web design by Primarily Petroliana Interactive
Cgi software based on