Adding vintage gas pump globes to your collection is a fun and rewarding hobby. These beautiful and intriguing items are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they can also be quite valuable. However, as with any type of collectible, the value of your gas pump globe will depend on its condition and authenticity. So, before you purchase a gas pump globe, it’s important to understand the basics of how to appraise them.

When motoring entered Mainstream America in the early 1900s, the branding and marketing of gasoline & engine oil became an important way to attract customers to Service Stations. In addition to Curb Signs & Banners, the use of illuminated Gasoline Globes atop Gas pumps and on sconces at the edge of the stations quickly became a popular way to brand a station and make it stand out in the eyes of Traveling Auto Tourists driving by.

The earliest gas globes were made of Milk Glass, and either hand painted with the specific oil brand or etched. Later, the process of screening the image on the backside of the glass, and baking it on (also known as firing on) to the surface, resulted in a more durable finish. The globes themselves were designed to sit atop the channeled steel-fitted body of a gas pump, and to be easily seen by drivers from far away.

Some of the most popular brands that were offered through gas pumps in this era included Shell, Gulf, Texaco and Atlantic. There were even some smaller, more obscure brands such as White Rose, Red Head and Polly that are also sought after by collectors today.

The most common and popular of the vintage gas pump globe appraisals were those with a 13.5” lens set into a Plastic Capco Body. These globes were popular from the 1930’s into the 1960’s, when they began to be phased out in favor of more modern square shaped pumps that would allow for greater visibility of the amount of fuel being pumped.

When evaluating a glass tank globe, it is important to keep in mind that most are considered to be vintage when they have a metal ring that fits into a brass or cast iron mounting ring on the body of the pump. Globes that have a plastic ring or are attached by clips are most likely reproductions.

In addition to examining the base and mount of a globe, it is also important to consider how much damage has occurred to the body itself. A chip in the base of a globe can be fairly common, but major damage to a figure such as the beak of a White Eagle for example will greatly decrease the value of the piece. For this reason, many collectors prefer to buy only the most mint-condition examples of these unique pieces of petroliana.