A look at antique gas globes

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Growing in popularity over the last 20 years, Petroliana is the collection of antiques related to oil and gas stations. Among collecting of items like antique gas pumps, oil cans and vintage gas station signs, there is also a rising interest in antique gas globes.

Gas globes are a rare item among collectors of Petroliana. For many years before World War II, gas globes were placed on top of free standing gas pumps. The gas globes were used for two main reasons, to help with lighting at individual gas pumps and to advertise which type of gas was sold at that particular station.

The development of glass globes makes these pieces unique to collectors. Gas globes were made from a ring of metal with lenses mounted on either side. But the process in which they were designed is what makes them so interesting.

"You can notice most of the glass globes have very rich colors that go from edge to edge with little fancy design involved; this was due to the silk screen process. With silk screen processing, only certain colors could be chosen for logos and design," states David Geisler, Owner of Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, SD.

"We love to see people from all over the nation stopping in to shop through the vintage collector's items and watch their face light up when they find what they came for. With technology advances, we are now able to offer some of that experience on our website, making the collector's quest more possible," says this rustic enthusiast.


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