This picnic cooler has an enameled steel exterior as well as a galvanized liner. On the interior there would have been a sandwich tray but it’s had to find a cooler today with the original tray. There are two handles on the cooler (one on the lid, one on the sides) that lock together for carrying. There’s also a convenient bottle opener mounted on the side, as well as a cap catcher on the cart. This cooler holds up to 32 bottles, as well as room for storing food above the bottles on the sandwich tray. This design was great, since it would keep the sandwiches above the bottles and ice, so the food could stay cool, but dry. There is also additional space on the rack below for uncooled bottle storage or empties.

Dimensions: 19”L x 13”W x 19”H
Weight: 33 lbs.
Produced: Late 1940s to early 1950s

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

In 1951 M&S was purchased by the Wayne Pump Company, who then moved all their manufacturing and headquarters from their Ft. Wayne, Indiana location to the M&S plant in Salisbury. For a short time after the sale of M&S, new gas pumps carried both the M&S and Wayne brands on them. But within just a few years the M&S was dropped and all the pumps manufactured in the Salisbury plant bore the Wayne brand name. These pumps became known as the Wayne 80 model.

The most collectible model of the M&S pumps is the model 80, shown here. This is a restored 1950 M&S 80 that has what is called the “Ad Glass top”, which refers to the illuminated inset on the top of the pump. The model 80 was also available as a “Script Top” with the oil company name stamped out of the metal with letters that were illuminated.

Manufactured by:
Martin & Schwartz Pump Company
Buffalo, New York

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

The first meters were installed on pumps between 1905 and 1910. These early meters were soon replaced by clock meters, which became the standard through the 1930s. In 1933 the “computer” meter was invented and within a few years all the major gas companies were using them. Computer gas pumps were made with 3-digit dial readouts for the price of gas per gallon, the number of gallons pumped and the total sale amount. This was because, back then, it was inconceivable that gasoline would ever be more than 99.9 cents a gallon. This also meant that a total sale could never exceed $9.99. (Imagine that today!)

Well, the day did come when gasoline sold for $1.00, and more. The Oil Embargo of 1973 resulted in climbing gas prices. Many gas companies and station owners were taken by surprise. As a result, some pumps can still be found today that have handpainted gas prices on them. Many station owners, in order to create an interim solution, displayed prices on their pumps that were indicated as being 1/2 of the actual price per gallon. When the customer was finished pumping, they paid double the amount on the pump. Following the price increases, new gas pumps were manufactured to accommodate 4-digit gas sales as well as gas prices up to $9.99/9 per gallon.

Computer style gas pumps were made well into the 1980s, but for the most part, have since been replaced by digital gas pumps. First released in 1975, digital pumps were to be the solution everyone hoped would allow for never-ending flexibility with prices.

Unfortunately, not all privately owned gas stations have been able to make the changeover to digital pumps. Many “Mom & Pop” stations, because they can’t afford to replace their computer style pumps, are going to be or have been forced out of business. This occurs when the local price of gas exceeds $3.99 a gallon. Many pump manufacturers did not have the foresight to see that gas may cost $4.00 or more per gallon at some point and the pumps were made without a “4” in the dollar dials. Either the pumps or the dials would need to be replaced in these cases. To make matters worse, many of these same pumps cannot count over $99.99 for the total gas purchase.

The Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company was located in Springfield, Massachusetts. They began manufacturing gas pumps around 1902. The company name was changed to Gilbarco in 1965. In 1966 they relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina where they operate today as Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a subsidiary of the Danaher Corporation. They remain one of the leading gas pump manufacturers in the world today.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

The famous Oilzum slogan appears on this restored gas station sign and reads, “If motors could speak we wouldn’t need to advertise”. This design was used from the 1930s to the 1960s.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

This is a gas pump we restored with the Sun Ray Gasoline logo and colors. This is a National A-1 gas pump manufactured by the National Oil Pump and Tank Company of Dayton, Ohio. The company was founded in 1907 and by 1930 the name had changed to the National Pumps Corporation. Tokheim bought National in 1948, and although they did use the National name on some of their pumps, the name was very soon eliminated.

The A-1 is a computer dial pump with an inside sight gauge. This style pump was manufactured from 1936 to 1940. It has an art deco design and an illuminated top unlike any other gas pump. The restoration process would have involved sandblasting, sanding, repairing of any damage and repainting. Finally, the pump was clear-coated and the decals added. This restored pump is an example of how colorful the original pumps could have been.

This is a gas pump that we restored at Vintage Vending years ago. It is a twin pump model called the Tokheim 350-P. Manufactured from 1956 to 1960, this pump was made by the Tokheim Corporation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There is a large “face” on each side, allowing gas to be pumped from both sides as well as offering two different brands of gasoline on each side.

Restoration consisted of stripping, repairing and painting with our auto body restoration process. It was clear-coated and detailed with the Sky Chief and Fire-Chief Texaco brands.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

The Ford Eco Air Meter Model 93 Tire Pump

We restored this Model 93 Eco air meter using a Ford theme, utilizing Ford graphics and colors. It is the same model air pump mentioned in our earlier blog featuring an air meter with Texaco graphics. This is an example of a great piece of roadside Americana that has been beautifully restored and updated so it can be used today as a display piece in a home, garage or business.

Many of us can remember pulling into a gas station to use one of these, or to watch our parents use one. These air meters have the distinctive bell that rings as the air is pumped into the tire. Each infusion of air was accompanied by a “ding” as the meter checked to see if the amount of pressure set on the gauge had been reached yet. These meters also were equipped with a handy reel and automatic recoil to wind the hose back onto the reel once tire inflation was completed.

Produced: From 1947 to late 1950s.

Manufactured by:
Service Station Equipment Company

The Bennett Pump Division
Muskegon, Michigan

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

This is a 1960 Coca-Cola tire rack and 2-sided metal sign combination. Never missing an opportunity to advertise, this clever solution was designed for filling stations that also sold Coca-Cola. It was made of tin with a carry handle on top. It’s a very clever design solution since the inclusion of the tire will also promote tire sales for the filling station owner as well. As the text states, “It helps the dealer by suggesting a check of tires and possible sale, and also suggests that the motorist ‘Enjoy Coca-Cola’”. They’re pretty rare and one of these in very good shape recently went for $2,600 at auction.

Dimensions: 17”W x 32”H

Another of the vintage gas pumps restored at Vintage Vending is a 1941 Wayne 100. It is a swing-arm style gas pump, designed so gas could be pumped from either side of the island. The hose was positioned on a reel inside the pump so the excess would retract when not in use. The glass on the face was curved toward one side of the pump.

This Wayne has a striking art deco appearance, with the sight gauge on the side of the pump, so it can be viewed from either side of the island.
The pump was stripped, repaired and painted with our auto body restoration process. It was painted, including pinstriping, and clear-coated. It was finished with Texaco decals.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

The 1955 Wayne 501 Island Display was designed to sit on the filling station island, making products available for purchase right at the pump. This unit was intended to be placed alongside the Wayne 500 series pumps. There wasn’t a pump on this unit; it was designed purely to encourage sales. Beginning in the early 1930’s, oil companies realized the opportunity to make sales right at the pump by making products available to the customer who didn’t usually get out of his car, as filling stations had gas attendants in those days. The 501 not only displayed cans of oil, it also has a glass display case on the top and within that is an electric rotating platform to display other necessary automotive products.

This Wayne 501 Island Display was restored by us at Vintage Vending. This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

To view more pictures of the Wayne 501 restoration, visit the RetroPlanet.com Museum.

The iPump iMac Computer Gas Pump

At Vintage Vending we first put an Apple iMac computer in an original gas pump in 1999. The idea was to create a workstation for a car collector’s garage or a kiosk for an automobile dealer. The one pictured here we did for ourselves to use at trade-shows and in our retail store. With the iMac you could surf the web, listen to iTunes or show photos with an iPhoto slideshow.

To pull this alteration off, we took an original Gilbarco 96 gas pump and mounted the computer where the faceplate would have been. Then we custom finished the opening for a nice clean look. The faceplate became the screensaver. To access the keyboard we built a slide out drawer and mounted a mousepad to the right side of the pump. We also added extra speakers and a cooling fan in the back. As with all of our restorations, it was finished inside and out.

We hope you like it and if you have any interest in owning one we still have one available painted in Chevy colors.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

1950’s Esso Tiger Advertising Statue “Put a Tiger In Your Tank”

These pictures and video are of the Esso Tiger we restored a few years back and that still guards the Retroplanet.com world headquarters. The pictures show the ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ stages. At Vintage Vending we restored 3 of these over the years. This one is the smaller of the two sizes that were used by Esso, and is different then most Tigers because of the embossed Esso logo on the back leg.

The Tiger is fiberglass so the restoration process entailed stripping the old paint, fiberglass repair work, primer, sanding, a basecoat of paint, airbrushing the details and then clear coat to finish.

Here are a couple of tips if you decide to restore one.
1. If you sandblast—be very careful. Use a media that is not that abrasive; you do not want to break through that outer layer of fiberglass. I believe we used crushed walnut shells.
2. Also, do your best to find one with its tail. Many are missing theirs and they’re not the easiest things to duplicate.

All in all, it is not a hard restoration, especially if you have access to a good airbrush artist. Good luck.

Shell Oil “Clamshell” Sign Restoration: Before and After

There are a lot of collectors who think that signs should never be restored or touched up in any way. Personally, I have never had a problem with it depending on the sign, where it would be used and how bad the condition was. You should be careful, however. In some cases, touching up a very valuable and rare sign may actually lessen the value of it. A lot of collectors will not even consider buying a sign that has had work done on it. But when I came across this 1941 ArtKraft Shell “Clamshell” sign I knew it was a great candidate to be made new again. This piece had once been a component of a Shell filling station sign. It was originally double-sided and placed on a pole. There were neon lights around the edges. And now that it was going to be the first thing you saw when you entered my office, I wanted it to be perfect.

As you can see from the “before” pictures, it had some chipping issues and had faded over the years. To correct it, the sign was lightly bead-blasted to rough up the porcelain finish and eliminate any rust. The missing porcelain was then repaired with body filler. The sign was hand-sanded, primed, hand-sanded again to get ready for paint. At this point the sign was painted with the base coat of yellow. Next came the tedious part of masking and taping off the red portion of the sign, which took many hours. The red was painted and the mask was peeled away. The sign was wet-sanded and then clear-coated and, most likely, wet sanded again.

I think it was well worth the effort. The sign is beautiful, a work of art and a wonderful piece of Americana.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

Production Notes:
This sign was painted with PPG paints. Not sure if the colors are 100% accurate to the original sign, but we liked them, so we used them.
Yellow DCC 83409
Red DCC 72356

1932 Wayne Model 861 Clock Meter Pump

Another piece from the Retro Museum is the Wayne Model 861 pump. Around 1929, gas pumps were beginning to be designed with indicators that showed the amount of fuel that had been dispensed. These indicators were first created as dials with clock-like hands that pointed to the number of gallons that were pumped. Because of the resemblance to a clock face, with its dial and “hands”, these early gas pumps were referred as clock face pumps. On this clock-like dial face, only the total gallons were displayed. The small hand measured gallons and the large hand measured parts of a gallon. To calculate the total price, the attendant would have to rely on price-per-gallon signs and his own arithmetic skills.

An original ad for the Wayne 861 pump listed the “10 Distinctive Features”:

1. Clock
2. Octagonal dial
3. Pumping unit
4. Expansion chamber
5. Piston meter
6. Motor protection
7. Non-shock nozzle
8. Chassis
9. Flow indication
10. Wiring

This restored pump is electric motor-operated. It utilized a see cage glass on its upper body to monitor the flow of the gasoline. This clock face pump has been stripped and repainted in a vivid blue and yellow, and is topped off with a globe featuring the Richfield Hi-Octane gasoline logo.

Restoration work was completed by Vintage Vending. This clock meter pump is not for sale. Please post any questions you may have. There may be a collector out there that can help you.

1935 Wayne Model 60 Gas Pump

Wayne is one of the oldest and most successful original gas pump makers, dating back to 1891. The Wayne Company revolutionized the service station industry in 1933 when it introduced the first computing pump with the Model 40. In response to the need for a more modern and attractive computing pump, came the new Wayne 60 narrow body pump. This pump has a more streamlined Art Deco-inspired design, with stepped sides, resembling the elegant design of the Empire State Building. The Wayne Co. promoted this 1935 model as the “World’s Most Beautiful Pump”. The new Model 60 was a tremendous hit in the service station industry, having been placed at the stations of major companies including Texaco, Shell and Phillips.

The people at Vintage Vending have restored this original 1930’s Art Deco style gas pump to its original glory. This 1935 Wayne Model 60 has been restored with the Mobilgas Special logo. Note the sight gauge is outside of and above the computer face. In the later 30’s, the gauge was moved inside, on the computer face. The purpose of the sight gauge is to see the flow of the gasoline.

The computer was first referred to a “variator” when it was released by the Wayne Co. in 1933. The term “computer” was first used by manufacturer Veeder-Root to describe their revolving number meter that displayed the amount of gas pumped and the price. Other companies adopted the term by 1940. These computers were in use until digital pumps were introduced around 1975.

The Wayne Model 60 pumps came with the factory option of glass insert panels that were painted with a generic or sunburst design or with an advertisement. This example has the sunburst design.

Features of the Wayne 60 Model Gas Pump:

● Volume computer unit
● Price synchronizing mechanism
● Gallon totalizer
● Rotary pump unit
● Air separator
● Four-cylinder piston meter
● Computer reset control mechanism
● Visible flow indicator
● Non-shock nozzle
● Explosion-proof motor
● Electric advertising sign

The 1935 Wayne Model 60 represents a high point in the evolution of gas pump design. Today these pumps are so desired by collectors that the demand far exceeds the supply. We’re sorry, but this restored gas pump is not for sale.

If you have any questions, please post it. Maybe another collector can help you.

1935 Wayne Model 50 Displaymeter

Displaymeters were the mega-pumps of their day. These gas pumps were outfitted with display shelves to facilitate sales directly at the pump. Gas retailers realized the potential for additional, impulse sales if products were displayed at the island for the customer.

(Remember: these were the days before self-serve gas, when a gas attendant came to your car and pumped your gas, checked the oil and washed your windshield. You didn’t need to get out of your car. Unfortunately, those days are gone.)

Pumps with display space were introduced around 1932. The built-in display cases showcased batteries and accessories, while some larger cases could even accommodate tires. As if these were not large enough, Wayne made the Model 56 in 1936 that combined two pumps and display cases into one structure. There was also the Model 55, with a single pump and a doublewide display case. In addition to oil and other small car accessories, these massive pieces were used to display tires, car batteries and other large merchandise.

Wayne Factory advertisements stated that the Displaymeter “makes your island a blazing front of light and your station becomes an attractive place to shop at night when other stores are closed.” And from a purely business perspective, “In the market of petroleum today it is conceded that the eye-appeal of the dispensing pump is a paramount importance. The island is the sign of service and the pumps tell what kind of service to expect.” The Wayne Co. was very successful, even through the Depression, so evidently, their strategy worked.

In terms of style, the Model 50 Displaymeter had the elegant Art Deco stepped sides typical in the 30’s Wayne pump design, with the addition of the 4 glass sides and shelves to display merchandise. Lights inside the case illuminated the products on display.

This pump was restored with the Texaco gas company logo and illuminated globe. The sight meter is outside of and above the clock face as was the design in the early 30’s. Not only are these pumps very striking, but also they are extremely rare. Not many of them have survived the test of time.
This Wayne Model 50 Displaymeter was restored by Vintage Vending and is not for sale. If you have a question for another collector that might be able to help you, please post it here.

The Little Fisk Tire Boy Fiberglass Statue

“Time to Re-Tire” was the slogan coined for Fisk Tires when they started using The Little Fisk Tire Boy around 1910. Not sure how old this fiberglass statue was when we restored it about 6 years ago, but like other fiberglass restorations it entailed stripping the old paint, fiberglass repair work, primer, sanding, base coat of paint, airbrushing the details and then clear coat to finish. Don’t remember how big it was, but I’m guessing around 5 feet tall. Hope you like him.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.