Best Country on the Globe (and the Can!) ​For Independence Day, this petroliana displays ITs TRUE colors

Jul/Aug 2024 edition
Issue #35 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
​By Aaron Hop

When I think of Independence Day, many things come to mind: fireworks, American flags, hot dogs and beer, and gas station collectibles! My wife would testify that the unhealthy obsession with oil cans, gas globes, and any other oil company items permeates all aspects of my thought process, but the red, white, and blue color combination coupled with flags, eagles, or Lady Liberty elicit an almost immediate stirring of patriotism and love of America. While today I may focus on the collectible side of these brands, when they were in use originally the consumer was drawn to these brands by the associations of strength, power, and endurance that America exemplifies.

American Oil & Gas Co. of Dallas, Texas, may have won the battle for the most patriotic images and slogans ever used in the oil industry: When you look at the can and globe they used, it checks most of the patriotic boxes: bald eagle, red/white/blue shield, stars, and a catchy "Powerful as Its Name” slogan. Items from this company are fairly scarce today and are quite popular among collectors. Often, companies use different designs for their various products, but this globe and oil can display identical incredible imagery!

The American Oil & Gas Co. of Dallas, Texas, used the American Gasoline globe, shown on a 13.5" screw-base glass body ($9,000 estimated value).

the American Motor Oil quart oil can ($4,500 estimated value) in the 1940s.

Liberty Oil Co. of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, used these three different 15" metal-framed gas pump globes in the 1930s. The Liberty Blue is the rarest and most valuable of the three ($10,000 estimated value), while the Liberty Gasoline and the LIOCO Gasoline are more available ($5,000 each estimated value).

Liberty Motor Oil quart can from Liberty Service, Inc., of Mount Carmel, Illinois, was used in the 1940s and 1950s ($2,500 estimated value).

Richardson Oil of Quincy, Illinois, was a relatively small regional marketer in the 1920s, but it did not miss out on patriotic marketing. While their logo is not as graphically developed as some of the other companies, the simple design and red/white/blue colors make it a classic. If consumers weren’t drawn in enough, the nod toward U.S.A. Motor Oil was sure to seal the deal. It does make me wonder about the rationale behind the inclusion of “U.S.A.” in their logo, as during this era the country’s oil and gas were domestically produced, and the "American made" marketing movement we often see today was decades away.

Perhaps the most recognizable American-themed company is the American Oil Company of Baltimore, Maryland – or, as most of us would recognize them today, Amoco. Throughout their decades of gasoline marketing, their images evolved and changed from red/black in earlier days to red/white/blue colors, as shown on the two globes included here. For much of the Eastern Seaboard in the mid-1900s, the American Gas with red center could be found on countless pumps. Much like the Richardson sign, this logo is simple, but the colors and name were enough for the consumer to make positive and patriotic associations. The striped American logo was a short-lived logo when American Oil Company took over and rebranded Pan-Am stations in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but the same concept of simple design applied.
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As you sit down and watch your local Fourth of July parade, take in the fireworks show, or enjoy the family barbecue to celebrate the independence of our country nearly 250 years ago, just think about all the neat collectibles that celebrate America every time we look at them!

This Richardson’s USA Motor Oil and Gasolines porcelain sign with hanger is 36" in diameter, and was used in the 1920s by Richardson Oil of Quincy, Illinois ($10,000 estimated value).

The American Oil Company of Baltimore, Maryland, used these two different
styles of gas pump globes, among others. The American Gas version shown here
on a 13.5" Gill glass frame was used in the 1940s and 1950s ($1,500 estimated value). 

The plain American on 12.5" glass frame was used in some Southern states from
1958-1961 ($750 estimated value).

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