Local auction draws buyers from across US

PRINCETON -- Competition was fierce as collectors stalked the oil and gas memorabilia collection of Joe Morris, which was sold at an estate auction Saturday. Collectors came from all over Illinois and across the country to try to take home a piece of Morris' extensive collection, which he had spent more than 29 years compiling before his death in July. The collection, some dozen or so fully-restored gas pumps and countless other small pieces, represented decades of changes in the oil and gas industry and more specifically, the local service station scene. Oil companies such as Sinclair, Aladdin, Texaco and Standard could be seen, along with the names of service stations long gone from Bureau County. As the smaller pieces of the collection were sold such as toys, ashtrays, lights, etc., collectors with their eyes on a bigger prize walked among the gas pumps, checking the quality of the restoration, looking for authenticity and deciding how high they would bid. Some of the gas pumps sold for thousands of dollars. It is such serious business, in fact, that Miles Little and his wife, Carol, drove all the way from Midland, N.C., just for this sale. Little took part in almost every part of the auction, bidding on everything from the smallest knick knack to the biggest pump. "He just collects all kinds of things, but mostly collects old gas pumps and gas signs," Carol said as her husband was off following the auctioneer. Among other things, Miles bought a tire inflator and two gas pumps to add to the collection he has been working on for 30 years. "I just bought one gas pump and it took off from there," he said of how he got started. "I've got about 150 (pumps) at home now." To house their collection, the Littles have a full-sized box car and caboose in their back yard, along with an old service station/general store they had hauled in and restored. They have traveled as far as Des Moines, Iowa, for this type of sale and are constantly on the lookout for new prospects. "We get gas show and auction magazines so we can get in touch with people that way," Carol said. John Rogge and Gary Rossin had left their homes in Wenona, Minn., at about 4 a.m. Saturday to make it to Princeton for the sale. At the end of the auction, they turned around and made the drive back. "This is about the farthest we've gone," Rogge said, "although we plan on going out a little farther. We go to Iowa all the time." Rogge said he had his eye on a couple of pumps and a couple of signs. "I have a pretty good sized collection at home, enough to fill a two- or three-car garage. His is similar," he said, motioning to Rossin. After the pumps were all sold, Rogge had bought only one light globe from the top of a pump. "The rest of the stuff either went too high or the quality wasn't there," he said. "There's a sale in Indiana next weekend we're thinking about going to. We still have our eye on a couple of those signs, though." Joe Grabowski of Essex has been collecting for 25 years. Although he has a 6,000-square-foot building dedicated to housing his wares, he tries to pass it off as something not-so-serious. "A pack rat they call me," he says with a laugh. "This is just a hobby. I'm retired, and it keeps me out of trouble!" Grabowski said he travels out to Indianapolis, Ind., and up to Iola for sales. Tom Shipman of Port Byron wanted one pump in particular, but with the competition present, he wasn't too hopeful. "I like this one," he said pointing to a restored red and green Texaco pump, "but it won't go home with me. I think everything is going to go pretty high." Shipman said he got into collecting because he worked at a gas station as a young man, and his dad had done the same. Now he buys, sells and trades pieces. Since he started, Shipman said he has seen a lot of growth and acceptance of gas memorabilia collecting. "They'd laugh at you for this 10 years ago," he said. "Now everyone's getting into it."