Car Petroliana

Petroliana is the name given to collectible items relating to gas or petrol stations and the petroleum industry in general. Examples of such memorabilia are old gas pumps, advertisements and signs, road maps and company signage, literature and promotional material, but there are many more things that collectors seek as well.

Petroliana enthusiasts can be found around the world and each has his own reasons for collecting the items. Many used to or currently work in the sector and want to save their memories, others are general motoring enthusiasts who have expanded their interests, still more take pleasure in the aesthetics of the items they collect while some want to save things for posterity and to restore and revive them.

Petroliana can be seen and bought in many places, with motoring museums displaying some of the more interesting and unique examples and everywhere from antique stores and auctions to charity shops and car boot sales placing items for sale.

The most sought-after collectibles are those from what is known as “the golden age of motoring” – the 1950s. Items from this area are often considered the most glamorous and important. Very early examples from the birth of the motor car are more rare and, therefore, more expensive. Modern examples of petroliana are easier to come by and of less importance, but in future these too will become antiquities and take pride of place in collections.