The history of the gas pump

If you like to watch “American Pickers,” you will notice that they are especially fond of all things related to the automobile. They are always buying old metal containers that held oil, oil pumps, auto advertising signs and especially old gas pumps. You have probably seen them buy old tall rusty ones and glass globes that were part of the pump.

The first gas pumps were produced in 1898 by the Bowser Company in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Several other companies began to produce pumps as the auto industry grew and expanded.

As people began to buy more cars, gas pumps began to spring up on every corner. The first pumps were very tall and had a clear glass tank at the top where you could see the gas. People wanted to be able to see the gas because contaminants and dirt were a big problem initially.

Pumps were first produced in the 1880s, but the 1898 models were the first to pull gas up from underground tanks. The customer would have to manually pump a handle back and forth to fill the glass globe, and then gravity would cause the gas to run through the hose into the automobile.

Early pumps just had marks on the globe so you knew how much gas you pumped. In the 1920s the pumps were electrified, but the customer still wanted to see that gas so the clear glass remained. These pumps had what looked like a clock face that told you how much gas you pumped, but they did not compute the cost. A few years later pumps got fancier and displayed the cost and gallons pumped.

As cars modernized, the pumps began to reflect the style of the period such as art deco. In the 1930s gas stations were not always well lit, so many pumps featured lighted dials as well as an ornate white glass globes that lit up on top the pump and advertised the gas station. There were globes that were round, some that were shaped like a crown and many others.

By the 1950s pumps had gotten smaller and boxier. These are not as collectible as the earlier models. The most collectible are those that were owned by smaller independent companies unlike Texaco or Sinclair.

Just to be clear, Texaco and others did not make the pump. The pumps were made by other companies and the distributor would customize the paint and labeling on the pump to reflect the distributor of the gas. If they changed distributors, they would just paint over the pump and/or globe with the new colors and styles of the new distributor.

Properly restored gas pumps are highly collectible and valuable. The glass globes are especially sought after as these were often broken over time. The earlier models are the most collectible and valuable of these pumps. I encourage you to look at all the examples and history online because there is just not enough space here for all those beauties.

Happy Collecting!

Jillinda Falen has been buying and selling antiques for over 31 years and is a licensed REALTOR and estate liquidation specialist. You can contact her through the Houston Home Journal or via email at jcfalen@gmail.com.

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