AUTOMOBILIA EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN GAS PUMP

Charming vintage gas pumps track the progression of the automotive age from its earliest years – and they are highly collectable, too. Here’s what you should be looking for

WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF A GAS pump, they visualize a modern multi-grade machine with a credit-card reader and built-in TV screen – the kind found outside the corner convenience store. To a collector, however, the term ‘gas pump’ elicits thoughts of relics from bygone eras, with the earliest units now coming in at more than 100 years old.

The first generation were basically hand pumps set on a barrel in front of a general store. In the early 1900s, with a rapid increase in the number of registered vehicles, the need for a better method of gasoline distribution was established. Bigger hand pumps, attached to large buried tanks at the curbside, began popping up across the country. These models were largely generic and simple cast ‘stroker’type designs; they were purely function based to do their job of getting fuel from the tank into the automobile. This all began to change by the late 1910s, and certainly into the Roaring 1920s, as ever more pumps and dedicated gas stations appeared on America’s highways.

There are many variations of these gas pumps, but the Bowser 97 Square Sentry is a good example of an early-style model. This particular version came on the market in 1922, and was hand-operated like the previous ‘blind’ pumps were. From the mundane appearance of the earliest units, such models would see design and aesthetics coming into play from manufacturers across the country.

Pumps went from small and inconspicuous to large and imposing in a matter of a decade. The Bowser also offered a globe mount at the top, which would have been illuminated at stations with electricity to further catch the motorist’s eye. Many units of this early style are referred to as ‘pre-visible’ models.

The next era of gas pumps featured arguably the most iconic model of all time, the ‘visible’ pump with a large glass cylinder. Even the most casual collector has likely encountered one of these in their adventures, because the use of such devices was widespread and prolonged.

The earliest visible models were in use by the late teens, but this style of pump commanded the market share as the 1920s progressed. The Bennett Model 810 ten-gallon visible pump shown here was manufactured in 1930, and is indicative of most models from this era and style. Many of these pumps were hand-operated, where the attendant would manually work the fuel up into the cylinder from the holding tank, before allowing gravity to drop the desired number of gallons into the customer’s tank. Some collectors refer to this style as a ‘gravity-feed’ pump.

Visible models also came with electric- and air-operated pumps for filling the cylinders as more and more stations gained access to electricity throughout the countryside after passage of the Rural Electrification Act in 1936. The large cylinders gave comfort to consumers, because they could see the fuel being delivered from the pump into their vehicle’s tank –eliminating some of the concerns of being shortchanged at one of the earlier blind models.

Oil companies using visible gas pumps sometimes dyed their different grades of fuel, which furthered customers’ confidence in knowing that they were getting exactly what they ordered. Most visible gas pumps were made with ten-gallon cylinders, but five-gallon models were fairly prevalent as well; there are also some odd-sized cylinder pumps still known to exist from small manufacturers, including a rare 15-gallon model.

FAR LEFT Erie 753 clockface pump was made in 1931. OPPOSITE Martin & Schwartz 80 with Mobilgas Special logo dates from 1946. LEFT Visible pumps such as Bennett Model 810 were popular in the 1920s.

Following the era of visible gas pumps came the ‘clockface’ models. While most visible versions reached to imposing heights, often nearing ten feet when sporting globes, this next generation stood a more modest six or seven feet tall – even with a globe atop. Instead of the earlier, manually operated pumps, clockface models used electric motors almost exclusively to drive both the internal pumps and the dial mechanisms; however, handoperated units of this type do turn up occasionally in collector circles.

The name clockface comes from the large clock-like dial at the top center of these pumps, with hands that would move in a clockwise fashion as the gasoline flowed through the meter to indicate both the flow of fuel and the volume dispensed. To further inspire consumer confidence, most pumps from this era utilized a small sight glass with a flow indicator, which would show that fuel was indeed flowing from the device and into the car’s tank.

Interestingly, many rural areas did not see widespread usage of clockface pumps, because by the time electricity was broadly accessible at remote locations, these models were no longer being manufactured. In fact, the earlier visible designs had stayed in use in these locales throughout this whole period.

The Erie 753 pump with Shell globe shown on the previous page was manufactured in 1931, and it is indicative of models from this era. Clockface pumps are some of the most widely sought after among collectors today.

A major innovation then followed the clockface versions: the ‘computing’ pump mechanism, which would be used in the

1930s and for decades to follow. These meters could be set with current prices, and would measure both gallon flow and the total value of the sale, right on the pump face. This is something we take for granted today, but in the post-Depression era it was a major step forward technologically.

The first generations of the computing pumps stood tall, like the clockfaces, but they soon became shorter and more streamlined. The Wayne 60 model with Speedway globe and ad glass (left) came into production in 1935; this pump is not particularly rare, but it is highly sought after in collector circles. The Martin & Schwartz 80 version with Mobilgas Special pump plate and top is an example of how the styling evolved; this particular model came into production in 1946.

This brief overview of gas pumps is the tip of the iceberg, to say the least. There are countless variations, because the generations overlapped and changed from one to the other. Often the latest models would be installed at new stations or the highest-visibility/volume locations, and the existing pumps would be moved to less prominent locales or out to farms for use there; this being said, the same device may have seen use for decades as it made the rounds from location to location.

With this in mind, we often see color schemes or logos that, at a casual glance, do not fit the normal era of use – but it makes sense, knowing that the pump may have been repurposed or reused several times in its life. For those interested in learning more, I highly recommend The Gas Pump Bible, by the late Jack Sim. It features images and information on more than 3000 gas pumps, and serves as an invaluable resource to collectors.

Thank you to www.checktheoilmagazine.com’s Aaron Hop, and to Automobilia Resource at www.automobiliaresource.com.