Automobila

by Motoring Editor Chris Dugdale

In all the articles so far written we have never covered the collection of Automobilia. This can be a fascinating and absorbing hobby as there is an almost endless supply of motoring ephemera going back some 100 years.

 

 

It can be acquired from so many different sources, the obvious places to start are of course Autojumbles and Swapmeets but you can just as easily come across bits and pieces by keeping your eyes open when out shopping, charity shops, antique shops, second hand and junk shops, street markets, local auction marts, in fact just almost anywhere. I have personally acquired a fine collection of car, tractor and cart jacks, mostly for no more than £1 or £2 at local Council recycling centres, it is really quite surprising what gets thrown out as rubbish.

Autojumbles and Classic Car Auctions are regularly held throughout the country and this can be a excellent place to purchase Manufacturers Show Catalogues which give a fine insight into how cars, vans and trucks have been marketed since the early 1900`s. Some of these are really lavish and beautifully printed. They can be purchased for anything between £5 and £25 depending on rarity. When studying some of those produced through the inter war years one is soon struck by the fact that there is really nothing new with our so called modern cars, they are simply more refined. Over 100 years of motoring and we still have pistons connected to a crankshaft to give forward motion, 30 years ago I was firmly convinced that by the turn of the 21st century our cars would be propelled by nuclear power, how wrong I was.

Depending on the space you have available governs what you can collect, limited space then catalogues, bonnet mascots, spark plugs (there is an infinite variety from the early years of motoring), magnetos, Rumbaken glass oil filled 12 and 6 volt coils, Magnetos, Instruction and Drivers Manuals, early copies of the Autocar, Motor, Motor Sport, Speed etc., Newnes Motor Repair Manuals (usually 4 vols), The Automobile Engineer (5 vol. set), Wheel Hub Grease Caps from the likes of Bean, Austin, Morris etc., the list is endless.

AA and RAC Car Badges were made in numerous designs over the years and there is still a plentiful supply, the former can be found for as little as £10 whilst the RAC version is somewhat more expensive, in addition many local motor clubs produced their own badge and a search of stalls at the Autojumble will usually be successful in securing one.

 

If you have more space then another aspect of the hobby is the collection of old Garage Equipment, early Bowser Petrol Pumps, or the Dial Type of the 1950`s / 1960`s by such makers as Avery Hardol, Gilbarco, Wayne & Beckmaster. Trolley Jacks, 2 wheel Ambulances, Fuel Pump Globes such as Power, Shell, R.O.P., National Benzol Mixture, Esso, but beware of modern reproductions. Good originals can now be anything from £200 to £400 each. Oil Cabinets, Hand Operated Tyre Compressors and again the smaller hand tools such as the valve spring compressor come in many shapes and sizes.

 

Another aspect which has a large following is the collecting of Enamel Signs, these were made in vast numbers but prices have risen steeply over the last few years however; there are still a good supply and they can look very attractive when fixed to a wall.

I hope the above will have wetted your appetite and that once the new season gets underway you will get out there and start collecting!