Cars We Remember – Collector Car Corner; Gas Station memories and publicity schemes

Q: Greg – thanks for all the nostalgia columns along the way. My area newspaper runs your column every week and I enjoy it very much. (Yes, I’m a baby boomer!)

I remember a long time ago you did columns on Sears and growing up in the 1950s. Well, my memories include the gas stations of that wonderful era, which today don’t exist. 

Can you take us back to those great old gas stations of the Fifties and Sixties? I remember the gas stations and the many gimmicks they used to get your business. There were many promotions that went well beyond the usual S&H Green Stamps most stations offered. Thanks again for your nostalgic columns. John M., a baby boomer from Spokane, Washington. 

A: John – thanks so very much. When I receive letters like this it keeps me going! As for those gas stations, back then when you stopped at a full-service gas station it really was full service. There was no self-service back then, and the attendants would not only pump your gas, they would clean the windshield, check your oil, and even check your tire pressure. 

These many fuel companies engaged in numerous marketing ploys to draw you in for fill ups. Unlike today’s gas station stores that are mostly convenience stores and eateries that sell gas, old-time gas stations were true service centers offering specialized auto repair, tires, oil, batteries and more. The only things in common with today’s gas stations were rest rooms and at best a small selection of gum, candy bars, crackers, soda, and potato chips. Other than that it was servicing your car and selling gasoline as the primary business plan.

Since most gas stations offered the same level of service, it took different promotions to get you into their station and making sure you came back for more if you were an area resident.

I remember Texaco offered a beautiful Buddy L toy service station that was available only from your local Texaco dealer for $3.50. This beautiful scale model included everything needed for one of the better Christmas holiday gifts back then.  A little later, in the Sixties, it was the Texaco Fire Chief helmet with a speaker that was a hot ticket for youngsters and a ploy that urged parents to stop at a Texaco Station more often than naught. 

Hess Stations offered official Hess Trucks every Thanksgiving starting in 1964, and still do to this day by mail order only. Hess stopped selling the trucks at the Hess Stations a few years ago and they are now available online only. I’m not sure why Hess stopped the yearly offering at their stations, but I’ll bet that gas sales during the Thanksgiving holiday have gone down, as you can’t fill up by mail order. 

Toys and collectibles aside, it was the money and big award games that really sparked motorist interest. 

Sunoco’s popular cash game increased traffic and was very popular during the later 1960s. Every time a consumer bought gas they received a Sunoco Bucks money play card that featured one-half of dollar denominations. You needed to match the other side to win, necessitating another stop. The low denomination prizes were frequent, but no one I hung around with ever won any big money. 

Sunoco wasn’t the only gas station that offered unique monetary prize games. 

Shell’s “Mr. President Coins” game was a hit, even though the company had to stop it mid-flight as there were some unsavory “dealer or gas station acquaintances” claiming prizes unfairly. The first batch of coins could be identified prior to opening, so Shell recalled the coins and started over with a new coin that was tamper proof. Prizes of up to $5,000 and instant winners from $1.00 to $1,000 made for a good reason to stop by a Shell dealer. The instant $1,000 winner went to the holder of any James Madison coin, but the most popular instant winner was the Chester A. Arthur $1.00 coin. This game was only promoted in certain areas of the country.

Atlantic gas stations, which grew to become Mobil, had a card game called “Play Ball,” and similar to the Shell President’s game it was baseball that took center stage. A total of 50 players were included, and prizes ranged from $1.00 to $2,500 based on collecting either two or three group cards in a cash prize category. There were also Instant Winner cards with $1.00 and $5.00 denominations most frequent. Another popular Atlantic game of the later 1960s was “Match the Red Ball” where you could win cash, a Chevy Camaro, or other prizes. It was similar to Sunoco’s Sunny Dollars, as you had to match two sides of the game pieces.   

Baby boomers might recall that well before Visa and MasterCard it was the gasoline credit card that arrived first. Gulf was the first company that offered this scribe a credit card back in 1969 following my early community college days and induction into the U.S. Army National Guard. I took them up on it, as I did Shell, too. Further, Gulf is noted for being the first company to open a drive-in service gas station back in 1913 in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Sinclair was another company that did some big promotions in the 1960s. Most memorable was when Sinclair offered five $25,000 grand prizewinners along with weekly winners of up to $5,000. It was a nationwide Sinclair Sweepstakes promo where customers could win other prizes like televisions and radios, but everyone had their eyes on the big money. The promotion was highly successful for Sinclair dealers as all you had to do was fill out the official Sinclair entry blank and mail it in. Considering this promotion took place in 1960, that $25K was really huge money as today’s 2022 value is equivalent to $237,456 after 62 years of a 3.7% inflation rate. 

Gone is a staple product that gas stations offered to assist motorists and make them stop in for fill ups. I recall fondly all of those large, full color, foldout, state and U.S. road maps, which were usually free of charge at your area gas station. However, you won’t find old style maps anymore thanks to navigation provided by Smart phones, plug-in Garmins, and other satellite controlled built-in-car direction systems. 

Although Hess offers yearly holiday trucks that are still popular for kids and collectors, the era of the unique gas station promotions, games, and other “stop in” ploys have disappeared along with the “real” gas stations we knew back then. Many have either closed or become tire centers that offer the usual oil changes and car care we were used to. However, every now and then, you’ll still find a small, independent garage that used to offer gas but now still offers quality auto service. They are our only links to the past, sans the road maps.   

Thanks for your letter John, and as Esso (now Exxon) used to say, “Happy Motoring.”

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader input and questions on collector cars and auto nostalgia at greg@gregzyla.com or at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840.)