This is such a great site! Nice job.

We had a Standard station near our house that used to give away NFL football player stamps. I had a big book with all the teams and their line-ups and every time my mother would go shopping, I'd try to coerce her to stop by for some gas- which, back in those days- it didn't take long to use up a tank of gas with those monster vehicles our parents were driving.

But, oddly enough- stopping by that gas station was the highlight of my day 'cause I would get to collect player stamps and fill my book of NFL players.

What memories!

Thanks for the compliment, Ken.

I remember Texaco had a mega-cool truck you could buy at a discount with fillups, but dad wasn't a fan of the gas.

Yeah, I barely remember stuff like that--I do remember getting SH Greenstamps, thought, until Blue chip stamps replaced them. Let me see, was that at gasoline stations, too? Hmmmm, I must be getting senile...

Anyone remember the silliest premium, namely styrofoam thingies you placed on your car antennae? Most of the time, they were orange balls, but they morphed over the years into other things. Also remember christmas album givaways during the holidays(courtesy of your local shell station owner in big letters on the album).
And, darrnnnnn, how about those great free maps? We collcted them on long family road trips. And, oh year, remember when Shell gave away state stickers, that you could only get in the state that bared the stickers' name? And, finally, the great dino the dinosaur inflatables and plushes from the great Sinclair(still in business, believe it or not).

I remember getting a green plastic dinosaur from a Sinclair station. (The Sinclair logo was a green dinosaur.) What made it cool is that you made the dinosaur yourself from a plastic injection molding machine. I think the machine was right next to the pump. Watching the machine make the toy was a real thrill to an 8-year-old.

Does anyone remember the gas stations giving out drawings of football players? My dad always tells me about them but we can't find anything out about them.

I am looking for information about China that was given away with fill ups at gas stations in the early to mid 60's. My mother managed to save and collect a service for eight with a few extra pieces on the side. On 11/16/2008 my parents 46th wedding anniversary they discovered their home had been broken into and vandalized. One of the items taken was her china set, we are trying to at least find a picture of the china to post in the local paper in hopes that we can recover the stolen items. Among other items taken were heirloom antiques that belong to my grandmother. My parents are heart broken not over the monetary loss but the sentimental values of lost memories. I came across this article and hope maybe you could help. Please email me with any information. mclifton58@gmail.com

i really dont know what it is but having hope i will get the gifts

This is rather crazy. I have been searching everywhere for information on these gifts, and this was all I've found. Anyway, my grandmother died recently, and we came across some (we believe) glass embossed with (what we also believe is) silver in flower patterns. My father was always told this was from gas station freebies. There is a whole serving set, with platters and a pitcher. We have been every trying to find what it is, but nothing. Any information anybody has would be greatly appreciated. Also, this is an absolutely lovely site. =]

P.s. Michelle, I don't know if you are still looking, but I would advise an antique mall, which we tried, or replacements.com which has just about everything.

This is so cool. I was just going through some stuff in the attic and found some old glasses. My grandfather used to own a Sunoco station back in the 60's. My Dad worked there. The glasses have the NY Jets emblem on them. They are small round glasses, probably for drinking some type of cognac or liquor. I wonder how much they are worth? Anyone have any idea? Shot me an email at ripley1130@yahoo.com. Thanks for the post.

I am wondering if they tried so hard for our business cause in the 60s, there were not that many cars, about 1 per family or a little more, maybe 1.2 or near there. By the mid 70s, many more households had 2 cars and 2 at work and cars were a necessity more than before. And with consolidation being a natural part of any industry, I suspect that volume sales of gas become necessary and mechanics could not do both. Computers in cars made them harder to fix so mechanics needed to do volume to justify new expensive equipment. So they got out of the sole proprietor gas station and car fixing place. Now it was many pumps and self service.

I think the train was a nice balance between mobility and stability. Cars gave us incredible independence but also caused traffic jams and moving too far from cities to cause long commutes. We are hooked on a like style that is killing us.

Really, the 60s was so brief a time when we enjoyed the best the car life style had to offer and traffic was not a problem at that point. But 1 car per family was not enough. Wives wanted mobility and independence as well. I think a train would have enable both. But cars solving both created other problems. My two cents for what it is worth.

Knew of the practice, but I was not driving and the parents might remember better! I do remember the large green Sinclair plastic dino! I also remember the Texeco fire truck and the Shell (Put a Tiger in your Tank) tail that you would tie on the back of your vehicle. I do remember that road maps were also free!