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Fueled by an obsession Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Atland Erickson stands before Polly Gas company memorabilia he's collected over the years. The pump at left is one of Erickson's rarest among the 25 that he owns and displays in his backyard museum. Central Point collector pumps up interest in gas memorabilia By DANI DODGE The December 1991 issue of Hot Rod Magazine changed Atland Erickson's life. It wasn't an ad for a gussied-up car, or an article on the best grade of motor oil - it was a background detail on the cover featuring a 1932 Ford hot rod. That detail was an antique gas pump. "I said, 'That's different,'" Erickson, 64, recalled. "I thought maybe I wanted one, too. I got my first one out of Auburn (Calif.). We thought we'd get one or two to put behind cars we had." But instead of being accessories, the gas pumps became an obsession. "We met people with similar interests and then I found one I liked better, and then another I liked better," Erickson said. Hundreds of bought-and-sold gas pumps later, Erickson built a museum behind his Central Point house to store the 25 finest of his gas-pump collection as well as other gas-related memorabilia - including the largest collection of Polly Gas company memorabilia known. It sits next to his 1960 Cadillac convertible (32,000 original miles and still spotless original interior). Skip Geear, who writes a column called "Junkyard Dogs" for the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, said when he took his local Chevy club members to Erickson's museum, they were "blown away." He said the extensive gas pump collection is the only one in the area. "It's really, really, really cool," said Geear, an Eagle Point resident. "He has some of the rarest gas pumps in the country." Geear said Erickson has at least one gas pump that's a one-of-a-kind. "It's impressive," he sighed. And although the hobby of collecting gas pumps may be unusual in Southern Oregon, there are thousands of others who do the same thing across the country. There are get-togethers called "gas bashes." Petroleum Collectibles Monthly, a magazine dedicated to collectors of gas company memorabilia, has a circulation of 5,200. "It was one of the fastest growing hobbies in America for four years up to last year," Erickson said. "It's different and it's fun." Erickson isn't the kind of guy, though, you'd expect to be swept away by such an eccentric hobby. He spent 31 years working as a supervisor for San Jose Water Co. in California before retiring for the first time in 1987. Most of those 31 years he was a classic car buff. On his shelves are dozens of car-show trophies, although he threw most of them away. ("I ran out of room," he explains with a shrug.) After leaving the water company, he and his wife, Virginia, bought an Auburn antique shop. They ran that for a few years before finally retiring for good in the Rogue Valley. Virginia Erickson had grown up here and graduated from Ashland High School in 1951. "She always wanted to come back here," he said. "And I fell in love with it on visits." They bought a home in Central Point and promptly constructed a 1,600-square-foot museum which he calls Tail-Finn Collectibles. In one section there are Mobil products, in another Sinclair, and in yet another Gilmore. He has shelves of round antique gas cans as well as gas station giveaways such as books on dinosaurs. But his "pride and joy" is his Polly collection. The Polly Gas company started in Southern California in 1919, pulling fuel out of the La Brea Tar Pits, Erickson said. It was taken over in 1937 by a larger gas company. Erickson said since gas company memorabilia collecting has become more popular, people with big money are coming in and jacking up the prices. It's become harder and harder over the years to find Polly items. He recently sold a Polly Gas sign for $11,500. But it's rare he lets any of it go. "I like to pick up as much Polly stuff as I can," he said. "You can't find it anymore at gas bashes, but I do find some on the Internet." And then he stores it in his museum. But his museum isn't just the be-quiet-don't-touch kind of place. He's got a standard pool table in there, too. It gives him a chance to hit around a few balls and still be near to what is dear - his gas pumps. "I'll probably keep all this here until I die," he said. Anyone with questions about petroleum collectibles or a desire to tour Erickson's museum can call 665-1553. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.