Patina Passion

As Americans, we tend to reach for the nostalgic, always reminiscing about the “good old days,” when cars were fast and things were built to last. Many of us would agree that some of our most prized possessions may not be prizes at all, but they mean the world to those of us who own them. Think of a family heirloom that has dozens of stories or your grandpa’s beat up old Chevy that you restored to its old glory.

These prized possessions become more valuable to us as they age and even spark collections from time to time. One such instance occurred to Dean Smith after acquiring a 1934 Ford street rod. After rebuilding the Ford model made infamous by the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, Dean built himself a shop to carefully house the street rod. A man’s love for his vintage car sparked a collection like none other. The shop quickly took on an antique gas station vibe and Dean’s patina passion was born.

For over 35 years, Dean has been collecting vintage oil and gas signs, gas pumps, oilcans, tobacco cans, and many other antique advertising pieces. “I like Texas stuff,” says Smith, “you just can’t get enough of the old stations and how [things] were made to last forever.” If a collector truly can have a favorite, one that is special is his Panhandle Texas gasoline sign with a sleek black longhorn logo.

One of Dean’s first signs, a Marathon Gas “Runner,” was found in King, Texas, stored deep in a barn. “You know I was first getting into collecting and really stepped up and offered the guy $50. He couldn’t get the money fast enough!” remembers Smith. The same sign today in its current state, with it’s vintage patina, is worth $3500. He still has that sign hanging in his business, the Texas Station Event Center, along with almost all of the signs he’s acquired over the years.

“I got in at a good time. Before the [American Pickers] show came on, things were not quite as expensive, but now with all the interest, it’s gotten crazy,” remarked Smith. Dean travels to various swap meets throughout the year and was fresh off an annual trek to the Iowa Gas Swap Meet for our interview with plenty of new treasures to gape at. Iowa Gas Swap Meet takes place each summer in Des Moines, Iowa, and is the nation’s largest gas, oil and auto-related advertising swap meet, show and auction.

It was at this very swap meet that Dean met Robert Wolfe, brother of Michael Wolfe of American Pickers fame. “A lot of these sign guys get connected. Robert always comes to Iowa Gas,” noted Smith. “[The Pickers] did call me one time. When they called, I told them I [didn’t] want to sell my stuff and plus I know what they like and want. [I have] a collection and they want to go through barns and stuff like that,” said Smith. “I shouldn’t have told them no,” he admitted, “I should have told them I got a bunch of stuff stored and sold them some stuff cheap to be on the show!” Smith noted with a smile.

Although the Pickers were unable to get their hands on any of Dean’s signs, he was able to help Robert out with custom rings he made for vintage signs. Dean began making custom rings for his signs as a more aesthetically pleasing alternative to what had been on the market. “I didn’t like what’s out there. There’s some that are not as high of quality and I thought, ‘I can make them better.’ So I got a roller and started making them. I needed 60 or so and I could make them for less than what I could buy them for and have better quality [rings],” recalled Smith. Most signs were not made to hang, they were mounted to the tops of poles, so a lot of these rings are custommade for collectors.

Perhaps Smith’s most prized sign is a pre-1938 ten-foot Texaco neon sign, the only one like it known to still exist. Dean found the vintage neon at the Pate Swap Meet in Boyd, Texas, his favorite of all the swap meets he attends. “I was just lucky. The guy had just pulled up with it on the trailer and I just happened to be the first one there to it,” reminisced Smith. This acquisition to his collection earned Smith a spotlight in Petroleum Collector’s Magazine, a magazine published by petroleum historians.

Although Dean’s biggest finds have usually been at swap meets, most of his discoveries have been found locally. Smith bought a Sinclair Oil “Dinosaur” sign from Cotton Davidson, who also used to own a gas station in Gatesville. Smith admits collecting and picking is always on his mind. “I still find gas pumps out in the country, I know where some still are and I check on them from time to time,” he noted.

This modern day picker has obtained many of his gas pumps by lucking into what people are getting rid of. “I dug one out of my wife, Brenda’s, parents’. They had a visible gas pump just out in the scrap pile. The first time I went out there, I noticed it right away and I ended up pulling it out of there,” reminisced Smith. It was no easy task as the pump had been sitting, untouched, in the pasture for decades.

Antique memorabilia, especially vintage signs, are like stock investments. Dean has snatched some of his signs up for as cheap as five bucks picking through the years. Some sell for more than $40,000 now and are invaluable in the eyes of the collector’s that own them.

Naturally, Smith outgrew his first shop that was home to his beloved street rod and first signs. Dean began his career contracting and building metal buildings. He had mostly built storage buildings and shops and always wanted to start his own storage and RV park business. At the time, there was only one other RV Park in town. “I started with storage and 6 [RV] sites and I’ve been chasing my tail ever since,” noted Smith. Dean quickly paid off his initial investment and expanded across the highway to build what is now the Texas Station RV Park and Event Center. It has now been nearly 20 years since he first started his business.

Initially, the event center was built to serve as a home for his growing sign collection and venue for the RV Park for family reunions. The event center has become such a popular backdrop for weddings, in fact, that it is undergoing expansion efforts to accommodate a wedding venue under the oak trees, equipped with an outdoor cooking area, on his recently acquired 18 acres. Renovations are expected to be complete in the spring of 2020.

If you’re cruising south down Highway 36, stop by and check out Dean Smith’s impressive vintage memorabilia collection at the Texas Station. You can find events, rates and more information about Texas Station RV Park, Storage and Event Center at texasstationrvpark. com or by calling Smith at 254-2234445.