When I first started researching the cans in this collection I didn't have the first idea of how to go about it.  I spent weeks doing nothing but searching and reading, trying to absorb as much as possible from generous experts that have shared what they know.  It didn't help that one of the first cans I was trying to date was an obscure tall, square, one gallon Maytag multi-motor oil can with a very rare label and handle. I looked in all the obvious places, eBay, other auction sites, petroliana collectors forums, Google images, but I kept coming up with nothing that matched. I would see the same logo colors on other types of cans or I would see similar types of cans but the colors and logos didn't match. This was actually one of the ways I learned that logos can be a big help in dating a can if you can find data on company history and when they were in use. With the Maytag can it was a combination of color, logo style, can style and wire handle that finally led me to...

Petroli-whatta? It sounds like a mafioso or a strange Italian pasta dish. That is exactly what ran through my mind the first time I ran across this strange word. I mean even my auto correct thinks it isn't spelled right.  So I did my due diligence and looked it up... well okay, more accurately, I Googled it.  Here's what I got... According to Collectors Weekly, petroliana is antiques related to the oil industry and gas stations. An area of collecting that focuses on advertising in categories such as gas pumps and globes, oil cans, road maps, signs and other promotional merchandise. There is another closely related area of collection called automobilia which sometimes intersects and blends with petroliana since they have cars in common. But pure petroliana is not limited to automobiles, rather it also encompasses oil and lubrication of all kinds of engines from small cream separator and washing machine motors to jet turbine engines and everything in between. Some of the...