The Elusive Shell mail-in Gas Pump for the Jimson Tanker

Well friends, if you have been reading the couple of blogs that I wrote about the Jimson Toy Tanker Truck from Hong Kong you know that one of the big questions is that on the original box it shows a picture of a Shell gas pump. In my last blog I cleared up the confusion about if the gas pump came with the toy or was a mail-in item like the 1966 Hess Voyager stand. For those of you who missed that article the answer is that it did not come with the toy. I thought that I would post a picture for everyone to see the pump itself. The pump is made of plastic and done in the Shell colors of white and orange and stands 3" tall x 3/4" wide. At the top of the pump sits the Shell logo. Right below that there is an arm attached to the top of the pump that extends out to the connection for the gas hose. The hose itself is green and at the end of the hose is the nozzle. The nozzle attaches to the side of the pump just like the real pumps and rests there until it is called into use for the next customer. There are some graphics on the body of the pump and at the very bottom it states - Made in Hong Kong. The pump has the graphics on both sides so if it is displayed in the center of an island it looks the same.

Vintage Mid Century Tin Litho Friction Oil Truck / Tanker

This is a rare tin litho toy oil tanker that was imported from Singapore. Some tin toys were made in Japan and some were made in China. These toys were not made as US imports and the US was not trading with mainland China at the time these toys were made and imported (i.e. until about 1979, only Taiwan was acknowledged as the Republic of China). You will notice that the box has writing in Chinese & English.

 

The oil truck is 7 5/8" long and has a short chain hanging from a small hole in the back bumper. There is no corresponding hole on the other side and no chain was ever there according to all articles that i have read on these toys. The truck came in a 2 piece box with colorful graphics of the tanker in front of the oil refinery. The truck itself is friction powered and nicely detailed in red, yellow & white with a chrome bumper and grille. It has real rubber tires along with chrome hubcaps. A very nice piece of history to have in any gas collection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Followup blog to April 29th comparison between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker

Well folks I have received alot of questions and comments on my last blog about the differences between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker so much so that I need to write this followup article and include some additional information and be a little more specific. OK, the first thing that I need to clear up is that I stated that there were 12 Hess tanker tires and what I meant to write and be more specific is that there are 12 Hess tires under the tanker that are double and 2 single on the front for a total of 14 tires all together unlike the 6 that are under the Jimson tanker which are single tires plus the front 2 for a total of 8. I hope that helps clear up any confusion. Now, the other most commented on item is the gas pump that is shown on the front of the box (see pic). The reader went on to say that recently one sold on Ebay and in the picture it showed the gas pump and i didn't mention that it came with one so lets clear that up as well. Each truck DID NOT come with a gas pump and was an item that you could purchase separately. I know this for a fact as I talked to an older collector who is very knowledgeable on Jimson Toys and he was able to confirm this. He compared this to the 1966 Hess Voyager where you might have also seen some pictures of it sitting on a display stand. Everyone also assumed that when they got a Voyager that would be included, not so. That also was an additional item that you could purchase separately.I also wanted to show you a rare picture of the actual case of trucks as well as the label on the side of the case which you can see below. If you have any other question that you would like me to address on this subject feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will do my best to answer them. We love to hear from you! Enjoy the pictures.

 CASE OF 12 TANKERS

RARE PICTURE OF A CASE OF JIMSON TANKERS

 

CLOSE UP SHOT OF TANKERS

 

SIDE LABEL ON CASE FROM HONG KONG

  

EBAY AUCTION PICTURE WITH OPTIONAL (SEPERATE PURCHASE) GAS PUMP INCLUDED.