The free key ring era - and other memories

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 11:55
The free key ring era - and other memories - oilrag

What can you remember as `free` gifts, from petrol stations?

I can remember being in an Aunt`s car as a kid and the petrol attendant (remember them?) giving me free key rings at every fill up.

Writing that brings back the memory of the very different aroma of Super Shell - contrasted with Shell Mex.. (If i remember the names correctly)

But key rings. There was decent looking one from Regent - notably it had a triangular shaped metal forming the round ring.

The attractive plastic Regent badge soon broke off - but the ring part was kept due to it`s large size - and that odd triangular cross section of the metal keeping it distinct in memory - as to it`s origin.

Keys built up on it as time went buy, many of them redundant. Other keyrings were clipped to it and in the end it was like a jailers joy.

Until that is, one day it fell down my leg, inside my jeans, though that hole in my pocket - when I was slipping out of an ongoing lecture.

CLUNK! - How the class howled at that...

I`ve never worn a pair of jeans with a hole in the pocket since and the `jailers set piece` was sent to the bin.

Any memories?

Regards

oilrag

Edited by oilrag on 21/06/2010 at 11:59

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 13:18
The free key ring era - and other memories - Chris S

Anybody remember those 3D pictures of animals from Shell?

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 13:51
The free key ring era - and other memories - mike hannon

I'm old enough to have had quite a few tiger tails.

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 13:52
The free key ring era - and other memories - mike hannon

I'm old enough to have had quite a few tiger tails.

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 14:44
The free key ring era - and other memories - Vitesse6

Glasses

Lots and lots of glasses - we had so many Mighty Mugs we were giving them away to all comers!

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 14:50
The free key ring era - and other memories - kithmo

I remember getting Soup & cereal bowls from Shell, late 70s, early 80s
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Mon 21 Jun 2010 15:17
The free key ring era - and other memories - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

And stick on bullet holes from Regent?

I also had a set of Esso medallions from 1966 to commemorate Englands win at tiddlywinks.

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 15:37
The free key ring era - and other memories - colinh

BP mugs (not Tony Hayward) this winter

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 15:44
The free key ring era - and other memories - Collos25

LCD watch,glasses and millions of green shield stamps

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 17:47
The free key ring era - and other memories - Herr Sandwichmann

My Dad used to get lager glasses from the garage. As a kid I worked on my uncle's garage forecourt during the hols, before the days of digital displays on pumps (early to mid eighties). By the end of the day I'd be high as a kite on the fumes. Goodness knows how much lead I must have ingested!

Edited by Herr Sandwichmann on 21/06/2010 at 17:50

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 18:37
The free key ring era - and other memories - amj

I remember small plastic Smurfs from National Garages i think. Must have been around 1978 ish?

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Mon 21 Jun 2010 23:00
The free key ring era - and other memories - RicardoB

Filling up with fuel the other day at an Esso garage, and the cashier asked if I was collecting the World Cup tokens. Little cardboard "coins" featuring our footballing heros (word used loosely).

I wasn't and am not, but the chap was so polite, I wasn't going to say no. Which reminded me of, I guess, the 1970 World Cup when I was a lad - garages were giving away real metal "coins" about the size of the current 10p piece which had the name and face of various players of the day embossed on them.

I remember keeping those for a while, whereas the 21st Century cardboard ones have been binned.

Other memories include very 70s "square" wine glasses, Greenshield stamps, torches, and the like. And oh yes, I remember those 3D animal cards! Cool!

Edited by RicardoB on 21/06/2010 at 23:01

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Tue 22 Jun 2010 11:28
The free key ring era - and other memories - Sofa Spud

I remember Green Shield stamps.

My dad worked for a luxury car maker during that time and if and he was using one of the company's press demo cars, which drank a lot of petrol and had big petrol tanks, he used to look out for the garages giving triple, 5-fold or even 10-fold Green Shield stamps and fill up! The company paid for the petrol but they weren't interested in the stamps so he got to keep them. I can remember him cruising along with the low fuel light on in the hope that the next garage might do a good Green Shield offer. It kept us in ironing boards, kettles and bath mats for years!

Edited by Sofa Spud on 22/06/2010 at 11:38

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Tue 22 Jun 2010 11:26
The free key ring era - and other memories - John F

Watney's Red barrel......50 yrs ago the small red barrel swung to and fro on the vertical dashboard of my father's Rover 105S as we swept along in British-made 6 cylinder leather luxury at 90m.p.h. in 5th gear [overdrive] past Northwich on our way to holiday in N Wales......hypnotising a small boy into a lifelong love of ale...have we really made much automotive progress?

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