I Found a Model Total Oil Truck!
This is a picture of the model Total oil truck replica I found. It’s not the exact same unit, but it is the exact same product. It should be here sometime in May or June, depending on the Germany-to-the-United-States shipping time.
I found a replica Total SA oil truck for the collection, which I am planning on keeping in my home study for the new, personal energy portfolio I’ve setup for my family over the next 25+ years. It’s on its way from Germany. It is a 1:43 model, not the usual 1:64 model that is more popular in the United States, but that’s just a cultural difference. It occurred to me this afternoon that I shouldn’t be using English to find what I wanted. I switched over to a French search engine and tried to find “Total Citerne” + “Renault” knowing they were one of the manufacturers of European model toy cars and trucks. Viola! Résultats rapides! Google bless boolean operators.
The BP truck I ordered last week showed up this afternoon in the mail. It is now sitting behind me instead of the usual collectibles cabinet at the office, since it is for my personal portfolio.
The BP diecast truck was the first to arrive. The Royal Dutch Shell truck should show up sometime this week, too.
I really do think a big part of the secret to success is to treat it all like a game. Business and investing are fun. It’s about building something, seeing it grow and become bigger. Only the rewards of winning are a better life for your family, an ability to support the charities that matter to you, and not having to worry about the things that cause most people stress. It’s a win-win. Make your question for financial independence a game. It’s much easier that way.
I have to clean up some paperwork around my desk and get back to work. There are some major projects I’m hoping to launch before the end of the quarter that should hit in August or September.
Update: There was a request for up-close pictures of some of the pens I collect. You all know this is a passion of mine! I’ve written so much over the years and these, for me, are actual tools. A lot of my content, contracts, etc. have been written / signed with them.
Update II: The oil tanker collection keeps growing!
Update III: On August 27, 2015, I wrote a post called Let’s Talk About Investing in Oil Stocks, which provided some further clarification about the interesting, and unique, dynamics that have historically applied to long-term investments in the oil majors.
Reader Comments (9)
Comments are presented chronologically, with replies indented beneath the comments to which they respond.
Gilvus
April 22, 2013
I do something similar, except I keep samples of pure petroleum in clear vials. They come from around the world and have properties so different they are visually distinct. WTI has the color and consistency of aged soy sauce, while San Joaquin crude is almost dense enough to sink in water.
My stuff is from the front end of upstream, while your tankers trucks are close to the tail-end of downstream.
Joshua Kennon
April 22, 2013
Why, yes ... yes, indeed. I want the closest thing I can get to the exact moment when customers hand over their cash to me.
(No, seriously, your approach sounds awesome! I had no idea they were that different from one another; that oil wasn't oil wasn't oil, except to the extent that sweet and sour crude had varying sulfer content. I'm just now beginning to really delve into the refineries to understand the business models, distribution costs, and economics as they will probably play an important part in my energy portfolio. While my deep areas of competence had always been in and around insurance, consumer staples, food & beverage, retail, and a few other sub-industries, in a few years, I want to be as knowledgable about energy as a turn-of-the-century Texas oil barron. My library is filled with an influx of books on anything and everything you can image about the sector. I will know the assimilation of knowledge is complete when I began taking the following posture when contemplating the energy holdings.)
Gilvus
April 22, 2013
Replying to Joshua Kennon
You can't be a good Monty Burns unless you have a good Smithers. Don't forget Smithers!
Most people don't know the details behind oil, and frankly they don't need to. It's smelly, hazardous, and useless in its unprocessed form. I started looking for samples when a student asked me about oil, and I realized that the person who was supposed to be teaching geology had never seen petroleum or learned much about it. I still find it amazing that so many things around us today were either made from oil or transported to us by oil...but the majority of us have never seen oil in its most elementary form.
FratMan
April 22, 2013
That's a badass Value Line book!
Joshua Kennon
April 22, 2013
Replying to FratMan
Then prepare yourself for finance geek overload: I put back the Small & Mid-Cap Edition to set beside it in all its glory.
(On a serious note, that's my "old school" shelf. The Value Line reports go there, along with the first three editions of Security Analysis and a reproduction of the 1942 edition of The Intelligent Investor. When the mood strikes me, that's my go-to collection when I want to lock myself in the study and look at businesses with a pencil and a calculator. One of my favorite things to do is flip through them and make lists of the companies I would want to own at a specific price, those that are changing their business model, etc. It reminds me of why I'd never want to work on Wall Street and why I love business.)
Gilvus
April 22, 2013
Replying to Joshua Kennon
FratMan's right. You could defend your home with those Value Line volumes.
FratMan
April 23, 2013
Replying to Gilvus
Gilvus, the real question is: How do you pick which pen to make notes with?
Joshua Kennon
April 22, 2013
You are right ... because this:
Bo
April 23, 2013
Is that a fountain pen collection? I've been a proud owner myself of a Waterman Elegance Black GT with a fine nib. I love it, great writing tool.
Could we get a close-up picture of the fountain pens?