This story ran in the August 23, 2004 Arizona Republic 
                    (Phoenix, AZ)
                    Collectors peer back through Blakely's glasses
                    Ty Young
                    The Arizona Republic
                    Aug. 16, 2004 12:00 AM

                    As a child in Gilbert during the 1950s, Douglas Blakely 
                    witnessed a marketing scheme unlike any in Arizona history, 
                    watching his father give thousands of glassware sets to 
                    customers who filled their gas tanks at the family-owned 
                    service stations.
                    Now, the free, promotional gifts Monroe Blakely gave to 
                    Blakely Oil customers are sought by collectors worldwide.
                    The glasses, along with plates, platters and bowls, each 
                    with desert landscape scenes and descriptions of desert 
                    foliage stenciled on the outside, can be found in antique 
                    shops and Internet auction sites throughout the country.
                    Up until 15 years ago, when his son called from an antique 
                    shop near Prescott, Douglas Blakely, 70, had no idea that 
                    these items claimed more than just sentimental value.
                    "All of a sudden I just heard that people were paying a lot 
                    of money for these glasses," he said. "Now, whenever 
                    somebody finds out I'm from the family, the first thing they 
                    mention is the glasses."
                    Monroe Blakely, president of Blakely Oil, turned the small 
                    Blakely Brothers Gilbert shop into one of the dominant 
                    service station chains in Arizona. Together with brothers 
                    Charles Jr. and Vincent, Blakely franchised 88 stores under 
                    the family name during the company's heyday in the 1950s. 
                    In 1949, he began giving tickets away to customers with a 
                    purchase of $10 worth of gas. The tickets were redeemable 
                    for the glassware and dishes, which were all stocked at the 
                    service stations.
                    Each year after, the Blakelys gave away trailers and boats 
                    at events advertised in newspapers and by word of mouth. 
                    After Monroe Blakely sold the company in 1963, promotional 
                    giveaways ended. "He was a genius at promotions," Douglas 
                    Blakely said of his father. "Everybody had those glasses."
                    They have become so popular that counterfeits were made in 
                    other states, Douglas Blakely said. "They're just using our 
                    name to sell their glasses."