Besides being beautiful, glass insulators are a fascinating part
of our history. The oldest insulators pre-date the Civil War. Some
companies, like Hemingray and Brookfield, were around for years and
produced many insulators. Others were around much less time. Also,
as with many antiques and collectibles, some styles were
experimental or only produced in limited quantities, and as a result
are far more rare than others. There
are many nuances in the styles, uses, colors and uses of glass
insulators. It seems each one is an interesting story in itself! We
learned just about everything we know from the sites below and the
people who host them.
First, A Note About Embossings The majority of insulators on this site list an
embossing in their description, e.g. [010]. These numbers refer
to the embossing indices in John and Carol McDougald's insulator price
guide. They are provided as a convenience for collectors who own
the book and would like to know the specific embossing. The embossing
is an important and fascinating part of collecting insulators. There
are errors and misspellings. Sometimes just a single punctuation mark
can change the value of an insulator. Also, patent dates are
significant and can reveal a great deal about an insulator's use or
history. For more on insulator patent dates, visit NIA.org (the link
is below). For more on embossings, read the section entitled
Insulatoremporium.com below.
Also, A Statement About Authenticity We do not sell painted, irradiated, or otherwise
altered insulators. Guaranteed.
insulators.info insulators.info is probably the most comprehensive and helpful
site in the hobby. If you haven't been there already, check it out! There are thousands of pictures, a glossary of insulator terms,
articles, a show calendar and more. While you're there,
become an
ICON
member (it's free) and sign up for the daily digest. You'll be able
to read (lurk) or participate (post questions and/or messages) to a
forum of other interested collectors. You'll also find links for many other
great sites. Bill Meier, webmaster for insulators.info is one of the smartest guys
we know! He has done a great service to this
hobby for old and new collectors alike. Thanks, Bill!
Insulatoremporium.com Judging by the name, you might be saying to yourself, "Sounds
like a competitor to this site." True, Grampa Mac's Insulator
Emporium does sell insulators, but we don't mind mentioning it a
bit. Why? Because without the brilliance of proprietors John and
Carol McDougald, the hobby would not be the same. They are the
authors of The Price Guide for Insulators - A History and Guide to North American Glass Pintype
Insulators. If you don't already have one, either hardcopy
or the new electronic version, get yourself one - you'll be so
glad you did! We met with Mr. and Mrs. McD when we were just
starting out in this hobby. Not only did we get some of our best
glass from them, but they are truly lovely people. We can't thank
them enough for the knowledge and encouragement they have given us. Simply put, if it weren't for the McDougalds, you would not be reading this right now.
NIA.org This is the home page for the National Insulator Association. There is a whole bunch of helpful information for collectors there.
The Contact List reads like a "who's who" of insulator expertise. We
are in awe of the folks on that list! Thanks to all of them for the
tremendous amount of time, energy and research they have dedicated
to making this hobby more rewarding for all of us.
A note to new collectors: While you are visiting nia.org,
be sure to check out Dwayne Anthony's article, Fake & Altered
Insulators - Artificially Induced Colors. Please be careful! Just about every hobby has it's fakes, including this one.
Tumbling
Insulators that have been excavated after having been buried can take on a frosted appearance.
Others have been scratched or have surface pitting. If an
insulator is valuable, but not in the best shape, it can be well
worth your while to get it tumbled. There are differences of
opinions among experts about tumbling, so be sure and read up on it
before you decide. In many cases the results are impressive,
restoring the shine to the glass and making a piece display-worthy
again. We noticed that there are no online resources to find a
qualified insulator tumbler. So, we are including one; Contact
via e-mail. Denny is not associated with The Insulator Store
in any way, but he does do a great job & we thought we'd give him a
well-deserved
recommendation.
