I can be reasonably sure that most every insulator collector has in his early days of collecting, paid or given too much for a so-called "common" insulator. The common insulator is one that is admired by the beginner collector; then it is soon traded off or packed away during the "'weeding out" process as he advances his collection. Most advanced collectors do not have anything to do with this type of insulator because better ones take their place.

Generally an insulator worth $.50 to $1 .00 or $2.00 is considered to be common, but this is not always the case. Common insulators are the ones found in good supply, in just about all parts of the country, and are in abundant supply. The Lynchburg 44, which is thought to be common in Florida, where many have been found, is considered to be worth up to $8.00 in other places. And California signals, worth very little on the West Coast, are more valuable in Florida. The same goes on in other locations, with other insulators, including porcelain. The opposite takes place with insulators worth more--usually the places where they have been found, have the higher prices.

The following list is a general collection of most common (in my opinion) insulators. These are not all the common pieces known, and I do not intend to "cut down" anybody's rare jewels. I hope to give an idea of what not to trade off your ant farm for, or give the shirt off your back for, especially the beginning collectors.

These are most of the very common. There are many more, not listed here, that come close to being in the common category. For further details consult Milholland's 1975 Reference Book, or any other reference book using N. R. Woodward's Consolidated Design Numbers. In some of these, a slight variation may make no difference, but may bring some out of the common category. The later styles, such as CD 154, 203, 155, 122, 106, etc., for example, became very popular in World War II, so millions were made, and millions are still around. However, not only new ones, but even the old ones, such as dated Brookfield beehives, were made in the hundreds of thousands and distributed widely in the late 1880's. A major nation-wide electrical supply company listed many of the Hemingray and Armstrong items as late as 1968.

Although these are called common, some day they may be worth more. Mr. Milholland (author of Most About Glass Insulators) seems to believe this, according to his 1975 "Suggested Prices", and hopefully this will be true in coming years. After all, insulators are being manufactured on limited production now. Rarer items are getting scarce, while the common ones seem to be plentiful. As many thousands of miles of telephone lines are being dismantled each year, insulators are becoming more available, while at the same time they are disappearing rapidly.

A nice collection can be had from even these most common pieces, as some are very pretty. Clear insulators can be effectively shown off by placing a background of black velvet and a direct light. The contrast of colors is very impressive. I have yet to see or even hear of this done at a show. Many consider common insulators junk--after all, they are just insulators.

Common Insulators

   
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