The National Insulator Association is a non-profit corporation formed for
educational purposes, whose Board and Committee Members are unpaid volunteers.
It is the NIA's goal to encourage growth and public awareness of the insulator
hobby through collecting, dealing and educational endeavors. The NIA strives to
protect the interests of insulator collectors and dealers, by establishing
standards and ethics by which insulator collectors and dealers may fairly deal
with one another.
The NIA Board has become aware of a reproduction CD 162 being offered for
sale. At this time it appears that these have only been created in cobalt, and
that approximately 150 have been made. While this item is currently being
offered with etched initials and a year, it was not "manufactured in
accordance with NIA guidelines." That means, among other things, that the
person(s) engaged in the manufacturing of this item did not agree to
"permanently mark" them at the time of their creation in a manner
acceptable to the NIA, to minimize the possibility that it could be mistaken
for, or misrepresented as, an "original insulator."
Original
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This insulator has thus been deemed an "imitation insulator" by the
NIA Board rather than a "commemorative", due to its extreme similarity in
size, shape, embossing, and color, to known "original insulators."
This imitation is different than other commemoratives such as the Mid-Ohio Show
and NIA National Show latter pieces do not have threaded pin holes, are not of a
size or embossing that resembles known original insulators, and are produced
directly from the mold with permanent markings to allow them to be
differentiated from any original insulator. |
As such, the NIA Board of Directors have determined that these seller-described reproductions are "objectionable to the best interests of
the hobby." This is not because the NIA Board believes that the creator has
any intent of committing fraud, but rather because some collectors may be confused by its design. The NIA Board
of Directors are of the opinion
and belief that items deemed objectionable to the best interests of the hobby,
create the possibility that members could suffer financial loss as a subsequent
party might attempt to alter or sell the imitation as an original insulator
(i.e. fraudulent use).
Reproduction
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Collectors may be confused by its design. |
"The green arrows point out the width of the inner skirt, and the red
arrows point out the flat collar on the real Hemingray, and the absence of that
on the suspect insulator. The real one had 37 drip points and the suspect 41.
We don't know the variation in drip point count on true Hemi's. But all of these
new ones are from the same mold, and will all have 41."
Bill Meier
It is the NIA Board's belief that this particular matter is a matter of
public concern, and the NIA Board Members feel strongly that they have an
ethical obligation, and are duty bound, to share their opinions concerning
reproductions with the NIA General Membership. Please educate yourself and
others about this imitation insulator.
Steve Marks, 2nd Past NIA President
Photos by Bill Meier
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