Canada has so many nice collectors, so let's go back for another interview. This time we will talk with Eric Halpin, who lives in a town with the intriguing name of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Thunder Bay is on the northern shore of Lake Superior, about 500 miles due north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

I think I can safely say that Eric is world famous for what he collects: Canadian glass telegraph-style insulators classified as CD 143' s, and their threadless counterparts, CD 743's. Those are his specialties, and he is an avid collector.

We'll get back to insulators in a moment, but first we'll find out something about Eric. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, December 8, 1944. His dad had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1935, so Eric has moved all over Canada and even did a posting in Washington, D.C. So he says he has no real roots anywhere. He met his wife Barbara in 1966 through a mutual friend in the small northern gold mining town of Kirkland Lake, Ontario. They were married November 2, 1968, and Eric adds, "That was the smartest thing I have ever done." They have two children; Judith, who is 19, and David, who is 17. Eric is a stationary power engineer by trade, and has been employed by Ontario Hydro, the provincial power utility, for 27 years.

Barbara's main extracurricular interests are designing and making quilts, doing small hand crafts, sewing, and the like. She has also assembled a nice collection of antique chamber pots. She doesn't actually have any interest in insulators, but she encourages Eric in his enjoyment of the hobby.

Eric is currently serving as president of the NIA, and was executive director of the NIA from 1986 to 1990. He was awarded First Place Specialty and the Milholland Educational Award at the 1985 St. Charles national, and First Place Specialty at the 1989 central regional in Cedar Rapids. He has an extensive collection which is very beautiful, and it has taken many years to gather them all together.

This photo (and the one below) is of Eric's two major display shelves.

Each insulator represents a particular mold or embossing rarity. The little
cards indicate certain styles that may exist that he doesn't have yet.

Along with these contributions, Eric has written about twelve articles for Crown Jewels of the Wire. Some which come to mind are "The Harvey Prentice Dwight Story" (1-89-4), "The Frederick H. Withycombe Story" (8-87-19), "Searching for Insulators in Winter (Spring, Summer, Fall") (2-86-16, 5-86-38 and 41, 8-86-32, and 11-86-13.) He's also written articles on CD 143's and 743's. All are very well done and informative.

As for when he began collecting, he says, "I suppose I first started picking up insulators in 1975, but actually commenced collecting them in 1977. My in-laws live in a small, somewhat isolated mining community. The Ontario Northland Railway with its pole line runs only a stone's throw from their house. Often I would go for walks along this railway and would find discarded grounders. I was intrigued by all of the different colors and embossing differences which even my untrained eye could spot. After I acquired my first several dozen or so from this line, I started to notice a few insulators in antique stores.

"Like many new collectors, I collected every insulator I could find. After about two years, I began to collect only Canadian insulators, and within two more years, concentrated on my specialties only. Until I thinned out my collection recently, I had about 700 different 143's and 743's. Now I have a more manageable 350 or so, of which 90% are on display. Listing my one main 'want' isn't so easy, as I can think of about six special items that I hope to acquire some day. But I suppose the most desirable item for me right now is a CD 143 embossed 'Canadian. Pacific. Ry. Co' in a light yellow amber."

As for other hobbies, Eric is interested in many things, but gets great enjoyment in general antique items. He is also presently setting up a large tropical freshwater aquarium. As for the favorite insulators in his collection, he states, "It may surprise some people, but some of my favorite insulators are quite common within the hobby. I suppose some of these commons are special to me because I can recall a particular picking expedition, or some other pleasant memory associated with acquiring the piece. Some of my favorite noncommons are a dark olive green Montreal Telegraph, a rare 21-circular-ribbed Withycombe, a yellow double-threaded No Name, and a blackglass Standard. "

"My favorite chair from which I can see the above two shelves of insulators."

Just some of the display shelves with insulators of 
different color tones from the others shown.

Some unique insulators. Left to right, Top Row: No Name double-threaded
in yellow; chubby-dome CD 743.2; Standard in blackglass; Standard full of
milk swirls. Bottom Row: Can Pac Ry Co in dark yellow green; Montreal
Tel Co in dark blue; No Name (MLOD) in olive green; GNW in light SCA.

"My main hope for our hobby is that it continues to enjoy a lively and healthy membership for many years to come. There are still so many good people in our little fraternity that have so much to offer all of us, that I wish they would get more involved. This involvement can include things like hosting or even just going to a show, writing an article, setting up a display at the local library or museum, etc.

"Also, while our hobby has many rare and scarce insulators worthy of collecting, I think people can still assemble a terrifically interesting collection with just common insulators. I would really like to see a large collection of different CD's displayed at a show. Personally, I really enjoy seeing a collector walk out of a show with a small box of $2-$10 insulators under his or her arm. That type of collector can always pick up something new, and that has to be half the fun. If I were starting all over again, I would try and assemble a collection showing the many different CD's."

Eric is a real gentleman, along with being hard-working, friendly, and fun to be with. And he is definitely dedicated to those little beehives!

Eric and "them".