The CD 106 Hemingray No.9 Story 
1895 - 1955

The CD 106, Hemingray No.9 holds the record for the longest continuous production of an insulator style by any single manufacturer. The Hemi-9 was produced for approximately 60 years, from about 1895 until 1955, when it was replaced by its more modem counterpart, the CD 107. Although it was never manufactured in many of the exotic colors of its close relatives, the CD 145 H.G. Co, and the CD 162 H.G. Co. and Hemingrays, it still holds an important place in the collecting hobby because of its longevity and for the variety of embossings, embossing errors, and yes, colors that are part of its great history.

This article is designed to provide an appreciation for two major aspects of the Hemi-9: the variety of embossings that have appeared on this style, and the variety of colors in which the Hemi-9 has been manufactured.

Since most of the embossing varieties appear only in aqua and it is hard to distinguish subtle embossing differences, I have included photographs of all of the embossing variations I have been able to acquire to date. Of the 37 known embossings, 22 are pictured. They represent all of the major embossing changes and some of the errors that have occurred in the engraving process.

Below is listed a chronology of the major embossing variations, along with their dates of introduction. This information is based primarily on work done by other researchers (e.g. N.R. Woodward) and some of my own suppositions. Since we are dealing with history that is not fully documented, this represents my best guess as to the chronology.

EMBOSSINGS FOR HEMINGRAY CD 106

I believe this is the first Hemi-9 embossing. This identical front embossing can be found on [250] embossed insulators which were introduced in 1895. I think this embossing represents a small run before the decision was made to add drip points to the Hemi-9 along with the patent date on the back of the insulator.

EMBOSSING [230]

Embossing [250] has four variations. This is the most common of the four embossing styles that are found in embossing [250]. Notice the very uniformly shaped letters that have a typewriter appearance. In particular, notice the consistency in the formation of the numbers.

EMBOSSING [250]
(Stamped or Typed Embossing)

This is another fairly common embossing style for embossing [250]. Nearly all of the Hemingray Blue Hemi-9's are found with this embossing style. Notice the thickness, depth and contour of the letters, all very regularly formed.

EMBOSSING [250] 
(Prismatic Embossing)

This is a less common style of embossing [250]. Notice the long tail on both '9s' and the script '2'. Otherwise, very similar to the prismatic embossing.

EMBOSSING [250]
 (Lazy '9' Style)

This is the least common embossing style for embossing [250]. This insulator is very similar to [230] which leads me to believe that this embossing was a rework of the smooth base mold. An underline has been added under the 'o', and the patent date has been added to the back. However, this mold style is quite different from the other [250]'s, with a much more gracefully formed skirt, identical to the [230].

EMBOSSING [250] 
(Large '9' Style)

This is an embossing error on the more common [250] embossing. Notice the extra 'M' underneath the 'HE' in HEMINGRAY.

EMBOSSING [210]

This is a variation on embossing [250]. There are two things to notice on this embossing. First, the '9' on the front embossing was made by turning a 'G' upside down. Second, the first 'T' in PATENT is clearly embossed over an 'N'.

EMBOSSING [260]

This embossing is very similar to the Lazy 9 variation of embossing [250] with the exception of the backward '9' in 1893.

EMBOSSING [280]

This is a variation on embossing [250]. This had to be the engraver's first day on the job. The 'N' in HEMINGRAY is backward. The letters in PATENT get successively larger, and the '2' is missing from the date. WOW!!

EMBOSSING [340]

The front half of this mold is a reworked rear half of embossing [250]. PATENT appears under HEMINGRAY, and MAY 2 1893 is clearly blotted out under NO.9 on the front skirt. This embossing is much more frequently found in Jade Green Milk rather than Aqua.)

EMBOSSING [360]

This embossing was probably introduced about 1900 (this date is speculation) as a minor modification of embossing [250]. This embossing is much less common than [250] and is only found in Aqua, Hemingray Blue and some milky versions of those colors.

EMBOSSING [330]

This is an embossing variation of embossing [330]. Apparently, the engraver got tired and left the 'D' off PATENTED.

EMBOSSING [290]

This embossing was probably introduced about 1900 (this date is speculation) as a minor modification of embossing [250]. This embossing is much less common than [250] and is only found in Aqua, Hemingray Blue and some milky versions of those colors.

EMBOSSING [310]

This embossing was probably introduced around 1910, at the same time the more common [100] with No 9 on the back came into use. It is possible that they represented an early run before the decision to engrave the back of the mold was made.

EMBOSSING [080]

This embossing was in common usage from about 1910 until 1919. It comes in a nice variety of aqua and green shades.

EMBOSSING [100]

The dome number [010] has been found in these two variations.

9 with an underline

9 with no underline

EMBOSSING [010]

The smooth base version of the [100] embossing is quite scarce. The one pictured is the only representative I have in my collection. It also probably only saw limited production before the sharp drip points were added.

EMBOSSING [090]

This embossing was introduced about 1919 and was in common use until it was replaced by embossings [120] and [130] about 1922.

EMBOSSING [220]

The dome number on embossing [030].

EMBOSSING [030]

This embossing, introduced in about 1922, is the more commonly seen embossing using MADE IN U.S.A. However, the sharp drip point version is much less common than the later round drip version [120]. Also, the colors are limited to Aquas and Hemingray Blue

EMBOSSING [130]

This embossing was in common usage from the mid 1920's until 1933. This period represents the transition from the use of sharp drip points to round drip points. This embossing is well known for its 7-up Green color, among others.

EMBOSSING [120]

This is an embossing error variation of embossing [120]. Notice the backward 'N' in both HEMINGRAY and IN.

EMBOSSING [160]

This embossing was introduced in 1933, and it represents a minor modification of embossing [120] with the addition of the '0' underneath the 'N' in HEMINGRAY.

EMBOSSING [200]

This embossing is known as the 0_4 series and is a minor modification to embossing [200] which only had the '0' underneath the 'N' in HEMINGRAY. These were introduced in 1934, and this particular insulator was made in 1935, as indicated by the one additional dot following the 4.

EMBOSSING [180]

This embossing represents the last major embossing change made on the CD 106 Hemi-9. The numbers on the rear skirt indicate the mold (40) and the year of manufacture (in this case, the mold was made in 1942 and the insulator was made in 1946, which is indicated by the four additional dots following the 42).

EMBOSSING [140]

The second section of this article consists of color descriptions related to the color insert and is designed to provide a relatively full color spectrum of the Hemi-9 series. The embossing [xxx] precedes each of the color descriptions and refers to the embossing index in the McDougald's Insulators -1999 Price Guide.

The first three insulators show how increasing amounts of yellow green in the glass batch creates a range of colors all the way from ice green to the classic 7-up green.

TWO-TONES [120] 

The second color claim to fame of embossing [120] is the two-tone insulator. There has been quite a bit of recent discussion on how two-tone insulators were manufactured (obviously, not intentionally), but I am not convinced by any of the suggestions put forth so far. It's still a mystery as far as I am concerned.

Pictured is a Blue/Clear mix. Also available are a Light 7-up Green predominating over Hemingray Blue, and an equal mix of 7-up Green and Hemingray Blue.

HEMINGRAY BLUE [130] 

Hemingray Blue, a vibrant blue color, has been associated with multiple Hemingray-embossed pieces throughout their entire product line.

[120] Ice Green	[120] Lt. 7-up Green	[120] 7-up Green
[120] Blue/Clear 2-tone	[130] Hemingray Blue	[250] Milky Gray
[250] Blue with increasing amounts of bubbles and steam
[250] Aqua with junk and milk swirls		[250] Milky Blue
[250] Light Jade	[250] Jade Milk	[250] Sage Green
[250] Light Green	[250] Dark Yellow Green	[250] Dark Green
[250] Aqua Tint	[250] Lt. Cornflower Blue	[250] Light Lavender
[250] Lavender	[250] Dark Purple	[250] Clear
[250] Bubbly Aqua	[250] Lt. Depression Glass Green	[250] Yellow Green
[250] Lt. Gray Purple	[250] Gray Purple	[100] Aqua with amber swirls
[100] Yellow Green	[140] Irradiated Clear	[120] Irradiated 7 -up Green
[140] Carnival (Fake)	[120] Iridescent Green (Fake)	[140] Gold Leaf (Fake)

GRAY [250]

Insulators with gray as the predominant color are quite rare in any style by any manufacturer. Changes in lighting has a major impact on how insulator colors appear, particularly these in-between colors like gray. The piece pictured has a good deal of milk as part of the mix.

HEMINGRAY BLUE [250]

Hemingray Blue is a very underrated color in CD 106, embossing [250] Hemingrays. The insulator on the left of this group of three is the closest I have to a Hemingray Blue. It is more like the Hemingray Blue seen in H.G. Co. embossed insulators rather than the brilliant Hemingray Blue seen in the [130] representative.

Hemingray Blue pieces with increasing amounts of bubbles in the glass change its look. The piece on the right is almost 100% bubbles.

JADE GREEN/MILK SWIRLS [250]

Turning to the second page of color photos, you find two insulators which have a variety of factors influencing the colors, including milky swirls, amber streaks and bubbles. When these factors are found in combination in insulators, they defy color description.

To the right is a Hemingray Blue piece with a heavy amount of milk swirling. I believe a Jade Blue Milk (solid jade) exists, but I have been unable to acquire one to this point.

Next are two insulators that represent the range of colors that can be found in the jade green family. The one on the left has light jade coloration while the second one is a solid jade milk.

GREEN [250] 

Green Hemi-9's in this embossing are the least common of all the colors, much less common than even the purples. This group of four greens at the bottom of the page represents a pretty good cross section of the available colors. As with any color collection, you can never say you have them all.

From the end of the second row, the colors are Sage Green, Light Green, Dark Yellow Green and Dark Green.

ICE COLORS [250]

On page 3 you see another group of underrated and under appreciated colors. These near clear colors are quite rare compared to their aqua counterparts. The colors assigned to these pieces are Aqua Tint, Light Cornflower Blue and Off Clear (second row to the right).

PURPLE [250] 

Purple is still one of the most popular colors, and the Hemi-9's are no exceptions. This group of three insulators shows the range of colors available in Purple.

The first is Light Lavender, followed by Lavender (2nd row left) and Dark Purple. (Unfortunately we got the wrong picture placement on the color insert, so refer to the cover for the Dark Purple representative).

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

At the bottom of page 3, you can see three examples of the flared skirt [250] embossing. I believe these were the earliest [250] made because the hand-scribed '9' is identical to the smooth-based [230] embossing. The colors are Bubbly Aqua, Light Depression Glass Green and Yellow Green.

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GRAY / PURPLE SWIRLS [250]

Many insulators that appear purple from a distance are not solid in color but just heavily swirled with purple. That is the case with the two insulators at the top of page 4. This swirling gives these pieces a Gray/Purple appearance.

For entertainment, you can try the Cool Whip trick. Take an empty Cool Whip container (or other white plastic container) and fill it with water. Take a light to medium purple insulator (Hemi-9's, Hemi 12's and CD 143 Canadian Pacific's work best) and put it in the water. You will be amazed at the color separation that becomes evident underwater that cannot be clearly seen when you are just holding an insulator. Try it!!

GREEN & AQUA W / AMBER [100] 

This is one of the few embossing styles other than [250] that comes in a variety of colors. These two insulators are in the green family. The one on the right of the top row is Aqua w/Amber Swirls. You can see, as the blue aqua base color mixes with the amber streaks, how the insulator takes on more of a green appearance, which is only natural if we remember that mixing blue and yellow makes green. The color on the left end of the 2nd row is Yellow Green.

THE FAKES

These five insulators have all been altered in some way to change their original colors. They are part of this article to help collectors recognize fakes. The first two pieces have been altered through radiation. The first was originally clear and became the Light Amber after radiation. The second was 7-up green and become Dark Olive Amber after radiation. The last three pieces have been surface treated to change their colors. I believe they were all clear originally. I'll call these colors Gold Carnival, Green Carnival and Gold Plated. Don't be fooled by these FAKES!!!

WEIGHING INSULATORS [250]

It must have been a real boring day about five years ago when I noticed that there was a substantial difference in the weight of the Hemi-9, embossing [250] insulators in my collection. So, with my handy postal scale, I weighed all the [250]'s in my collection (about 100 at the time). I discovered a huge variation.

The lightest weigh in at a mere 8.6 ounces, while the heaviest, loaded with junk, weighed in at a hefty 12.1 ounces. Now you might think that this was a useless exercise, but that heavy one weighs 40% more than the light one. If you were the procurement expert at the Hemingray plant, how would you like to explain an increase of 40% in materials usage without any increase in production. A little more quality control on the mold making, please.