As this hobby of ours grows and grows and new collectors are joining us all the time I think it's time to mention a very important part of collecting. To these new collectors who are finding that one of the best ways to enlarge their collections is by trading out of their areas by mail, this means the writing of many letters to other collectors and replying to all letters written to you. Please state clearly what you have for trade and what your wants are. This is where the books really come in handy. Then you can list your insulators by the book numbers and most of the insulator lists you receive will be listed by C.D. or Tibbitts numbers. Be sure your letter is written clearly so there is no mistaken meanings in it, also honestly state the condition of the insulator you have for trade (chips, cracks, bruises, or if it's mint or near mint state so). Color is very important also. Don't misrepresent. After all, it's your reputation and it doesn't take long to get a bad one if you are not honest. Word travels fast in collectors, circles. Now comes the next important step after you and a fellow collector have finally agreed on a trade, Packaging and Shipping. Be sure and wrap each insulator with sufficient wrapping either newspaper, styrofoam, or what ever you have so they won't bang together during the handling in the mails. Pack the box you ship in tight so you can't hear it rattle. Paper is cheap; insulators are not. The following is part of a letter I received from a fellow collector and illustrates what I mean by not wrapping well.

"Here's a story for you. We traded a person in Ohio two old embossed whiskeys for 28 Postal Tel Co. 1870's, one 1871 dated insulators, and one O.V.G. Co. #11. 20 of the Postal Tels were to be mint. The person sent the 30 insulators in two boxes, with no packing in the first box and very little in the second and NO INSURANCE. The first box contained 13 insulators -- 12 Postal Tels 1870 and the O.V.G.Co. The box fell completely apart in Portland and the Post Office had to repack it. Out of the box I salvaged one mint Postal Tel and the 0. V. G. Co. The other 11 Postal Tels were completely shattered. From the second box I got 10 mint & chipped Postal Tels and the 1871 Hemingray type. Six more were completely destroyed."

ANYONE WANT A BOX OF 17 BROKEN OLD INSULATORS?

This story is very sad and is not the first one I have heard. One collector right here in our town had the same experience.

Insurance is very important for the little extra it costs. You can insure a package up to fifty dollars for thirty cents. Also the Post Office has a special handling service for thirty-five cents plus your postage and insurance. I would use this special handling service only for very rare and hard-to-get insulators. There have been very few cases of packages getting lost in the mail. Again the insurance pays off. Be sure to address the package only on one side. The Post Office frowns on putting the address in more than one place. The mailing address may be included inside the package just in case the outside wrap ping comes loose or the box splits open and falls apart. To sum it up, write clearly and distinctly, be honest, wrap well, insure it, and I'm sure the end results will be worth the effort.