One Saturday my wife and I decided to go to the local antique mall store. We were in search for an item which she could use for decorating the dinner table at Easter time.

My wife saw a pair of purple colored glass candlestick holders that she found interesting. While she was considering them, I decided to make my rounds of the various dealer stalls in search of interesting or new insulator items to add to my collection. About a month ago one of the dealers had a CD 133 Brookfield "ER" which I bought for about $2. It was a nice piece so I decided to see if they had any thing else this time.

At first I did not see any insulators on the crowded shelf where there was usually at least a white porcelain insulator or a Hemingray-42. As I turned to head down the isle to another booth, I spotted a large bluish aqua insulator at the end behind an "old" coke bottle or something. Immediately I knew that this was something totally different. I had never seen one like this before. It was a fairly big piece. The best description I could give at that time was that it was a "fat Australian bottle," but American glass. I picked up the insulator to read the embossing. Cradling its base, I felt the distinctive base embossing. The insulator base read "THE STANDARD INSULATOR CO. BOSTON, MASS." I immediately knew I had something here. I looked for an extra zero on the $10 price tag, thinking that my eyes fooled me the first time I looked. I grabbed it and walked quickly over to my wife to share my excitement and to rationalize what "good" deals insulators are. My wife is not a collector, but a strong sympathizer.

At the time I thought I had found a $200 insulator and was only too happy to pay for it even before we had finished looking around. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to look this one up at tome. I badgered my wife into leaving with me, even though she hadn't made up her mind about the candlesticks.

Dennis Mickey and his East coast
"find" on the West coast!

I found the insulator in Milholland's book and it was a CD 268.5 Standard cable top. The insulator has thread damage and may have a 360 degree wire groove crack which may have been reglued. Otherwise, it is a great looking piece. I hope my story will give hope to fellow collector who has given up looking. Those "goodies" are still out there!! By the way, I live in California where the "east met the west."