Montana's Power Insulators
by Marv & Vicki Miller
Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", June 1972, page 31
I'm writing this in hopes of answering some of the questions asked about Montana's
power insulators. Montana is best noted for its Muncies, Coolies and Stackers.
Muncie-9"-aqua and greenish aqua
A. F: Hemingray/patent May 2nd 1893
B: Muncie type
B. F: Hemingray/patent May 2nd 1893
C. F: Hemingray/patent May 2nd 1893
B; Muncie type/76
Type A Is the most common, and type C is the rarest
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Coolie Hat-9"-aqua |
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| A. |
F: Hemingray/patent May 2, 1893 (writing small and pressed in) |
| B. |
No writing |
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| |
Type B it the rarest |
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Hemingray Stacker-aqua, amber replacement bases |
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| A. |
F: Hemingray |
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B: No. 79 |
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Pyrex Stacker-clear or light straw |
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| A. |
Corning Pyrex Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Made in U.S.A. |
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Most of the Muncie and Coolie insulators are on power lines built around 1900, and
many of these lines are still in use today, such as the power line between Butte
and Helena. This one line has most of Montana's supply of Coolie Hats. The Muncies
were used on power lines leading to old mining camps.
I'll try to make a conservative relationship between these insulators to give a clearer
idea of rarity:
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1 Coolie for every 20 Muncies
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1 Hemingray Stacker for every 30 Muncies
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1 Pyrex Stacker for every 5 Muncies
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1 "76" Muncie for every 100 regular Muncies
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Amber replacement bases are extremely rare. We know of less than 10 in
existence so far.
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Put us on record as being in favor of a National Insulator organization.
One problem we run into here in Montana is our large spaces, and collectors are
few and far between for us to organize locally.
Keep up the good work, and we hope to see you at the National
Show this year.
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