The CANADIAN PACIFIC RY CO -- Part I

I chose this insulator to discuss first because it comes first alphabetically and because it is probably the most common embossing on 143's. There are two major styles of "CANADIAN PACIFIC RY CO", plus one of "CANADIAN PACIFIC RY" (no "CO"). Because of the great variety of embossings, I have grouped all 143's into specific mold styles, and will discuss them in this manner. This will also allow easy identification of the no- name varieties. 

(Drawing is by Clay Salzman) 

"CANADIAN PACIFIC RY CO" appears on the regular and slope-in base varieties of the 143 in both the two-piece and three-piece molds. I call this mold style #1, and these will be discussed in this month's and next month's articles. The "curve-under" base variety, in which the mold line splits "CANADIAN" from "PACIFIC RY CO", and the "raised block" (CANADIAN PACIFIC RY) varieties will be discussed in later articles. 

In developing my system I first tried to identify similarities, in order to group the 143's into "families". The next step was to identify the differences within each family, to determine if any subgroups should be listed. I did not try to obtain or list all measurements, because many of them do not mean anything, or are repetitive and would serve no purpose. Also, "short pours", "long pours", "stretches" and "sags" occur occasionally and will distort some measurements. So I have tried instead to provide just enough identification points to let you catalog your collection properly. Also, I have tried for as many "eyeball" types of identification as possible, if possible. In many cases you will need your tape measure; but after a while a lot of this will not be necessary as you become accustomed to the new groupings.

MOLD STYLE #1. All of the 143's within this mold style have a wire groove that is approximately 1-3/8 inches from the base. (Measure this distance from the base to the center of the wire groove.) In this article we will discuss those sub-styles that were produced in two-piece molds. 

MOLD STYLE #1A. MLOD. Wire groove is small (1/4 inch tall) and shallow. The smooth base may slope in slightly, but often is irregular and almost flat. The skirt is medium thickness, varying between 5/16" and 3/8" thick. Embossing (if any) is small and thin. 

This is the earliest mold in this style, and is found on CANADIAN PACIFIC RY CO and no-name varieties. In the embossed version I have found it in yellow-green, aqua, green, light purple, blue, and several shades of SCA, including an extremely dark SCA that almost looked royal purple. In the no-name variety I have found light yellow-green, aqua, green, pale green, SCA, and bluish aqua. Most of these are quite attractive and are full of tiny bubbles. Quality control was not too great, resulting in lots of variation. Swirl starts in the threading are common in this mold style. 

By the way, you have noticed that I list SCA separately from purple. This is intentional. There is some evidence to indicate that the purple 143's were made that way, and the SCA's turned color in the sun. Additionally, examination of the two colors side-by-side indicates that they are different colors. The SCA has more of a reddish tone, and the purple seems to be more bluish. I admit that a super dark SCA is tough to tell from a purple, and a pale purple is hard to tell from a light SCA, but they are different. Besides, it appears that in certain mold styles one or the other predominated, but not both! For instance, in Mold Style #IA there are many, many SCA items, but purples are scarce and may have been experimental. In Mold Style #IC there are many royal purples, but almost no SCA's! 

Prices: I don't usually like to get caught up in pricing. My study is not nearly broad enough yet to be precise, so I will only give my rough impression wherever it may differ with "the book". 

All of the items in this mold style seem to be attractive and fairly desirable, although many of them are fairly common. Colors which are popular, like the yellow-green and the SCA, will command a higher price, and unusual colors like the purple or extremely dark SCA would bring even more. 

MOLD STYLE #1B. MLOD. Wire groove is medium height (3/8") and is deeper. Skirt is quite thin (only 5/16"). Rounded smooth base. This item appears to be slightly thinner and taller than other sub-styles. It appears to have been produced with more quality control than #1A, and embossed letters (if any) are a little taller than #1A, but still fairly thin. 

The embossed variety of #1B has been found in Light Green, Blue, and Aqua, but the no-name has so far only been discovered in Blue. 

Prices: These seem to be harder to find than most. When one is found, it usually has zits and crashes, and it seems quite difficult to find one in mint condition. Right now they can be found at shows for a reasonable price; but I think that they may be worth more, especially the no-name variety. 

MOLD STYLE #1C. MLOD. Wire groove is medium height (3/8"). Smooth base slopes in. Skirt is thick and varies between 7/16" and 1/2". Embossed letters are taller than #1A and may either be thin or thicker. (It seems that some of these molds may have had the embossing re-etched during their use, resulting in larger lettering.) 

Embossed varieties: 

No-name styles.

Prices: Of the embossed varieties, the Royal Purple seems to still be the most popular item, although I feel that it is fairly common. It seems to be very tough to find the purples in mint condition, however, especially the "backward C" and the "R.Y." varieties. The "backward C" variety is still very popular, although I feel that the "R.Y." variety is more scarce. I'm surprised there are no SCA varieties!! Aquas and most greens seem to be quite common, and overpriced. Purples are a little overpriced. The no-name variety with the smooth exterior is fairly common and inexpensive; but the "whittle mold" is scarce and very desirable and will sell for more than the embossed purples, especially the SCA.