"END OF AN ERA"

The story, the production, the people, the times behind a private issue insulator will forever serve as a memorable part of the insulator hobby history, to which, I hope the Veneziano family have added their contribution. The origin and idea of producing a glass insulator came to us in the summer of 1970. At this time, our introduction into this fascinating world of insulator collecting was quite new but nonetheless, exciting.

Frank Miller had produced a Commemorative Insulator for the large show in 1970. It was introduced at the New Castle (Indiana) First National. We did not want to detract from his idea but wanted instead to do something to leave our mark on the industry. Now that we made the decision to do something, the question was, "What???" Lengthy discussions followed between myself and Dick Augustyn of Addison, Illinois, and my mother, Mildred Veneziano, Bensonville, Illinois. Without my mother's patience, assistance and dedicated effort, this "End of an Era" would never have been the beginning of anything. She truly does deserve most of the credit for seeing this Private Issue into production. We dragged her to numerous hot and smelly glass factories and enlisted her services, as well as totally monopolizing her every waking moment, from start of this idea to finish. We also utilized her imagination, her time, her willingness to help us, and, of course, a great deal of her money when mine ran out.

While not the average group of collectors one may think to encounter (like, for example, stamp or coin collectors), we soon learned that dealing in this business itself demanded certain prerequisites. First, you needed to possess a strong desire to locate and obtain rare and unusual glass configurations in various colors, with various dates and other markings that signified a specific point in history or a geographic location that utilized these bizarre looking objects. Of course, in linking them to the earliest form of telephone communications, I sometimes believe my biggest challenge was attempting to overcome the large telephone bills that went along with the wheeling and dealing and insulator collecting.

After passing all of those requirements and then developing a mentality with which to safely operate on all four cylinders, you further had to be slightly insane to deal with the other collectors, attend the shows and travel near and far to talk farmers into climbing their barns, cutting down their trees, or inspecting their land for everything from termites to lightning rod balls...and all in search of that colored glass! Perhaps I should have invested the same amount of money in a good psychiatrist! Having been a lineman for a number of years myself and more acquainted with the dangers in dealing with high voltage electricity, I soon discovered that live wires are not always atop telephone poles!

For the next few months, all we did was talk about it. Mom did most of the leg work and phone calling to see what exactly was involved. Dick Augustyn and I suggested, discussed and re-discussed all the major factors. Out of the blue, we decided we would produce a private issue insulator. We picked the Baby No.2 Columbia because of its extreme rarity, unusual and appealing shape and style. Incidentally, only approximately 1/2 dozen were known to exist at the time. After that decision was finally agreed upon, we fast learned our problems had just begun.

There were some selective points to take into consideration from mom's perspective. Naturally we differed, in part, to some of her thoughts, but she won out in the end, and perhaps it was for the best.. and definitely in the best interest of keeping the family together and still talking to each other. At any rate, we were by then in need of some direction, so the following issues were seriously considered and deliberated upon for a number of long nights that turned into months.

FIRST, we needed to make certain that our chosen style was never mistaken so that there would not be a misrepresentation to the hobby. Of course, our private issue will never be sold as anything other than what we intended.

SECONDLY, it was necessary to alter the design somewhat to make it ours exclusively. We also agreed to closely control the amount poured so as to safeguard the collectors.

LAST, but not the least, was an issue we still -- to this day -- argue about. "L.S.V." ...Mom wanted a memento to her future grandchildren that weren't even in the making at the time. I cannot believe that she convinced me, in the family tradition sort of way, to name my kids, I had not even decided to bring into the world. with initials L.S.V to which, I often remarked, should stand for "Looney, Stupid, Venture." Needless to say, she gets furious when I say that, and she also won the battle as two children were born, they possess the initials L.S.V. and those initials also appear on the base of this private issues. I think Mom's motives were purely selfish, but it was that, or abandon ship! And, due to the amount of work and actual labor she poured into this "venture" -- the least we could do was oblige her with two sons. 

No one could possibly imagine the actual amount of work, screaming and yelling, and long hours that went into pouring the first L.S.V. Columbia. George Overmayer Glass Works, Tulsa, Oklahoma, were the people we eventually went with to produce our mold and handle our first pour. What an education we received with him! We had to first make a mold, approve and test it for strength and then come to agreement on the shade and color. That was good for at least three or four major arguments, but we continued to proceed with our venture, nevertheless.

On November 3, 1971, Mr. Overmayer poured approximately 90 black glass insulators to test our new mold. This just happened to be the color of glass he was working with at the time, therefore, these were never for sale. After this, we were quite satisfied with the way they handled our mold, so we set up a special run of two different colors of green. 

On November 7, 1971 -- 330 light greens were poured
On November 9, 1971 -- 315 lime greens were poured

We retained 4 dozen of each color of each which will never be offered for sale. They will remain in our safekeeping forever as the "First of the Era." The balance of the first two colors were all sold in less than 6 months!

By now, the hobby was really thriving with many new collectors and a lot of shows to attend and keep up with. I have aged 40 years in the process and it seemed to take me that long to convince Mom it was time for another "go." After all, four years had passed from that first pour of Green No.2's and I was getting bored. I finally talked her into bringing out the mold for one more pour of cobalt blues... my favorite color. This was also the most sought after color. 

This time, after much deliberation, we decided on Joe St. Clair's Glass Factory in Elkhart, Indiana. I know we drove him nuts, but he cooperated and gave us his best efforts. On July 10, 1974, we took the mold to his plant. The color was great and I really did enjoy the four days we spent in the extreme heat and exasperating environment. The art of glass-making is truly amazing. We stood beside Joe St. Clair through the staging process, testing and timing phases that all took place in the dead of summer. Believe me, at the end of the day we thought we were dead. We walked away with 285 cobalt blues and at the end of the run, they threw in some white glass to swirl a few of the remaining insulators that came out of the vat. This color proved to be the best for sale purposes and popularity. We held back 40 and sold the remaining in less than 3 months.

This brings me to the purpose of this disclosure article... a few years later and a little wiser, a lot poorer, but nevertheless still ambitious, I had seen the hobby undertake many changes, both up and down. There were new collectors that appeared to possess a relatively strong interest to the hobby and it still remained entertaining, sought after and challenging to most of us. Due to an appointment to a managerial position at my electrical facility, my hobby had been put on the back burner temporarily, with regard to time I had to devote to it. I eventually decided before anything else, including my two L.S.V. kids, passed by me, that I would leave a final impression on the industry and attempt to make a come-back! 

This time it was imperative to be equally original and unique. I had watched, over the years, several commemoratives being produced and also monitored how those changes in the insulator market impacted or enhanced, either negatively or positively, those undertakings. I wanted to do something totally different and apart from the rest. Something that never has been done before and in a way that would be memorable.

I am hereby offering the best set of newly issued insulators this hobby has ever seen or even imagined possible! Being witness to and having first-hand experience with producing these collectibles, I feel I have stumbled onto a great new concept that will leave a lasting impression on our hobby! 

All in all, it is now a completed endeavor for me and l am sure you will welcome these sets to your collection. We have produced a Super Set to end all sets of our Private Issue No.2 Columbias, poured in a series of 7 independent art glass colors. In order to protect collectors and investors we are going to quality control this last Veneziano testimonial and hope this will become an integral part of the glass insulator heritage. 

The mold started showing signs of deterioration from high intense heat and usage -- we gambled on our seventh color -- to the amazement of all, the insulators came out fine. We had pressed our luck far enough, so now we had to retire the worn-out mold, never to be able to produce glass again. This 7 color extravaganza took 2 years to complete. It was the longest two years of my life, but I feel, well spent. We enlisted the help of Russ Vogelsong of Summit Art Glass Company. We limited our pours, but since glass is produced in vats, a certain number of pieces is never guaranteed. Our total number of pours is as follows: (7 colors each) 

Due to the uncertain production capacity of each vat, we have more of some colors than others. We call the leftovers "Overpours." What we have decided to do is offer 370 numbered sets -- 7 colors each. 340 of those sets will be for sale to the public and the first ten will be reserved for private use of family members... and, rest, assured, they will be charged accordingly. The last 20 complete sets will be donated, at my discretion, to members of the hobby. The overpours will be held in storage so that if someone buys a set, and Heaven forbid, breaks one, we will replace that color free of charge, provided we have it available. 

One plus to the collector is their attractive eye appeal in terms of value. In order to properly preserve their value, there will never be any single color for sale. They are only offered in complete sets and they will only be sold as complete sets. Please watch for my ads. They are sure to quickly become a desirable collectible investment.

Included with each set are some extras I have not mentioned. You will receive a Registered Bonded Statement of Purchase with your name, the date and private issue set number. We can enhance their value in limiting the number available. After they are all sold and in the hands of collectors, it is apparent that the next time a set changes hands, it will be at a handsome premium. In addition, each one will come in a specially made corrugated box with a corresponding copy of the history article and your personalized authenticity certificate. Mail order only.

Please keep in mind that there are over 4,000 collectors, but only 340 sets available, so don't delay in acquiring your set, as this is:

The Last Time Pour of the Venezianos -- and believe me, a little of our hearts are poured into each insulator!
Only 370 Numbered Sets produced, to which no singles will ever be offered for sale! This will serve as the end of our 18 year No.2 Columbia Private Issue Era.
With Best Personal Regards to All Our Collectors & Friends ---
The "Private Issue" Venezianos
L.S.V.

Larry Veneziano 

A very special thanks to my sister, Linda Veneziano -- for her time and talents -- in helping me to write this article.

Russ Vogelsong receiving molten glass from the "gatherer" into the LSV mold.

An opal No.2 Columbia LSV "End of an Era" being removed from the mold.