MAC's Believe It Or Not!

Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", August 1986, page 35

One of the objectives of many new insulator collectors is to "get one of everything." I have to admit that even after I had been collecting for about two years, I still thought it would be possible for someone, even if it wasn't me, to amass a complete collection of insulators. That was about twelve years ago. A review of the insulators I've bought, sold, collected, held, and seen convinces me that there will never be a complete collection. That's probably just as well, because that means for all of us, there will always be something else to look for.

The insulators pictured in this article are not rare, but they speak to why I believe there will never be a complete collection. I've zeroed in on examples of mold and embossing variations that make the possible list of collectible insulators almost endless. Check your junk boxes and see if you can dig up some examples like the ones shown below.

These are the three standard variations of the CD 105 Americans (not junk box material). They are commonly known as (1) Lines and dots, (2) Plain or smooth, and (3) Lines. Like most of the other examples, these differences were not significant to the manufacturer or the user and could only make a difference to an insulator collector today.

CD 105 Americans -- Dots, Plain, Lines

This picture shows a couple of unusual CD 116's. The one standing up is unembossed, except for a hint of a "P" on the dome. It is not part of the standard Hemingray embossing. The one lying down is identical, unembossed, but it also has an "Inner Skirt". I guess officially it isn't a CD 116 with the extra skirt, but that number will have to do until another one is assigned.

Speaking of inner skirts, here are two CD 104's in light and dark aqua, both with inner skirts. Looks like we could use a new CD number here too.

The three Brookfield 102's pictured above provide an interesting contrast. On the left is what I call the normal Brookfield 102 shape, embossed Brookfield on the front and nothing on the back, with sharp drip points. You probably have about 100 of these. The insulator in the middle is embossed Brookfield on the front and New York on the back, with sharp drip points. It is the only one of these I have ever seen. The shape of this one is much like the one on the right, which is embossed Brookfield both front and back. Sorry I can't show you both sides at the same time!

I'm sure I've had dozens of these CD 102 Hawleys, but the one on the right is the only three line embossing I've ever seen. Check those junk boxes!

Finally, for you Lynchburg collectors, I include the three different front embossings that I have found on CD 106: Lynchburg over L, Lynchburg (only), and L over Lynchburg.