Dear Howard. Thank you for the excellent CJOW article on red insulators in the February 2004 issue. I had long anticipated someone's highlighting these gems.

Frequently in 2002 and 2003, I recorded final Ebay bids for reddish and red amber insulators, mostly CD 272' s and CD 154' s. Some insulators were obviously more brilliant and / or in better condition than others, thus commanding higher bids.

The red or reddish 272's that I noted, all Whitall Tatum's, sold for $288, $115, $61, $51, $171, $112, $31, $53, $30, $69, $15, $42, $48, $39, $307 and $53. From my observations at numerous shows, including several nationals over the past 15 years, CD 272' s are often dark root beer ambers. Red ones do turn up occasionally, however, obvious to everyone when a flashlight is held behind these gems. Sometimes the red hue covers most of the insulator, but more often just portions such as the saddle, or base or pin hole areas. I haven't seen many CD 272 oxbloods, which are supposed to be "as red as a railroad lantern", glowing especially at sunrise or sunset.

The reddish CD 154 Dominions that I tracked on Ebay reached final bids of $112, $140, $128, $18, $76, $129 and $130.

In addition, two reddish CD 162 Hemingrays soared to $290 and $158, whereas three Telegrafos Nationales CD 214's brought $79, $51 and $65. Finally, four CD 230 Hemingrays finished at $36, $75, $50 and $75.

You mentioned that the new Price Guide values CD 272 Whitall Tatum red ambers in the $10 - $15 range. However, (005), (010), and (040) embossing styles are priced at $40 - $50. Another Whitall Tatum (020) No 62 (and obviously quite rare) is listed at $250 - $300.

Again, thanks for the illuminative article and accompanying photos.

Forrest M. Elliott, Jr.

Dear Forrest,

Several folks sent us pictures of red insulators we never even mentioned in our article last February. We plan to do a follow up, probably sometime next winter.

The article was popular, and that may help explain why we sold out of February issues of the magazine. Since Linda & I took over the magazine 20 months ago, we have had four issues sell out: August 2003 (National Show Report), December 2003 (Christmas gift season), January 2004 (color feature on foreign spools), and February 2004 (color feature on red insulators).

The May (California insulators) and June (Boston insulators) issues are also going fast and will likely sell out. Readers wanting back (or extra) issues should order soon, as they won't last long.                       Howard