It was the summer of ’94, in Northern California, that an astonishing discovery occurred. Construction workers, excavating in an area that was once a late 1800’s refuse dump, unearthed one of the most incredible finds in the history of insulator collecting. Buried several feet below the surface for 100 years or more, the wildest dream of any collector emerged!

Estimated reports reveal that as many as 200 CD 123 E.C.&M. Co. S.F. insulators were uncovered within a matter of minutes! Unfortunately, dozens were damaged by heavy equipment during the unearthing. On the positive side, more than half were salvaged by a small number of curious construction workers just hours prior to impending destruction. Information gleaned from these workers indicates that nearly all of the insulators were found in one concentrated grouping, surrounded by an ashy substance, possibly a decomposed packing material consisting of straw or wood shavings. Remnants of decayed wood surrounded the grouping. This suggests they were once encased in a wooden box or barrel. None of the insulators exhibit signs of use or wire wear. With that in mind, it leads one to speculate that these insulators were disposed of in their original shipping container sometime after the CD 123 style became obsolete.

The most remarkable aspect of this discovery is the emergence of a new embossing variant. Until this recent unearthing, EC&M’s were documented to only exist in two dome embossed variations: normal embossing on side of dome; and upside-down embossing on side of dome. The new variant displays the same style of normal embossing, but is located on the center skirt! (Recent reports from several collectors reveal that a specimen with this same skirt embossing made a brief appearance back in the 1970’s, but disappeared into an unknown collection.) Only a small number of skirt embossed EC&M’s were found, compared with the much larger number of the standard dome embossed units found.

To date, I have personally viewed and inspected about two-thirds of the approximately 85 colored EC&M’s purchased by a collector in the spring of ’95. Due to price negotiation difficulties, approximately three dozen of the more common dome embossed aqua EC&M’s were left in the possession of the finders. This brings the total estimated number of EC&M’s recovered at the discovery site to somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 total.

Five different molds were involved in the manufacture of this specific grouping of EC&M’s. All the skirt embossed units are from the same mold--squared dome, squared button on back. The dome embossed units are found in the following molds: squared dome, rounded button on back; tapered dome, squared button on back; squared dome, squared button on back (2 molds). All are the straight skirt, beveled sharp base variety.

Looking at the total numbers reported--those in aqua are the most prevalent. Here is a listing of the additional colors; followed by the total numbers of each I have personally viewed. They range in condition from heavily damaged to mint. Some contain hundreds of small air bubbles; others are near void of bubbles.

Numbers of dome embossed are in parenthesis ( ),
skirt embossed are in brackets [ ].

There are four shades of green: light yellow green/chartreuse with a hint of olive (11); bright yellow green (11); bright yellow green/chartreuse (6) & [4]; and a light teal green (1).

Two shades of blue: light slate blue [3]; 
and medium teal blue (7).

Three shades of smoke: light peachy smoke (6); medium smoke (1) & [3]; and dark charcoal smoke [1].

One shade of dark yellow-orange amber (2).

Last, but certainly not least, deep green with 
dark olive swirls (1).

Incidentally, the last one measures in at 5-3/4 inches tall, and displays a massive 1/2 inch overpour all the way around the base! This specimen likely holds the record for the tallest EC&M. It does have some internal damage, but it is, without a doubt, one spectacular piece!

November Cover: "The two bubbly, skirt-embossed CD 123 EC&M's pictured on the cover of this month's issue reveal the light surface haze that developed while buried in the ground. You can also observe the remnants of a thin overpour that appears on the base of the yellow green/chartreuse specimen (pictured on the right)."

The preceding totals, with exception of the last item, reflect the combined numbers of those recently sold (20),[8], and those currently available for sale. The remaining two dozen or so EC&M’s that are not included in this report remain in a private collection and are not for sale. I’m told this group consists of the same primary colors listed above. I hope to view these soon to finalize the total color count.

Another exciting twist to this discovery involves the smoke colored units. When the first group of damaged peachy smoke dome embossed EC&M’s were left in my possession for repair work, I couldn’t help noticing the slight hint of pink in the smoky coloration. With my amateur knowledge of glass chemistry, and assuming these had never seen active service, I quickly and excitingly envisioned the potential here for the creation of a purple EC&M! Only two purple EC&M’s were known to exist at this point--one vnm, and one heavily damaged with resin repair. With the fantasy of naturally turning one purple, I placed the worst of the six--crumbled into a dozen pieces--out in the strong Southern California sunlight to begin the process of absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This would be the same natural conditions for any possible change had they been placed in service over a century ago. In just the span of one month it became quite apparent my hunch was becoming a reality. It has now been five months and the color is deepening to a nice smoky purple! It is quite apparent this group of smoke colored EC&M’s had not seen more than a day of sunlight! Furthermore, I also feel the darker smoke colored ones will also turn shades of purple with this same process. Can you imagine a purple skirt embossed EC&M? Wow!

The two bubbly, skirt embossed EC&M’s pictured on the cover of this month’s issue reveal the light surface haze that developed while buried in the ground. You can also observe the remnants of a thin overpour that appears on the base of the yellow green/chartreuse specimen (pictured on the right). This, for the most part, confirms the long standing speculation that such overpours commonly occurred during manufacture and were removed before shipping. The flaking and chipping normally found on EC&M’s with beveled sharp bases are likely a result of such overpour removal.

As with any new discovery of this caliber, this one did not go without its doubters...and rightfully so! With the values of insulators reaching record levels almost daily, the possibility of fakes, frauds, and reproductions will always be an element we must be alert to. I wrestled with myself as to whether I really needed to defend the authenticity of this new discovery by including this paragraph in the report. I decided to include it because the hobby deserves all the information, both negative and positive. Fortunately, and for the sake of legitimacy, these EC&M’s have everything positive going for them. They are backed by reliable and detailed documentation of their discovery. They all have an extremely authentic appearance: the traditional embossing; the genuine texture of the glass; the unmistakable mold design and manufacturing techniques; and a light surface staining from being buried for over 100 years (excluding the few that were tumble cleaned). Also, we must take into account that a total of five molds were used in their manufacture. If fraud were the intent, why go to the profound expense of machining five molds when one mold would serve the same purpose? These are only some of the observations and hypotheses we must consider and ponder when determining the authenticity of any new discovery. If, after personal inspection of any suspected insulator, you are still unsure--go with your “gut” feelings. Nine times out of ten it will be the right choice!

There is much more that can be discussed and speculated concerning this phenomenal discovery. Let’s hope that time, along with continuing research, will provide us with more information on the fascinating subject of the...