Attending as many insulators shows and club meetings during the year as possible has been one of my collecting priorities. One is never disappointed if they are looking for newly discovered insulators. 

Such was the case at the 1999 NIA Central Region show in Crown Point, Indiana. I had never seen the L. FUNK / PAT PEND twist lock porcelain insulator before that Dan Raber brought to show. (See CJ's PIN article, November 1999) Also of interest were two very unusual insulators that were brought to the show by Tom Murphy and purchased by Rick Soller.

Measuring a little over 1" in diameter, these grooved, glass
 insulators were tagged: "1890s -1900 Insulator from 
Senator Dr. C.A. Henry's barn, Farson, IA"

The glass was light aqua in color and very crude. There looked to be embossing which was hand-engraved. Curiously, the two pieces were made in two different molds. And, I am sure they were hand molded, for it would be very difficult to mold the wire into the glob of glass by any other method.

Bob Stahr had found in the April 14, 1903 U.S. PATENT OFFICE records the following information regarding the Claydon Patent.

- - - - - - - - - -

725,044. INSULATOR. CHARLES CLAYDON, Searcy, Tex. Filed Sept. 19, 1902. Serial No. 124054 (No model.)

Claim. --- 1. An insulator consisting of a block of insulating material having a wire-supporting groove in the surface thereof, and a wire loop partially embedded in said block with the side members thereof spaced apart and emerging from the block on opposite sides of and at points remote from said groove.

2. An insulator consisting of a block of insulating material having a wire-supporting groove in the surface thereof, a wire loop partially embedded in said block with the side members thereof spaced apart and emerging from the block on opposite sides of and at points remote from said groove, and a guy wire disposed in said groove and embracing said block and provided with means for engaging a line wire. 

3. An insulator consisting of a block of insulating material having an endless wire loop partially embedded therein, a guy wire embracing said block through said loop transversely thereof and provided with means for supporting a line-wire, the side members of said loop emerging from said block on opposite sides of said guy wire and disposed out of contact therewith, and a tie-wire connected to the projecting portion of said loop.

4. An insulator comprising a block of insulating material, and an endless loop formed of a section of wire twisted together near the ends with the extremities extended in. opposite directions, and said twisted portion and extended ends embedded in said block, substantially as described.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Now, this insulator ended up in Iowan barn, but you Texans in the Searcy area might want to do a little research on Charles Claydon to see if the insulators may have been distributed in your part of the country. Believe It Or Not! they are really interesting historical pieces.

Bob Moss of Millville, New Jersey shares two interesting pieces from his town's insulator-production era.

CD 176 Whitall Tatum Co. No. 12 "Mushroom" in an
 ice aqua covered with a copper top.

A beautiful advertising piece from the Armstrong Cork Company. 
The double candleholder has an etched base as well as an etched 
medallion bearing the company's name.