So excited to let y'all know we just came across a supply of vintage insulators!!
I am a huge fan of these little historical gems.
I realize not everyone is familiar with these, so let me explain...
Shortly after the telephone began to grow in popularity, telephone and telegraph lines started to criss cross the country. These glass or ceramic "insulators" would protect the wires when joined to a telephone pole. Like so:
These insulators would proctect the cables from the elements and insure a solid connection when lines were joined. Some styles were produced from the 1890's through the 1960's! Funny how such a common piece of history can so quickly become obscure. Insulators were most often made from glass or cermaic, ranging in a wide varitey of colors, shapes, and sizes. Here are some common shapes and styles:
So hope everyone is excited! These are great conversation pieces for their small, compact size. They make lovey bookends or just look great sitting in the sun. Here are a couple creative projects for repurposing insulators:
Hope you enjoyed the historical tidbits!! If you would like to find out more about the history & variety of insulators, I found http://www.insulators.info/ very informative. To find out more about the enthralling & competitive world of insulator collecting please visit the National Insulators Association http://www.nia.org/
We currently have these items in stock:
Hemingray CD 154s & 145s in Hemingray blue glass - Used for Telegraph
Thomas brown glaze ceramic U 206s - used for Transpositions
Whitall Tatum in a varitey of No., clear & blue glass
ALL $12
As I sort through the rest, I will keep y'all posted on what other styles I find!!
0 comments:
Post a Comment