| Looking for something interesting, beautiful and low | | | | more common names found on glass insulators.There |
| cost to collect, then try antique insulators. Insulators | | | | are a wide variety of insulators made of porcelain, |
| have been used ever since Samuel Morse transmitted | | | | ceramic, stoneware and other related materials. |
| the first telegraph message over a short telegraph | | | | Collectors primarily focus on pin-types and insulators |
| line along a railroad between Washington, D.C. and | | | | used on early radio receiver antennas. Manufacturer |
| Baltimore, MD in 1844. Glass insulators were first | | | | names to look for are Cook, Jobson Bros., |
| manufactured in the 1850s for use with telegraph | | | | Johns-Manville, Fred M Locke, New Westminster and |
| lines that were rapidly expanding across America. In | | | | Varley.You can determine the age of an antique |
| the 1920s electricity and telephone signals moved | | | | insulator by looking for any marking stamped or |
| over open copper wire. At each pole glass insulators | | | | embossed on its surface. Sometimes the |
| were used starting this popular hobby of insulator | | | | approximate age can be determined by a patent |
| collecting.Insulators come in many sizes, shapes and | | | | date on the insulator. The last glass insulator |
| colors. They were made of many different types | | | | manufacturer in the United States was Kerr, located |
| materials including rubber, porcelain, pottery, glass, | | | | in Millville, NJ. Kerr stopped producing insulators in |
| composition, fiberglass, metal, wood and mica. Glass | | | | 1979. Value is determined by many factors such as |
| and porcelain insulators are extensively collected by | | | | condition, manufacturer, quantity made, color, age |
| manufacturer and color.Glass insulators are usually | | | | and demand by collectors. The best place to buy |
| found marked with a manufacturer or users name | | | | antique insulators is eBay.Glyn Farber has published a |
| embossed on the insulator such as Hemingray No.9. | | | | catalog of all known Hickey Brother Cigar Store |
| made by the Hemingray Glass Company that was | | | | Tokens and co-authored a book about Louisiana |
| located in Muncie, Indiana. The American Telephone | | | | Trade Tokens. In addition he wrote several articles |
| and Telegraph Co. embossed their insulators with AM | | | | for The Token and Medal Society (TAMS) and The |
| TEL & TEL Co. Most insulators were marked on their | | | | National Token Collectors Association (NTCA). Glyn |
| crown or skirt. Armstrong's, Brookfield, California, | | | | has been a devoted collector of Louisiana Trade |
| Diamond, Dominion, Hemingray, Kerr, Lynchburg, | | | | Tokens, Louisiana collectibles and Lake Charles, LA |
| Maydwell, NEGM and Whitall Tatum are some of the | | | | postcards for almost 40 years. |