The Twelfth Annual Lone Star Insulator Club show and sale was held on Saturday, August 23, 2003 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Houston, Texas. After a long day at work, I went to the hotel on Friday evening. Bill and Marilyn Albers were setting up their sales table, along with Ross Baird, Tom Miller, and N.R. Woodward. Roy Boling, Chris Renaudo, Jack Roach, and Ben and Margaret Cox were also there, watching Ross unpack his insulators. After the show room was locked up for the night, I joined Jim Bates, Bob Berry, Roy Boling, and Gary Fine for dinner in the hotel's restaurant.

Like a child at Christmastime, I woke and dozed several times before falling asleep. My alarm clocks woke me to the 5 a.m. darkness on Saturday morning. After dressing, I hopped into my pickup and took off for the show. A thin crescent moon floated in the inky Houston sky as I arrived at the hotel. A cleaning lady opened our show room, and set-up resumed. As dawn broke and the sun rose over the Katy Freeway, more dealers began arriving. 

Our show room was smaller this year, but we still had great morning walk-through. The show was attracting visitors way before nine o'clock. Many familiar collectors attended. Derik Lattig, Judd Moody, and Paul Rubin were there, along with Ron Williams of Louisiana, Gene and Mary Lou Spalek of Alleyton, Chris Sistrunk of Beaumont, and Claude Hall of Sealy. Pat Gilkey came from Sugar Land. Mike Jordan came from San Antonio. I was pleased to see first-time visitor Caleb Thimell from Oregon at our show. 

Action at the show

This year's show had a selection of insulators even better than last year's. John Hall had three royal purple CD 143 Canadian Pacific's, a Columbia, a dozen CD 234 and CD 235 Carnival Pyrex, and two amber-swirled CD 257 Hemingrays (one with the June 17, 1893 error). Chris Renaudo had a Muncie, a carnival Pyrex sombrero, and 2 Hemingray blue CD 248/311/311 stackers. Gary Fine had a bubbly gray Grand Canyon beehive and a bubbly aqua CD 121 O.V.G. Co. John Wiggins had a ribbed Cutter, a yellow green CD 126 Brookfield, a blue CD 135 Chicago diamond, and an olive amber blackglass CD 112.5. Bob Berry had a purple WGM beehive, a yellow green CD 321 Prism, and a yellow green CD 287 Locke No. 135 blot out. and Jack Roach's golden brown amber CD 145 American. Brian Riecker highlighted his sales stock with a backlit display case. Caleb Thimmel's table was a must-see for Zicme insulators from Colombia. There were three of the elusive purple CD 154 Zicmes, and a forth one in a dazzling fizzy clear.

Elton Gish's Best of Show Display of Wall Tubes

Some great porcelain was on display. Elton Gish had a blue Ohio Brass keg. Tom Miller had a chocolate U680B Findlay-196A, a chocolate U634A National Porcelain, a pumpkin-colored Lapp, several large multiparts, and two small crates loaded with porcelain insulators. Marilyn Albers had a number of porcelain insulators from New Zealand, a white Frouenthal transposition, and a chocolate 1972 Gamma signal with the underglaze Energia Bogota ink-mark on its dome. Jimmy Burns had a white MP beehive and a brown Thomas 2-piece with the blue jeans seam. Jimmy also had a walk-in porcelain insulator. It was a rare 3-piece Pittsburgh Porcelain in cobalt blue with rest grooves in the bottom skirt.

Chris displayed CD 136 and received the A J Vaughn Sportsmanship Award 

Non-glass/non-porcelain items were available as well. Bob Berry had the hard-to-find Continental Rubber Works RC-1 on his table. Tom Miller had a Salisbury rubber polymer dead-end insulator. Jimmy Burns visited Tom's table and became the new owner of a synthetic composition high-voltage insulator. Tom's go-withs included a collection of Fry kitchen glassware and catalogs from Lapp Insulator and an industrial supply company in San Antonio.

Other notable items for sale included a clear narrow dome Hemingray #21, a green CD 147, a clear CD 160 Armstrong's, an ice blue Hemingray #20, a citrine CD 164 McLaughlin, a purple CD 108 Whitall Tatum, a green aqua #11 O.V.G.Co. keg, a CD 138 Postal, CD 154 McLaughlins in apple green and delft blue, a carnival Hemingray TS-2, an amber-swirled CD 200, a CD 124 Hemingray #4, a honey amber CD 230 Lowex, a carnival CD 118, a honey amber CD 238 Hemingray D-514, an olive amber Lowex 670, a jade aqua CD 164 Hemingray, a sky blue CD 200 Star, a Hemingray Blue #61 Cable, an ice green CD 162 KCGW, a CD 201 Hemingray tramp, a yellow green Lynchburg keg, a snowy green CD 133 Brookfield, two teal CD 102 Diamonds, a purple 1678, two amber Hemingray #23s (one honey, the other red), a royal purple WGM toll, two clear/blue Hemingray two-tones (CD 106 and 162), a yellow green CD 143 CNR, an olive swirled CD 131.4, a CD 160 McLaughlin in olive green blackglass, a CD 112 Sterling keg, a CD 114 1893 patent Hemingray #11, a green CD 132 bullet, and two 7-up Hemingray #9. Two Foree Bains were seen at this year's show, one with the December 23, 1890 patent date. 

Jack Roach's golden brown amber CD 145 American.

CD 145 H.G.Co. beehives were available in yellow amber, orange amber, jade aqua, jade blue, and ice gray. CD 162 Hemingrays were seen in Kentucky green, peacock, cobalt, carnival, and various ambers, one of which was an orange amber smooth base H.G.Co. Two purple H.G.Co. CD 162s (one royal purple, the other lavender) were spotted on a table. 

Caleb Thimell & "Woody" Woodward

Mike Jordan & Bill Albers

Numerous threadless insulators were seen. These included an olive green blackglass CD 718, a teal blackglass CD 732, sky blue CD 742 with a milk swirl, a milky sky blue CD 726, and a ice aqua CD 735 Mulford & Biddle. Ross Baird had a rare tan U-990 teapot on his table.

Jim Bates & Jack Roach