Some insulators are just fun to admire. Unusual shapes. Surprising Colors. Out of the ordinary. Simply a delight to view. Collectors often call such insulators "eye candy".

Crown Jewels this month features porcelain insulators that fall into the "eye candy" category. The items on the following pages are from the collection of Tim Wood of Oregon. These beautiful insulators challenge what you might ordinarily think of when a collector announces he collects "mud".

Tim tells Crown Jewels, "I started collecting "mud" as a result of seeing an ad in C-J back in the late 1970's. A New Yorker (I think) by the name of Lew Hohn was selling porcelain, and offered a list. Having seen some nice colors at a few shows, I thought I might add a few to my collection.

"Lew's "for sale" list was hand-written, and usually contained several pages. Porcelain was cheap, and I was starting fresh, so I would just write down lots of choices, tell Lew how much I had to spend, and ask if buying several would help in the overall cost. After a few days time, I would receive a couple of boxes of great porcelain! He always gave me super deals.

"It was many years later that I learned Lew had sold his collection. I've really regretted having never met him in person. I know he was a great individual because of how he treated me. I don't know if he is alive today, but I will never forget him, even though I don't have a face to go with the name."

In addition to Tim's wonderful insulator collection, he and his wife, Joanne are great hosts. He also makes a tasty BLT!