We're calling this month's featured color section "Hall's Helmets... Shades of Greatness." Insulators displayed on the following pages are varieties of CD 260 California cable insulators, fondly referred to by collectors as "helmets". These examples are from the collection of Dave Hall of California.

Dave, widely known for his tremendous collection of McLaughlin insulators and "go-withs", has many interests including reproductions of E.G Booz log cabin whisky bottles and California embossed insulators.

We photographed these helmets at the Tulare show last November. Dave tells Crown Jewels, "The only reason that I took the helmets along to Tulare was, I was going to visit and see Bob Merzoian on Thursday night before the show. Bob said he had a pretty dark SCA (helmet), so I though I would take my helmets to compare. Bob's was a half shade darker than my darkest SCA. It's always great to see someone's collection, and Bob's was no exception:'

Dave has ten California CD 260's. He describes the colors as dark sun-colored amethyst (SCA), medium SCA, light SCA, peach, golden yellow, bright yellow, California green, and sage green. He says his pinch groove styles, so called because of the narrow distance between the ears of the cable groove, are aqua and green aqua. Crown Jewels didn't have Dave's list of colors when we printed the color insert, so we'll let you match his colors with the pictures (although we only reproduced eight of the insulators).

McDougald's price guide also list several additional colors for California helmets: smoke, gingerale, purple-peach two tone and purple-yellow two tone.

We particularly want to call your attention to the green helmet on the first page of the insert. This is the color Dave calls "California green". This particular shade of color is truly scarce. Dave says only two or three examples are reported.

Dave continues, "The CD 260 is one of my favorite styles for California embossed insulators. I love the way the ears glow with color when you base light them.

"When the company started in 1912, they were known as California Glass Insulator Company, hence the CD 102 'C G I Co' embossing. In 1914 they reorganized the company with the name, California Glass Works. The CD 102 style now had the name 'California' spelled out."

Dave believes the CD 112 mold variant in blue aqua, and the pinch groove CD 260's in aqua, were also made after the company was re-organized. He welcomes any questions or comments about his theory. You can email Dave at: dcorridor@msn.com.

Many of the yellow colored California helmets reportedly came from inside a redwood lumber mill in Northwestern California in the late 1960's. They were supposedly secreted out of the plant by employees and sold to collectors. Having been used indoors, the insulators were never exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, and therefore retained their original yellow coloration. After almost 35 years, perhaps someone would feel comfortable telling that story. If so, write us at Crown Jewels.

What are California helmets worth? Auctions in the last couple of years have seen Yellow Cal helmets realize sums ranging from $770 to $990. Prices for dark amethyst have reached the $700 range. "Pinch ears" have climbed over the $500 mark. Even a sage green will clean a "Ben Franklin" out of your wallet.

A couple of years ago, while taking my wife out to dinner at our favorite restaurant in Ashland, Oregon, I observed some insulators on a fence railing behind an antique store. Even from a distance, I could tell one was a Cal helmet in sage green. The rest... Hemingray 42's and a common porcelain with cobalt blue glaze.

Entering the shop, I asked the store owner if she had any insulators for sale. She said no, that she was out. So I mentioned I had seen some on her back porch. "Oh, those:' So she let me look at them. I pretended to be interested in the porcelain and asked about prices. "$10 for that one", she said." Oh, well, what about this one?" I asked, picking up the California CD 260. "$8.00", she replied. Let me tell you, the food at our restaurant that night never tasted better!