New CD 589 
A TREASURED BEAUTY FROM THE UKRAINE

The owner of this insulator is Quenton Marty of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents live in the Ukraine and since Quenton is a relatively new collector, he asked them to try and find some insulators for him. That request certainly paid off because they chose the best place to look - a sort of run down flea market - and as luck would have it, they were able to buy two unique glass insulators for only five grievnas, which Quenton says is equivalent to $2.00 American money. One was a CD 540 in dark green, which has already been published in N.R. Woodward's Consolidated Design Chart, and a very interesting new discovery in bright green glass. 

Quenton agreed to let me borrow this new style so I could make a shadow profile and record measurements. When it arrived, everything sensible that I should be doing came to a halt! It was so different from any other foreign insulator I'd seen that I just couldn't take my eyes away from it. Woody was able to get a good look at it too and was fascinated with every detail. He has since classified this piece as new CD 589.

"CD 589 - Front view"

A REAL STROKE OF LUCK

In mid January of this year, Rob Johnson of East Hartford, CT, found an unlisted foreign glass insulator at a bottle show and wrote to me asking for some information on it. Included in with his letter was all the basic information I needed to see, in case this insulator should prove to be a new find. He went to great lengths to describe the double grooved style, the ISOREX embossing, the height, the base diameter, and the color of glass. He also sent several shadow drawings with measurements and had sketched in some cosmetic details that the shadow could not possibly show, as well as foil rubbings of the exact embossing and the threads in the pin hole! I was very impressed that he had gone to all that trouble to learn something about the insulator he had acquired.

"New CD 587.4"

As it turned out, it is definitely a new find and Woody has classified it as new CD 587.4. "ISOREX" is embossed on one side of the skirt with "2352" on the opposite side. The insulator is 5-7/8" tall and has a 4-1/4" base diameter. The glass color is a lovely dark teal green. At this time it's the only example known and believe me, it's a fine piece of glass! It should be - it weighs just under 3 lbs.! The pictures he'd sent in his letter were somewhat fuzzy so he agreed to let me borrow the insulator and take my own photos for this article. The box in which he sent it was so well packed that half way into it, he had written a note saying "Keep going - there really is an insulator in here." 

The photo on the next page shows the two sizes of this particular style that have now been documented. On the left is the familiar CD 587 (see page 117 in G.I.F.O.N.A) with embossing "ISOREX // 234.2". To the right is Rob's new find, CD 587.4 embossed "ISOREX // 2352" (note the absence of a period between "5" and "2"). Both examples are made of dark teal green glass.

"What a pair!"

A PORCELAIN T-BAR WITH RAGLAN SLEEVES

So what is a raglan sleeve? It is a loose fitting sleeve that doesn't snug up under the arm pit. If you'll take a look at the next photo, you'll see what I mean. 

"No arm pits!"

This unmarked insulator belongs to Eric Johnson of Stuart, Florida. It is made of white porcelain and very likely a product of the Richard Ginori factory in Italy. It is 3-1/4" in height, it has a base diameter of 2-1/4", and the arm span measures 3-7/8". Lacking an inner skirt, this little fellow is unusually thick and sturdy.

"Three different styles of Ginori T-bars"

"Bottoms up"

On the left is just a plain ordinary T-bar made by Richard Ginori the kind with an inner skirt that you are apt to see most frequently. It is approximately 3-1/4" in height. In the center is our Raglan lady, and to the right is the taller and unusually broad T-bar that appeared in the June 1998 issue of Crown Jewels of the Wire magazine and referred to as "Jack Sprat's wife who could eat no lean." As you can see, this one doesn't have an inner skirt either.

I'm not sure, but I suspect that the two strange looking T-bars with thick profiles were not adequately "trimmed" of excess porcelain while still at the factory. On the other hand, it's possible they came out of a broader thicker mold in order to create a very strong insulator. Jury's out so please feel free to add your comments.

LOOK WHAT CAME OUT OF AUSTRIA!

I acquired this insulator in a, trade with Crown Jewels of the Wire subscriber Frantisek Danek, who lives in the Czech Republic. Weighing in at 4-1/2 Ibs, this huge noser may claim the world's record for size! I've never seen one so big. It is just under 6-1/4" in height, it has an inner skirt, and the diameter of the base is 3-7/8". The horizontal span from the back of the head to the tip of the slotted nose measures 5-1/4". Most certainly this insulator was intended for use on high voltage power lines, and probably descending ones. It has really been a conversation piece and I'm proud to have it on my shelf.

"World's largest porcelain Noser?"