Grading Insulators
by Dick Borman

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", May 1972, page 2

(The following article is reprinted from the February issue of APPLIED SEALS, the monthly newsletter of the Genesee Valley Bottle Collectors' Association in Rochester, N. Y. It appeared on pages 3 and 4 in the column titled "From Pole to Pole".)

How mint is mint? or near-mint, for that matter? This is the question that plagues any insulator collector when he attempts to describe merchandise for sale or trade. Since the answer to this question is primarily a matter of individual judgment and experience, this writer can do no more than state his personal feelings on the subject.

When preparing a trade list I generally use four classification! mint, very near mint, near mint, and damaged. Let's review them one at a time and attempt to clarify them.

Mint. Taken literally this is just as they left the factory. Since most insulators offered to collectors have been in use, they have been subject to the ravages of weather, wire-wear, dust, dirt, etc., and therefore may not have a factory-fresh sheen or may posses an occasional stress mark, particularly in the area of the threads. In general if an insulator shows these normal signs of wear, but is free from damage such as chips, nicks, dings, cracks or major stains, I call it mint. Mass production of insulators, particularly older ones, often caused roughness at the mold edges, small bubble breaks, or imperfectly formed drip points. Unless these factory imperfections are beyond the norm, it's mint. Anything beyond, especially in an expensive insulator, should be described as fully as possible.

Very Near Mint (VNM). An insulator listed this way should still be a very choice item yet may posses a very small wire mark, ding, nick, or crack, usually in a fairly inconspicuous place and would to all intents and purposes display mint. You will find many in this category, since linemen, the weather, and hunters of all ages were not always kind to insulators.

Near Mint (NM). Here we find the widest range of opinions, so here goes my neck out again! A near mint insulator may have such things as an inner skirt chip, a couple of dings, a fairly small chip anywhere on the insulator, some drip point damage (insulators with perfect sharp drip points are extremely difficult to find), a bruise, or even combinations of the above. As a rule a near mint insulator should be expected to display quite well, hopefully mint, from one side. A large gouge, a crack, or heavy staining do not make it near mint in my book.


Damaged. Here we can describe them in a variety of ways, but we're talking about something less than near mint. Frequently-used terms are "minor damage", "base chips", "base damage", or "cracked", but unless you have a lot of them in this shape at a wholesale price, you're generally better off describing the damage in finer detail. Unless described otherwise, even insulators in this category should be expected to display reasonably well, perhaps near mint from one side. There are some insulators we all run into that are pretty rough, and unless they're a real scarce item probably should be considered a "wipeout" or else described as being in poor condition.

A few more points worthy of consideration are as follows:

1. Since truly mint insulators, especially to the very critical eye, are hard to come by, it's tough to positively guarantee an insulator to be mint. My particular policy is to guarantee them mint or very near mint unless specified otherwise.

2. In conjunction with the point above, every sale or trade should be accompanied by a return privilege within a reasonable period of time, usually a week or ten days. Both parties should be assured of satisfaction before a deal becomes complete.

3. On a rare or high-priced insulator, I feel that anything less than mint should be described in detail--not only the extent, but the location of any damage. When investing a large amount of cash or a piece of good glass in an item, I feel obliged to give and receive the full story.

4. Before mailing a trade or sale ask yourself this question: "Would I be happy to receive this item at the price (or trade) as described?"



Sketch by Paul E. Mohrs