Open Wire Insulator Services Auction #17 offered 114 items in an auction which closed June 3rd. Dwayne Anthony's posting of auction results shows that 112 of the listings sold.

Crown Jewels this month continues our new feature reporting on the results of insulator auctions. 13 of the insulators sold in the auction are shown in color on pages 40 & 41. Please note that the auction pictures are NOT life sized, nor are they necessarily depicted to scale. Please enjoy them as photographic representations of the items that were sold. The first three insulators shown were selected because they fit with this month's theme of insulators containing swirls of color.

Page 40, top row, left. CD 102 Brookfield, olive amber in color but with an aqua colored dome. Sold for $522.

Page 40, top row, middle. CD 121 Am Tel & Tel toll described as amber swirled green. Sold for $1,072.

Page 40, top row, right. CD 143 Canadian Pacific, aqua w / amber swirls. Sold for $85

Page 40, second row, left. CD 164 McLaughlin, citrine. Sold for $742.

Page 40, second row, right. CD 1000, glass block, 7-up green, $1,925.

Page 40, bottom row, left: CD 257 Mickey Mouse, milky electric blue, $1,430.

Page 40, bottom row, right: CD 162 H.G. Co, yellow orange glower, $550.

Page 41, top row, left: CD 125 W.U., yellow olive, $1,155.

Page 41, top row, right: CD 640, VA, yellow olive amber, $209.

Page 41, middle row, left: CD 299.2. This Fry glass insulator described as fiery white opalescent brought the highest price of any insulator in the auction. The closing price was $7,260. In contrast, the least expensive insulator sold was a CD 143 Canadian Pacific described as being apple green in color with milk. Not shown in this article, the 143 brought $77.

Page 41, middle row, right. CD 107. Mexican insulators continue to be in high demand as evidenced by this piece. This PSSA in yellow green sold for $467.

Page 41, bottom row, left: A highly polished wooden insulator from San Francisco in the style with a rounded top brought $495. Another wooden insulator, this one with a cable groove, brought $247.

Page 41, bottom row, right. CD 139.9. This McLaughlin is the scarce variant with a peaked dome, rather than a rounded dome. The demand is greater for the peaked variants, and this item sold for $1,072.

A CD 206 "castle" in straw colored glass, shown in black & .white on the opposite page, brought $935. A CD 206 in blue closed for $825.

The three ridge CD 288 Mershon shown in black & white at the bottom of this page is truly a scarce insulator. Mershon's with a single ridge of glass on the top of the "umbrella" are relatively common. But the three ridge variety almost never comes up for sale. This one is repaired. The top had popped off, and was reglued. The insulator brought $247.

Not shown, but among other auction items were the following (listed in no particular order):

CD 178 California Santa Ana, sage green = $385
CD 178 California Santa Ana, purple = $302.
CD 260 California helmet, purple = $935
CD 260 California helmet, pinch ear style, green aqua = $440
CD 158 Boston, aqua = $660
CD 158.2 Boston, aqua = $1,430
CD 135.5 ERW, lime green = $3,245
CD 135.5 ERW, blue aqua = $1,265
CD 317 Chambers, milky teal = $2,200
CD 317 Chambers, blue aqua = $357
CD 106 Hemingray, purple = $220
CD 106 Hemingray, blue with purple swirls = $797
CD 102 VTS (manufactured circa 1970), peacock blue = $660
CD 162 1678, purple = $209
CD 151 HG Co, cornflower blue = $935
CD 200 California, purple = $1,485
CD 287.1 Locke, peacock blue = $4,290
CD 287.1 Locke, red amber = $2,250
CD 306 Lynchburg = $525

The two insulators listed as not having sold were a CD 145 HG Co beehive in golden amber, and a CD 297 No. 16 in deep yellow green with amber.

Reported by Howard Banks

(page 39)

AUCTION GALLERY 
See pages 38 & 39