WHEN WERE THE FIRST COMMEMORATIVES MADE?

Following the first national meet in 1970, Mr. Frank B. Miller of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a mould tooled into the shape of a threadless insulator to produce a glass memento for the annually held insulator collectors' national meets. Beginning in that year, and every year since, a commemorative has been made.

WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE MOULD OVER THE YEARS?

In 1970 and 1971, the commemorative was embossed on the dome with the location of the meet. The embossing surface was small, and the lettering was difficult to read. In 1972, the embossing was done on the rim of the insulator, allowing for a bolder lettering style. The plunger embosses the letters "FM" (for Frank Miller) into the top of the pin hole of each piece.

The rim embossing ring used each year is erased and re-engraved with the new location of the convention. With each erasure-engraving process, the depth of glass at the bottom of the mould increases -- making the insulator "grow in height" approximately .030" each year. 

A new base ring will be made for the 1985 pressing, which will cause a slight reduction in the height of the piece. With each new use of the ring, the insulator's height will begin to increase.

HOW MANY COMMEMORATIVES ARE ACTUALLY MADE EACH YEAR?

All insulators produced during the run time, whether perfect, seconds or unsalable, were removed from the factory. The number produced really depended upon the skill of the glass makers and the consistency in the glass batch. Most years averaged around 300 perfect units. In recent years, the popularity of the commemoratives has increased. Many collectors have purchased units which were not perfect, just in order to have a sample in their collections.

Beginning with the 1984 production, only "perfect" units will be taken from the factory. All others produced will be destroyed. There will continue to be about 350 units made. This amount was arrived at based upon the demand for the commemorative in recent years when all available units have been sold out. This will continue to make the commemorative a limited edition collectible.

WHERE HAVE THE COMMEMORATIVES BEEN PRODUCED?

Three different glass houses have been used during the history of the commemorative. The first glass house used was the Overmyer-Perram Co. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Frank Miller writes that Overmyer worked at the Hemingray plant in his early years -- a natural to produce the first commemorative. Frank Miller contracted to have the commemoratives for the 1970 and 1971 national meets run in green. Mr. Overmyer's primary color was black glass, since he manufactured the glass block bases for fountain pen sets. Both black glass and apple green colors were produced. One day Mr. Overmyer phoned Mr. Miller and told him he was running some units in an experimental "amber" color. When Miller arrived, he stopped production on the color (which is really a straw color) because "he didn't like the looks of the "amber" color! That is why there are so very few straw units available for the 1970 and 1971 runs.

Forced to find a glass house with a variety of colors available, the St. Clair Glass Co. of Elwood, Indiana, produced the commemoratives from 1972-1976. Due to the critical gas shortage at St. Clair in 1977, Miller found only "one company" willing to take the time and effort of producing a small run order such as his commemorative. Mosser Glass Co. of Cambridge, Ohio, has continued to produce the units each year since 1977.

In 1978, Frank and Margaret Miller decided that the production of the commemorative was too much of a task, so they decide to sell their entire personal collection and the mould to John and Carol McDougald -- with the stipulation that the McDougalds would continue to produce the commemoratives annually.

1984 NIA commemorative during production.
(Photo by Scott Given.)

The 1984 commemorative, produced in slag glass, has proven to be the most popular to date. When it became obvious that the initial run was sold out and that there would be none available for sale at the National show in Tacoma, a second run was made by another glass house when Mosser was unable to complete the order. Mosser will continue to produce the commemorative in future years.

WHY IS THE 1984 COMMEMORATIVE THE 15TH N.I.A. CONVENTION, WHEN THE N.I.A. WASN'T FORMED UNTIL THE NATIONAL SHOW AT HERSHEY, PA. IN 1974?

Since the numbering of the national "meets and shows" began with 1970, it probably never occurred to Frank Miller that we would ever form a National Insulator Association. The sequential numbering continued to denote the national show each year, and with the embossing of the 1975 units the NIA was then embossed on the rim. Confusing, for sure, for the purist of the hobby who realizes that the NIA is beginning its eleventh year.

HOW MUCH SHOULD ONE EXPECT TO PAY FOR THE NATIONAL SHOW COMMEMORATIVES?

Prices over the years have ranged from $8.00 to $14.00 at the time of production. Inflation in production cost has been the contributing factor in the price of the units each year. As with all collectibles that are in short supply, the prices of the early pieces have increased in value -- and one is always willing to part with a piece at a price that someone else is willing to pay at the time of the sale.

PRODUCTION TABLE FOR THE N.I.A. CONVENTION COMMEMORATIVES