Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

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Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby novascotiaglass » Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:23 pm

This story will be told in a series of posts...By far the greatest month ever in my career as an insulator collector.

Part 1 - Saturday, November 14th, 2009

My parents were visiting for the weekend. Dad and I agreed that we would spend all day Saturday looking here there and everywhere for insulators.

First stop an auction. We went to the auction for the viewing, lots of common glass, so there was no reason for us to stick around.

So we decided to hunt a line neither of us had worked before, not old enough for threadless but we knew some good CD145 Crebs had come off of this line. So we headed to the line, after finding a spot to get on the line we walked a few KM's and didn't come across anything but common glass.

So, we left the line after a few hours of hunting and headed on to an antique shop were we had had some success in the past. There were a couple of amber Dom's there (too expensive to buy) and a few other common pieces. While there the owner told us about an antique show in the next town, I had known about this previously but had forgotten about it.

On to the antique show, although it was late in the day we figured a fellow collector might be there selling so we could stop in for a chat. He was there so we had a chat with him and looked around. A dealer happened to be there who knew we collected insulators and we had spoken with many times before about insulators. He took Dad to one side and let him know that he knew another dealer who had just bought a collection from a linemen who worked for MT&T (Maritime Tel and Tel). He gave Dad the guys contact and since it was right on the way home (although it was getting late) we decided to give him a try to see if he was home. Sure enough he said stop on by and have a look.

We arrived at the man's home not expecting too much, we had been told there were 10 amber dominion 42's in the lot, so we figured maybe we would get lucky with something else in the lot, maybe the linemen had picked out some different stuff while working on the lines to drag home for himself.

We step in the dealer's garage and there are about 5 to 6 big boxes of insulators...never been seen by any other collectors. We each take a box. I reach down and pick up the first insulator on top...my chase is over...I finally have found it...A very nice blue aqua CD 126 NE Can, sweeeet. The next piece I haul out is a CD 143 NE Can Tall Variant in aqua, another nice piece. I see Dad picking at something in the box he is in, out he hauls a CD 136.4 Canadian boston in a very nice light aqua full of tiny bubbles, another stellar piece, in great condition. We dig a bit more, few purple ponies (including a diamond with a small 2 on the rear), 10 amber dominion 42's, and some others. I move on to 2 other boxes with high hopes....nothing, all commons. I see Dad at the bottom of the box he is working on....big smiles all around. As if it wasn't already a big time rush to pull the CD126 NE Can out of the first box, Dad pulls from the bottom of the box he is working on another CD 126 NE Can in a killer blue aqua....but even better it is mega crude. Folds in the glass, an underpour, full of steam and bubbles and carbon...a show stopper by far. One of the more crude pieces I have ever seen in person.

We dig some more, find a few other interesting pieces and lots of commons. We decide to buy of course. We leave to get the cash, hoping that for some reason the guy doesn't change his mind to sell while we are gone. We get back, buy it and we hit the road. We get back and have to go out to supper with the family...we are late big time. So we have to wait a few hours to handle our new gems and check the boxes for stuff we may have missed. Nothing got missed we think, we get to the bottom of the last box and a little gem is waiting. A CD 105 NE in a nice blue colour. A nice surprise having missed it the first time around.

By far the best collection of glass we have ever bought. It was quite a rush and for both me and Dad to experience it together was great. Retired linemen are definitely a great source....stayed tuned to future parts of this story for more proof of this ;) .

1. 2 CD 126 NE Can in blue aqua
2. CD 143 NE Can Tall in aqua, milk in dome, CD 105 NE in blue
3. CD 127 (i just like this piece, heavy and crude), CD 136.4 in fizzy light aqua
4. Crude
5. Forgot to mention this one has junk to, milk in the dome.

Sorry for the dirty insulators, took pics before they were clean.

Stay tuned for more from the past month...still some good stuff to come
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby novascotiaglass » Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:25 pm

pics
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby 369reid » Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:09 am

WOW!!!! Awesome!!!!! Spectacular!!!!! and all of the other fitting adjectives. You guys really lucked out. Two 126's!!!! and a really neat crude one at that. I don't know what else to say. Good on you guys. That 105 is a nice piece too, don't see very many of those.
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby Lee S. » Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:35 pm

Absolutely incredible! Love that CD 126.
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby novascotiaglass » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:56 pm

Part 2 - Sunday Nov15 to Sunday Nov22, 2009

Sunday Nov.15th, 2009

Well after sorting all the glass from our big purchase on Saturday, Dad and I picked out what pieces we wanted and boxed up the rest. Him and my mom headed back for the south shore and I made a quick trip about an hour south to check out some "Insulators with no writing on them". I got to the guys house and made my way to his barn. I instantly did the quick scan (im sure we all do it to see what's there), damn, CD 143 NE RB's in aqua. I guess you can't win them all. All the rest of the pieces were common with the majority of them being CD 154 Dominions in straw. I left without purchasing and made the trek back home.

Friday Nov.20th, 2009

I had been contacted by a former employee of MT&T who said he has about 75 or so insulators that he had gathered when he used to work for the telephone company. Needless to say I was excited considering what we had picked up the previous weekend from an employee of MT&T. So after work I headed to his place, which was a convenient 10min drive from where I work. He invited me in and took me to the basement. He had several boxes full. I went to work sorting through them to see what there was. He informed me that he was not a linemen but an engineer who designed routing and what not. He ended up having 4 Amber Dominion 42's and a smathering of common glass. I decided to buy because the price was right. Got lots of info about lines and wrecking them out and what not, pretty good contact for info as well as a few nice ambers.

Saturday Nov.21st, 2009

I had been contacted by a lady who said her mom had a few insulators, including a big purple one, well I had to check it out. I got to her mom's place and got to looking. Turns out the big purple one was a B B beehive in a nice light purple. She also had a very unusual super light yellow dominion 42, very tough colour to explain and photograph. They had nothing else but common pieces, but explained they had more at their cottage, which I will be checking out in the spring. I purchased the 2 pieces mentioned and made my way home, content with my finds for the weekend.

Sunday Nov.22nd, 2009

I went to the weekend flea market that I frequent. I had bought an orange amber dominion 42 there about a month ago and a while before that a beat up yellow amber on a nice side pin (which I couldn't leave behind for 2$) and a few other random pieces. They are few and far between though, I would say I only average a couple pieces a year from this flea market. Two weeks before this day I had ran into a guy there who knows that I collect insulators, he seems to save some out for me and shows them to me from under the table (although Ive never bought any from him). He told me he had a few more at home and he would bring them in. So, on this day I made my way to the back where I thought he would be set up. He was there and had a few commons and some other junk. On the far end of his table he had a beehive. I picked it up and discovered it was an aqua Canpac. The thing was so full of creosote I figured I had better check it out for junk. So I began spinning it around, I thought I could see a bit of amber in the dome, but it was super hard to tell. Pretty much the most creosote I have ever seen on an insulator, but for 5$ I figured id take a chance. So I got it home and straight to the acid bucket. A few hours pass and I decide maybe she will come clean now. I get the toothbrush up in there and voila, clean as can be, and I was as happy as I could be. A nice aqua clean Canpac with wicked amber swirls, finally got me an ambered up Canpac. I couldn't believe the hot streak was still going, most glass I had ever bought in my life and in such a short time frame. I would have been happy if the year ended and I didn't get anything else.

However....Stay tuned for Part 3...still the best is yet to come (remember what I said about retired linemen ;) ).

1. 4 amber dominions, 2 honey, 2 orange
2. very light yellow amber dom, purple b beehive
3. Who likes hot fudge on their sundae? Ambery canpac
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Last edited by novascotiaglass on Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Glass Junkie....I need another fix
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby novascotiaglass » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:58 pm

More of the canpac
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Glass Junkie....I need another fix
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby 369reid » Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:43 pm

Yes, I'd say you're having a great year Jay. Nice amber in the canpac.
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby Lee S. » Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:37 pm

Great finds! Looking forward to part 3.
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby canadianglass » Tue Dec 15, 2009 7:44 pm

Come on Jay,where is part three of this story i cant wait any longer,LOL
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Re: Nov.14-Dec.6..A month in the life of an insulator collector

Postby novascotiaglass » Tue Dec 15, 2009 8:49 pm

It's coming, it's better this way, because you know what the pieces are but you haven't seen them yet.
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