hemingray-20

[nksave40]

I dont really know much about insulators but i picked this up at a yard sale for 25 cents I was wondering if anyone could give me any info about it possibly a year.

 

[nksave40]

Here is the other side any info would be great thanks.

 

[BillinMo]

I can't quite tell from your photo if the drip points (the bumps on the base rim) are round or sharp. Sharp would date it from around end of WW1 to mid-1920s. Round drips would be mid-1920s to early 1930s.

This is a secondary power distribution style, originally used for things like an electrical service drop on a house or in a residential neighborhood. These also often ended up on railway signal lines.

Hemingray Glass Company was a longtime insulator producer. Your insulator would have come from their factory in Muncie, Indiana.

Anything else you'd like to know?

 

[nksave40]

Thank you for the info billinmo you were a great help the drips are round on the insulator.the onle other thing is did i do ok paying 25 cents for it?

 

[sparrow75]

I think they book for <$1 in mind condition. I don't have my price guide with me, so i maybe wrong.

 

[BillinMo]

I don't think you can really go wrong by paying a whopping quarter, even if it's a very common insulator. Chris (Sparrow75) is right, the book price is the commonest category, <1.

My philosophy is this: if you're interested in a historical piece of glass for your shelf or window, I wouldn't hesitate to pay a quarter, or even a dollar or two, if it's something that appeals to you. Buy it an enjoy the insulator, and don't worry if you may have overpaid by fifty cents or a dollar. That's pretty small potatoes in the scheme of things.

The only time the price is material is if you want to sell it for a profit -- or maybe brag to your buddies about what an awesome picker you are! []. If your main goal is profit, then insulators probably aren't the best way to get there.

Bottom line - you did fine and you certainly didn't get took. You might be able to sell it for fifty cents and double your money.

 

[sparrow75]

I agree with Bill, you can't go wrong with an old piece of glass for $.25! I usually don't have trouble selling my overflow of commons for $1 apiece..and those people aren't likely collectors who run around with the price guide, but rather people that think "hey that's a cool piece of old glass, and you can't go wrong for $1"!

 

[Brains]

i found a cd102 brookie that was just some shade of green aqua for 0.25 once at a sale- i kept it and the tags cause you never find anything for that cheap. Look at craigslist... it's a joke. For a quarter you did great. It's not worth much but it's a cool style and it looks like it's in good shape. Maybe it'll look nice once it's cleaned off eh?

 

[nksave40]

Thank you to everyone for the info and i do agree it is a great peice of glass even if it is common I really had no plans on re selling it just liked it and thought it was cool. As for cleaning it up Brains i tried it has like some kind of haze on it and i couldent scrub it off.

 

[BillinMo]

Insulators often accumulate that dark accumulation from locomotive soot or industrial smoke. Some people like to leave it in place, others prefer to clean it off and let the light shine through the glass. Your choice.

Easiest cleaning methods are soaking for a couple days in oxalic acid (active ingredient in cleansers sold in some areas as Bar Keepers Friend or Zud) or lye (usually sold as a drain cleaner). Here's some reference info on cleaning: http://www.insulators.info/care/cleaning.htm

I'd add one thing to that info -- be sure to use the blue "no-scratch" Scotch-Brite scrubber. The ordinary green kind can scratch glass.