Insulator help?

[Mike O]

I picked this up today and am hoping somebody can tell me the CD# and if it has any value. The embossing is faint and this is what I can make of it. one side says W O T CO W Brookfield the other side says Feb 22 1870 NO 55 Folton St NY. there is a ""6" above that I was just thinking with the early Pat. date it could be an OK one. Thanks Mike

 

[Lineman]

It is a CD-127 Go to insulatorstore .com that is a great place for information. click on Q&A you will find a link for price guide. good luck

 

[Mike O]

Thanks, As I suspected it has nor real value around $20.00 but still not bad for free, Got a couple of jars, a Osgoods India Cholagogue from Norwich Conn, and a early blob beer from Ayer MA. that I never heard of before all free so what the heck. Thanks again for your help

 

[Poison_Us]

insulatorstore .com

Another great insulator site. Placed that next to NIA.ORG just in case we get into them.

 

[BillinMo]

Nice find. This one's old - definitely before 1880.

Actual embossing is not WOT Co but WUT Co (Western Union Telegraph), and Brookfield's address was 55 Fulton St, NY. No surprise you found it difficult to read... the weak embossing is very typical of insulators made in this timeframe, especially Brookfields.

CD 127 was a rather short-lived style. The wire stress is concentrated at the top of the insulator and led to a lot of these having the top broken off. Finding one without any chipping in that shallow wire groove is quite difficult. Western Union gave up on this pattern and switched to the sturdier CD 126 style after a few years.