Lot 3
Price Realized: $5,170
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Lot 3: CD 207.2 {Unembossed} Color: Light Aqua Description: Ultra-rare! Only one top of this two-piece insulator style was known until recently, when a second top was found at an estate sale in Franklin, MA. The estate belonged to a couple that seemed to be world travelers as well as collectors of a wide assortment of things. The couple purchased about a dozen boxes of "stuff," and there were insulators in one of the boxes. This particular insulator was the only high-value piece in a group of otherwise common insulators. There is some chipping of the outside "ring" on the base and a 1/2" flake on the skirt. The insulator was patented by Clinton Sproat and Edward N. Tarr of Taunton, Massachusetts on August 20, 1895. The basic design was that a base (see view 5), with a pair of two V-shaped parallel wire grooves, was tightened down with a spanner (wrench) that was fitted into the hole. The head or cup (top) was screwed down, also with a spanner, to clamp the wires tightly as in a "no-tie" style. It is interesting to note that the estate sale was only ten miles away from Taunton! One has to wonder why the insulator was found so close to where the patentees lived. Was a model sent to them "for approval?" Were models sent to try and convince the utilities to use them? Were there any bases even made? Although two tops are known to exist, there are no known bottoms. Included in this auction is a "stand" (see view 4), a model of the "base" as referred to in the patent, as well as a pin. The "stand" and the pin were 3D-printed out of plastic and coated with clear resin, designed after the base shown in the patent. THE "STAND" IS NOT GLASS! And we do NOT know if any base was produced that is 100% accurate based on the drawing, as the top is slightly different than what the patent shows. Again, what is up for auction is only a TOP to a two-piece insulator and, unlike a two-piece transposition insulator, the top and bottom, should one be found, are NOT assigned different CD numbers. We don't need to tell you that this is an ultra-rare insulator and a "must-have" for the advanced CD collector! But we did tell you, so take notice! Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 Open: $10 Price Realized: $5,170 |
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