Keith Roloson's Insulator Page

I began collecting in 1979 in Denver, and knew there were 'a few others' but didn't know how to find them. When I did, it was 1981, and the collectors were just great, teaching how to buy, how not to buy, history and all the rest. I found out years later that the year I started, the National was in Denver, but I didn't read the paper I guess so didn't know. My first show could've been a National!

My specialties have evolved over the years. I've sold off most of the pieces from the following specialty collections the last 2 years: CD 102 brookfields, CD 208 complete subcollection, CD 121 Am Tel&Tel, CD 154 Dominions and CD 133.x signals (primarily 1871's, Brookes, canadian noname mlod).

I currently have fairly complete sub-collections in CD 252 and CD 214, including one CD 214 just like this one. Am always looking for tuff variants and colors of the above. I also have an extensive collection of CD 102 Canadians (BTCo, diamond, noname, bar//bar etc.) but would love to have you email me with an offer of a tasty color, mutant or ?? for any of the above CDs.

I am always looking for teals in any CD, Westinghouse CD 102 in peacock/dark blue/cobalt, and heavily swirled or full-of-bubbles in most any CD. What have you got for sale or trade?

I have also recently decided to try harder to get great colors in CD 145, regardless of embossing. This doesn't mean I will get every color in every name, but I do want great colors for my light box. My better ones currently are a 'depression-glass green' HGCo picked out of the air in Idaho in the past year, sapphire blue NEGM, lavender swirled noname grandcanyon, purple dome-embossed Brookfield and many more HGCo and Brookfields as well as other manufacturers.

I'm also looking for CD 126.4, 127 and 127.4 in tough embossings or colors. I already have the CD 127 noname Beaver Falls W1, an aqua W.U.Pattern and a gorgeous mint 127.4 noname in a sagey-aqua with milky swirls. In fact, it is the one pictured in the McDougald book. My best 126.4s are in cornflower and one with a 'waterfall' of milk down one side of a blue base-embossed American.

Lastly, I collect mutants such as collapsed domes, harelip bases, severely off-center pinholes, etc. Let me know what you can part with!

Check out my articles on "Insulators that are Unique to The Southern United States" and "The Beaver Falls Glass Company". I'm also proud of having something to do with getting the Wade Find article and pics on our website.

I am president and editor of the Dixie Jewels Insulator Club, and have been since the inception. It's a pleasure to see how all of us grow when we are participating in regular club gatherings.

The Dixie Jewels Insulator Club was co-founded by me and the late, great Jim Overstreet in June 1992. We have over 45 member/families and work to promote our hobby in the southeast USA. Jim, one of the top "CD" collectors (meaning he tried to obtain one of each CD!) in the world, passed away June of 1995. The DJIC presents an award in his memory at each NIA National Show for the Best Use of Threaded Glass in a Display.

Our club supports the 5 states of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, but we have members from all over the USA. Dues are $10 yearly which finance the quarterly, large newsletters and club endeavors. We will, for example, be setting up a promotional table at the huge Lakewood Flea Market in Atlanta this Fall. We meet quarterly at different homes in our region, as well as at bottle/insulator shows of course!

In addition to starting this club, I started the newsletter for collectors of radio antennae insulators, after having collected their names over a 10 year period. After 3 issues, it was too much work, and I passed it off to Dan Howard in Oregon, who is doing a great job publishing a multi-page newsletter, often with colored pics! My best pieces are one in ice-aqua with opalescent swirls throughout the center spirals, and Mexican ones in sapphire/cobalt and rootbeer amber. If you have odd-shaped or colorful radio antennae pieces which are 7 inches or under, contact me!

Thank you for reading about me.

Keith Roloson
6220 Carriage Ct.
Cumming, GA 30040

770-781-5021

E-Mail:


Written by Keith Roloson,

Last updated Saturday, July 19, 1997


UpReturn to the Insulator Collectors' Pages