I think every veteran collector has a scarce-to-rare insulator that gets no respect. You hardly ever see them on sales tables or in collections, and when they are mentioned in conversation or appear on a sales list, these insulators command more yawns than cash.

Here is my example. A standard square dome variant California CD 152 in aqua. Found in the famed Jack Rabbit Run insulator pile, this one came off the ATSF railroad line between Winslow, AZ and the New Mexico state border. First, it is a hoopskirt, which gets no respect. Second, the color is aqua- the most common insulator color. Third, McDougald's PG pegs this as a $15-$20 insulator. This is only the third example I have seen in six years of collecting Cals. The other two were locked in Cal collections.

Former Cal collector Brent Burger recognized the rarity of this piece in his series of articles on California insulators back in the early 1980's. It appears nothing has changed since then-- an underwhelming response. If you are a Cal collector, check your collection. Got one yet? Are you yawning yet?