Every once in a while I pull one out of the ground that you just have to marvel at... not usually for value, but for historical reasons. When I pulled this one out this spring, I felt that air of real, palpable history brushing past my face, and taking an invigorating, direct swipe at my imagination. I could feel the goosebumps on my arms as I was suddenly taken back to the turn of the century. Wooden crates stacked to the top with G.N.W.-marked insulators direct from the manufacturer were put into buckets by the most rugged and hard working Canadians around, and then raised into the air to start a new life up on a 20' tall telegraph pole for the next 50 years or so, before being discarded in favour of a new style. The smoke accumulated on the insulators. The number of trains that went by. The messages beeping through the wires. The farmer's kids throwing rocks and breaking all the insulators on the pole except this one and a few lucky others. I can only imagine the history of the piece up to now, but I hope it will be full of appreciation by some collector who can see the history in front of him like I can.

The insulator is a G.N.W. TEL. CO. CD 145 in the [005] G.T.P. blotout embossing style. The colour is light aqua, and the vintage is somewhere around the turn of the century - possibly just before or just after. The condition is good for it's age. One little 1/4" flake on the front base can be seen in the left photo, and 8, 1/8" fisheyes scattered around the dome (7 of them in small groups of 3 and 4 on either side of the dome, and the other one on the front dome) are all the damage that this piece has managed to accumulate in 100 years of rugged service. All wrapped up in a crude, hand-tied iron tie wire to seal the deal as being a truely magnificent artifact of the Canadian telegraph. There's even a sizeable, lip-shaped bubble in the side dome (visible in right photo).

I'm asking $20.00 U.S. plus shipping for this window into the past, and I hope you'll appreciate it for what it is. I accept personal cheques from any member of ICON, or anyone I've dealt with before. Please feel free to email me with any questions, or for more photos. Also, please check out my "unsold" stock in the "Not Sold" folder, and combine multiple purchases to save shipping! All the best!