Once upon a time, I was answering an ad for an insulator collection for sale. I called the phone number and the seller rattled off a list of embossings and colors for sale. "... AM TEL & TEL CO, bluish green; W.E.MFG. CO, Purple ; Star, green..." . "What... ?!?, could you go over that purple one again?" "Sure, W.E.MFG. CO. W.U. on the top, PATENT DEC. 19, 1871 on the front, in a Dark Purple." " Umm... could you tell me the story on that purple one." As it turns out the grandfather was a lineman for a local railroad who retired in 1968. He was in charge for a stretch of line 20 miles either side of the town he lived in. The grandson said there were two of those purple ones on the stretch of line he was in charge of. He kept one, and left the other up on the pole. I never found it, so presumably there is still one in a ditch somewhere...