Up for grabs is a set of three styles championed by perhaps Canada's foremost telegraphic engineer - Frederick Newton Gisborne. You might know him from the porcelain insulators bearing his surname, but he was closely associated with several of Canada's most ambitious early telegraph projects, including the first telegraph lines connecting Quebec and Nova Scotia, the first successful sub-aqueous cable that ran from Shediac NB to Prince Edward Island, the Newfoundland telegraph, and of course the successful completion of the first transatlantic cable, for which he played an enormous role but often receives little credit. He was also closely affiliated with the westward expansion of Canada's telegraph network, including the "Yukon telegraph", for which his most well known insulator style is named.

At left is the more common "Yukon telegraph" U-1137a style, with its grooved based, more pronounced lower wire ridge, and a raised ring around the base of the pinhole. This is probably the most common variant of that style, and is made from dry process porcelain with a pair of faintly visible mold lines in the wire groove on either side and a conical termination at the top of the pinhole. It has some faint pock marks where the glaze didn't quite cover the piece and has a crudely unglazed pinhole and inner skirt. This example has a bruise on the outer base edge that extends into the inside of the skirt and spreads out into a sort of lower case "t" shape, but remains somewhat hidden on the outside. It also has a hand written note inside the pinhole that reads "LOOKS LIKE A U-148" and "CARDMARKET MAY 27/18 No Name U-143". It came from the collection of the late Lorne Temple, who was a staple at the Perth, Ontario show. He lived in the Ottawa area and liked to mark his insulators this way.

At centre is a different variant of the Yukon Pattern style, and from my experience a significantly less common one. I'd guess it's lumped in with the U-1137a style though it is slightly different. This version has a similar profile overall, but is a bit shorter and squattier. It also has a flat pinhole termination, and the inside of the skirt and pinhole are both fully glazed. It has a similar bruise on the skirt, but on this example it extends into a fracture on either side. This is visible from the outside of the skirt but is more pronounced inside. The piece still displays well from the opposite side, but the damage is unfortunate. It's a scarce piece, anyways, and I don't have any other spare examples around to offer.

At right is the most common of these three - a GISBORNE PATTERN incused U-1135. This style was used abundantly on Canadian Pacific Railway telegraph lines in the late 19th century and turns up across much of Canada. It isn't hard to find but it goes well with the set. This example is in excellent condition, with just a few wire groove scuffs. I'd call it VNM.

I'm now asking $50 USD plus actual shipping cost for the set of three. I'm always happy to trade for early Canadian glass or Canadian-made porcelain insulators. I have a long-standing want list of Canadian-made porcelain posted, [id=505519866; please click here to see it]. I accept PayPal, or personal cheque from any member of ICON or any collector with whom I have dealt before. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for more photos, and look through my other items or unsold sales stock to combine shipping on items.