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Why
collect insulators?
Glass insulators were the means of
insulating the early communication wires starting in the later
1800s. The production of glass insulators spans a time line over
100 years with many changes effecting the design and use. There
is quite a history in the colorful hunks of glass that have been made
obsolete by satellites and fiber optics that has endured all this
time.
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The insulator
hobby is relatively new compared to other
hobbies like stamps and coins but has seen a large growth in the last
couple of decades. Some of the first collectors got their start
in the early fifties when there were still many open wire lines still
up all over the country. Eventually collectors were able to find
each other and hold shows. It was at one of these shows in 1973
that the National Insulator Association was formed. The NIA is an
international organization of collectors and friends interested in the
history and preservation of this early communication device and
related gowiths. In the first year more than 800 charter
members joined its ranks. Since then the NIA has averaged 900 active
members. In
all, the NIA has had more than 5900 total members. The largest majority
of members reside in
the United States with other members scattered throughout the world
including Germany, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand,
Czechoslovakia,
Holland, Colombia, and The Netherlands.
Today open wire is a rare site that mostly resides along railroad
tracks for communication signals but this too is quickly disappearing
from the landscape. By collecting glass insulators you are
preserving a piece of history long forgotten from the minds of
many people. |
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