Item: 6 Description: Spiral Strain Insulator. This is perhaps the rarest insulator in this auction. Since the auction preview opened, we've now confirmed four known. One is in the estate of Tommy Bolack. Two of our bidders have sent us pictures of theirs. Then there is this example. The spiral design is unique among strain insulators. The porcelain part of the insulator is 7 inches long. Over-all the insulator is 11 inches from the top of the metal loop to the bottom. It weighs 7 pounds, 4 ounces. View 7 compares the size to a CD 154 Hemingray. All the pictures were taken outdoors in bright sunshine with a white cloth backdrop. I edited out the shadows in View 1 and View 2 to better show the spiral design. View 4 is a close up of the primary marking on the porcelain. A retired lineman says this was a dead end strain. He got his from a contractor who removed two of them from an abandoned mine in the U.S. some 15 years ago. Another collector says he got his at a flea market in Virginia. His has a partially readable marking that includes the word "FRANCE". This insulator is in Grade A-Plus condition. If you are a serious collector of strain insulators, this may be your best opportunity to obtain this style. Note: A European source has suggested this may be from a catenary electric railway system. I visited numerous European websites and watched videos from various companies currently manufacturing insulators for catenary systems. I learned at lot. But found no product currently being made that looks like this. If you find specific info about this item, please let us know.
Estimate: $500 - $700 Open: $150
Price realized: $240
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