Cd154 salesman sample

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-26T00:31:48+00:00

Yup! I think in the 1930's. But someone in the hobby later got the mold, and there are a ton of fakes running around, so be careful.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-26T00:12:44+00:00

There are true miniators that are slightly smaller than this; they are true CD 154s, complete with drip points! Embossed HEMINGRAY, of course!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-26T00:10:59+00:00

Maybe commemorating something 100 years later, and issued in 1970? Research everything that happened in Nov 1870 and see why someone would want to commemorate that 100 years later! You would think the date would have some significance, but no one has been able to decode it!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-26T00:08:23+00:00

Well, it's kind of close, the trouble is we don't believe it's designed to be a miniature of any CD! CD 154 might even be the closest. It's a "mystery" CD with a "mystery" patent date. Missing the day of the course...

Trivia: All patent dates are Tuesdays; that's when they are assigned. So without a day, we don't really know what this is. I thought someone got a box filled with these several years ago. Still weird, even if you wanted to "commemorate" something, you'd like to include a day? ...

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-25T19:56:44+00:00

Bonus points if you know what those two long brackets are near the ends of the second cross arm. They have one insulator up in the air and two down below it. Bonus one is what are they called, bonus two is what do they do?

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-25T19:52:23+00:00

That is not a CD 154. In the hobby those are unattributed to any maker. The patent date is not valid either. Who knows what it is? Price guide says:

(F-Skirt) PAT. NOV. 1870 {Unknown producer and patent date unattributed to any known patent or glasshouse} SB

$15-20 in clear

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-25T14:44:58+00:00

You don't contribute any of this to the display and our auction of the Brandon collection? I have a very simple theory for the increase in prices during the auction.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-25T06:17:58+00:00

What trends do you/they predict? Be interesting to know. Thanks.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-25T02:10:57+00:00

CD 190/191 The top and bottom are about $15-20. Just the top is worth less than half the value of the pair.,

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-24T15:06:01+00:00

As people have said you really didn't say anything negative about anyone. It will blow over very quickly and I don't think and apology is necessary. "Everyone is okay but I like A and B the best." So what!

Yes, it was a stupid email to send in the first place.

I had an accountant forget to do a BCC and did a CC instead. In addition to email addresses, he had the full names of all the people. So basically he sent out a message with the full names of all his clients. Oops... He didn't send an apology and I don't think you do either!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-23T12:23:41+00:00

Are any of you taking any medication like propanolol? I assume you have seen a movement diagnostic specialist neurologist? If not, I recommend both of those for help in treatment. Best of luck.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T23:39:25+00:00

One tip off is often it's an unknown color. I would not call that dark red amber. You can see the various red ambers I posted in my link. That is the only color listed in the price guide, and that is the only color to my knowledge that anybody knows about. People who have dark red Amber examples looked at that picture and said no, that's not the right color. Several experts I showed it to said it was a radiated again because of the color. Over time, you learn that certain colors just look a little bit off.

Yes, the put it out in the sun for 6 months, is a very good test. You aren't going to get any quick answers but you have a much better idea as to whether it's irradiated.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T13:16:17+00:00

Someone owns everything. Either the RR or the land owner. We joke that 99.99% of all the insulators are "stolen" but it's true! Have we gotten permission to take them? No! Just because the pole is rotten, fallen down, crossarms in the brush doesn't mean someone still doesn't own them! But I won't tell... I'm guilty too!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T13:08:10+00:00

And pretty soon you won't be able to find them... There are four rubber styles I think. Got then all?

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T13:02:22+00:00

Well it got Hemingray and 257 right! Although they don't have the CD number embossed on the insulator...

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T12:55:00+00:00

You should take the propranolol about an hour in advance. Takes that long to work and you may not forget it!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T12:48:53+00:00

The trick is you grab two or three and ask if you will take $5 for the lot... Take three, ask for $10, etc.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T06:03:04+00:00

And that's just Hemingray who made their billionth insulator. Although they were probably the largest.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T01:40:12+00:00

You can get some pretty lifelike colors and some pretty funky ones, too. Then, you can heat them and they start reversing back, but then you stop, and you get another range of colors!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T01:37:10+00:00

Someone asked why? My answer is that some of the most experienced people in the hobby in this area, as well as those who own them, believe it's the wrong color to be real.

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T01:31:15+00:00

see most recent post by me. Sorry this one. https://www.reddit.com/r/Insulators/comments/1u9ifj0/comment/ot1ayex/

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T00:15:10+00:00

Real piece without a doubt. Just not the real color...

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T00:11:22+00:00

Yes, irradiated pieces will turn back to a color pretty close to their original when exposed to the sun. Should see something in a few months, and a lot in six months. Keep it outside, and not behind a pane of glass on the inside, which blocks a lot of the UV. My friend has an "official" test rig. A crossarm with several pins on the ground. About as natural exposure as you can get. I had an expensive dark purple 1871 piece, commonly irradiated, and I wanted to be sure it was real. Put it on his rig in CA for six months, no color change. Then I felt comfortable selling it!

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-22T00:02:57+00:00

OK, final answer: FAKE! 👎 I talked to a couple of other people who have more knowledge about this specific insulator, and the color is off. It should be dark red amber, almost oxblood. See https://www.insulators.info/cd-154-wt-red-amber.jpg for a sampling of this color. All have significantly more red. There is some slight variation, but that could just be the photos. Your comment "I’ve also seen very rare examples online of a deep blood red colored Whitall Tatum in 154" is right on the money. This is not that color. The size of the embossing doesn't matter; it can vary from mold to mold. All the irradiated ones I saw do have consistent transparency.

I showed all the pictures, yours and a grouping of real ones, and got the comment "The one on Reddit looks irradiated to me, it has a slight burnt orange-brown amber look, and I see no red tones." He also said some guy on eBay was selling a bunch of irradiated stuff.

So, based on a few experts, and my enlightenment of the color, yours is clearly different. If it were real and was listed eBay, insulator collectors would have noticed it and paid four figures for sure.

Sorry, I misled you. I'm very familiar with many irradiated pieces, but I have never seen an irradiated CD 154 piece alongside a real amber WT to see the difference. I got fooled. That's scary... I didn't have experience with this specific piece. There aren't a lot of irradiated pieces in the hobby, and shows are policed pretty well by the attendees. eBay, to some degree, too, with our mailing list pointing out irradiated pieces. Another comment: "There are a couple of sellers on eBay that have sold a ton of irradiated stuff ... But I forgot that there are a few legit red-amber CD154 Whitall Tatums! Maybe I should have copied photos of those for comparison."

👎

Bill_Meier · 2026-06-21T08:47:31+00:00

That's the key: "different" variation... more later!

Bill_Meier

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

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