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Pole Top Discoveries' Event #2403 Closed February 26.
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#992 Unmarked. Rams horn type. Rubber, metal and aqua glass. 
- Sold Winning Bid: $1,450.00
- 21 Bid(s) View Bid History
- Lot # 992
- System ID # 346158
- End Date
- Start Date
#992 Unmarked. Rubber coated iron hook with glass sleeve. Aqua. Height: 4-3/8”
Rubber/iron hooks, like that patented by Farmer and Batchelder in 1858, are not overly scarce. However, only a limited number of examples with the glass sleeve have been found, surfacing at various locations in the eastern US. The 2-1/2” diameter sleeve has an appearance similar to the lower skirt portion of a CD 102 pony.
Collector Jeff Katchko was the first to publicly announce how these “doughnut” shaped sleeves were used, after finding examples where an 1864 Western Union line diverted off the railroad right-of-way, traversing over hilltops along the Erie Railway in New York State.
James Reid, in his 1879 book titled The Telegraph in America, describes this unique version of the “hook style” insulator in reference to a line operated by the New York, Albany & Buffalo Telegraph Company, and later the Western Union Telegraph Company: “This line was free from strife which caused so much outlay and injury on other lines in the matter of insulation. The pin and glass in one form or another was the accepted style. Almost the whole exception to this was a plan adopted, to a certain extent, in an effort to prevent the extensive breakage of insulators, but which was only partially successful. This was the employment of the hard rubber-covered hook and stem insulator in connection with an inverted glass saucer. The imperfect character of the rubber soon made the insulator worthless. Over a considerable portion of the eastern section of the line the upper wire was insulated with the House insulators, which had been removed from the abandoned poles of the Printing Company."
An illustration appeared in Reid's book, as shown in the second photo.
Glass is very near mint. Threaded portion of the rubber piece in excellent condition. Some splitting of the rubber inside the sleeve. Metal horn has old surface rust.
A historical and seldom seen item in very nice overall condition!
Dick Bowman collection.