Glass Insulators from outside North America

The following abbreviations and conventions are used on this site:

Thumbnail insulator pictures:

• One representative insulator sized to 32 pixels per inch of actual size
• By clicking the insulator you will link to a page with more details on that style for that country

Insulator measurements:  Measurements in inches and millimeters

• Standard insulators           -- Size is Width X Height
• 2 part Multipart insulators -- Size is Bottom Skirt Width - Top Skirt Width  X Height
• 3 part Multipart insulators -- Size is Bottom Skirt Width - Middle Skirt Width - Top Skirt Width  X  Height
• Odd styles (Nosers, T-bars, etc.) - Base measurement - feature measurement X Height

Marking conventions:

• Single slash "/" denotes the next embossing is under the first on the same side of the insulator
• Double slash "//" denotes the next embossing is on the opposite side of the insulator

Nicknames: 

Many unique styles have been given nicknames by the collecting community - here are some examples:

Gingerbread man

Spook

Noser

T-bar

Robot

Bustle

Frog

Considerations on contributing pictures to the site:

If you are willing to help improve this site by contributing information and pictures, please consider the following information - send pictures & information to webmaster

Picture requirements:

• Pictures need to be color accurate and against a white background at full resolution 
• The following have shown good success as background
  • Quality back-lit display cases
  • Porta-trace brand photographic light boxes
  • Quality flat panel monitor with plain white background (this works surprisingly well)
  • Very large insulators can be taken with just a white background (white sheet, etc.) if they are too large to capture back-lit
• Pick a camera position that will make the base of the insulator nearly flat unless the insulator is so large this will distort the image
• Starting like 2 feet or so back and using some optical zoom to get a close-up of the insulator helps reduce distortion
• If you want to contribute and are concerned about quality we can try some sample shots to perfect the process

Additional information - Along with the pictures we need

• Dimensions - Width & Height as per the Insulator Measurements above
• Full markings and location of markings
• Country of origin (Country of manufacture & country where found if different) if known
• CD number if known
• Any additional information you may know about the insulator, maker or use

Return to the insulator identification page