Insulator Post

AGEE (Australian Glass Manufacturers)

This insulator is unique in my collection because it is the only one not made in North America.  The piece was made by Australian Glass Manufacturers located in Sydney, Australia in the late 1920s or 30s.  This company was a conglomerate of several glass houses from Australia that began producing insulators around 1925.  Up to that point all insulators used down under were imported from other countries. 

It was difficult to photograph accurately the light amethyst color of the insulator.  The top photo taken in direct sunlight displays the insulator as almost clear.  The lower photo using overhead halogen light looks a bit better.  Various shades of purple are very common with AGEE glass probably due to minerals present in the materials available.  The AGEE emboss is just visible on the skirt.  Another interesting feature of this insulator are the horizontal wrinkles running around the base of the skirt.  I'm just guessing but possibly the glass cooled too slowly allowing the surface to sag kind of like wet paint on a hot and humid day.