In what is becoming a more and more common occurrence (especially on eBay), common clear Hemingrays are being painted or stained vibrant colors, such as bright yellow, red, blue, violet, etc. Some even have 2 or 3 colors all on the same insulator! One of the easiest ways to tell if a color is fake is to check the embossing. If the insulator has a mold and date code, it was produced after 1933 and therefore after Hemingray stopped making brightly colored glass (with the exception of amber and carnival) and therefore it's a fake color. All of the insulators on the left were originally clear and have been stained or painted. They may look pretty, but they're not worth a cent.

"Crackle glass" is a term used to describe insulators that have been intentionally heated up and then immediately cooled, causing internal fractures in the glass. These insulators (often clear) are then frequently painted/stained with bright colors such as red, yellow, blue, etc. to make them look "pretty", such as the ones pictured on the left. Clear Hemingray insulators are common victims of this practice because they were made in such abundance. These insulators are basically destroyed and have absolutely no monetary value.

REPRODUCTION             ORIGINAL     

One of the newer reproduction Hemingrays to surface is the "NAJ" reproduction Hemingray 19 (CD 162) insulator. In December 2004, an individual by the name of Eric Johnson had this mold made. These insulators come in a rainbow of colors, some of which are very similar to legitimate Hemingray pieces. These insulators have "NAJ 04", "NAJ 05" or similar, sandblasted into the glass. They have been made with both RDP (round drip points) and SDP (sharp drip points). The easiest way to identify these pieces is to examine the crown: the NAJ insulators have a rather conical, straight-sided crown that is not typical of legitimate Hemingrays. Also, the embossing is fainter than typically found. The NIA has issued a special notice about this reproduction.

Hemingray produced many styles of insulators with a carnival glass coating, typically within the period of 1932-1936. However, there have been at least a couple of styles (most notably the CD 257 "Mickey Mouse", shown at left) that had this carnival coating applied to them after they were manufactured. It's not always easy to tell a legitimate carnival from a fake one, but here are a couple of tips:

1) Hemingray carnival was often applied from the bottom at an upwards angle to the insulator. This results in a thicker coat of carnival on the underside and lower section of the insulator, and little to no carnival on the top or dome of the insulator[2]. Hemingray insulators with a perfectly uniform application of carnival over the entire glass surface should be examined very carefully.

2) Check for chips and wire rubs in the glass. If these are coated over with carnival, it's most likely fake.

For more thorough information on real versus fake carnival glass Hemingrays, I would encourage you to read Mike Guthrie's Handbook for the Recognition and Identification of Fake, Altered and Repaired Insulators, Section 2: http://www.insulators.info/books/fake/section2.htm

     ORIGINAL             REPRODUCTION

Hemingray produced miniature salesman samples in the 1920's-1930's, some of which were given out at the 1933 World's Fair Century of Progress Exhibition[1]. They are essentially tiny, 1-inch-high replicas of the Hemingray 42 (CD 154). Originals are only known to come in 3 colors: Aqua, 7up Green, and Amber. Originals have a crisp embossing and tiny, sharp drip points. Reproductions of these pieces have become more common lately, and have been made by Boyd Art Glass and Wilkerson Glass[3]. They come in a rainbow of colors, their embossings are often weak, and the drip points aren't as articulate. Overall, they are much poorer in quality than the originals, and the glass surface often shows striations.

Insulator Dimensions: 1" H x 7/8" W

This private issue miniature is not technically a reproduction nor a fake, since it is not molded from any known Hemingray salesman miniature. However, since these are embossed with "Hemingray" , they have been noted here. These are a miniature version of the CD 162 style, produced by John and Carol McDougald. They were produced in the following colors: 7up Green (shown), Amber, Clear, Cobalt Blue, Hemingray Blue, Purple, and Silver Carnival.

Insulator Dimensions: 1 1/8" H x 7/8" W

An "insulcat" is an insulator that has been reheated and then stretched and reshaped to give it features that vaguely resemble a cat. Sometimes they will glue "googly eyes" and/or whiskers onto the head to make it look more like a cat. These are typically made out of common clear Hemingray insulators (such as Hemingray 16, 17, or 45), but aqua insulators have been used as well, such as the example shown on the left. Aside from being a novelty, these have little value.

Sometimes, people will cut insulators apart, or put mismatching pieces together to make a completely new fantasy insulator.

One such style, shown on the left, is nicknamed the "Baby Muncie" because it resembles a CD 303/310 Muncie Type. It consists of two real Hemingray insulators: the bottom piece is a CD 122 Hemingray - 16 with the top cut off at the wire groove; the top piece is a CD 241 Hemingray - 23. On some examples, they have even filed off the trailing numbers, leaving only "Hemingray - 1" and "Hemingray - 2".

There are several other types that have shown up over the years:
http://www.insulators.info/books/fake/section3.htm

Recently, Hemingray insulators have started appearing on eBay with sandblasted/etched logos on the glass, such as the dome of this CD 122 shown on the left. Presumably, these were intended to be souvenirs, commemorating whichever line or area they were found on. Whether these insulators truly came from those lines is anybody's guess. However, one thing is for certain: these sandblasted/etched logos are not original to the insulator and so it is considered to be an altered piece.

Some insulators are exposed to radiation to alter their color. While less commonly seen in Hemingray insulators, they do exist, so be warned. Two such examples are pictured on the left. Please visit the NIA web site for more photos of irradiated insulators (see links below). Note specifically the insulators manufactured by Hemingray, including the ones labeled "H.G.CO." and "Dec 19 Pat".

• Irradiated Purples
• Irradiated Blues and Ambers