Sluggo's Insulator Collecting - Featured Insulators: CD 423

Featured Insulators: CD 423 CCG and AGM - from Australia

Photos

A nice series showing the evolution of the pony style insulator in Australia.
Left to right: (earliest to latest) CD 420 AGEE, CD 421 AGEE, CD 422 AGEE and CD 423 AGM.

All of my CD 423 AGMs showing many of the available colours!

All of my CD 423 CCGs showing some of the available colours!

Story - History

This is the final installment in the story about the development of the Australian pony style insulators. These styles were known as "Sub" or "Subscriber" type insulators and would have been used on smaller local telephone line construction.

Production of the CD 423 began in 1942 and it was adopted as the new sub(scriber) insulator of the time. They were used on telephone subscriber lines throughout Australia. They are the most common and widely used insulators in Australia. They were produced by the Crown Crystal Glass Company (CCG) in 1942 and 1943, and then by Australian Glass Manufacturers (AGM) from 1943 until into the late 1950's and possibly as late as 1962 when AGM ceased insulator production. In 1951 AGM moved production to a plant in Tasmania and produced CD 423s, 430s and 590s from that location.

The main difference between the CD 423 and the earlier CD 422 is the improved wire groove with the addition of the lower ridge or shoulder and the enlargement of the upper ridge. The skirt of the CD 423 seems to be slightly thicker as well, likely for increased strength. These insulators are threaded for a metric pin, commonly used throughout Australia.

More Photos

Base view of Amber, Dark Amber and Deep Amber shows the colours better!

Embossing, Colours and Price Guide Listing

There are a wide variety of colours found in the CD 423s, however, they are generally not as colourful as the CD 422s.

The CD 423 CCG colours include clear, straw, peach, rose, light green, and four shades of amber. There are light amethyst examples known but these are less common. The pictures above show the range of colors that I have so far.

The CD 423 AGM colours range from clear and straw, through various greens, and four shades of amber. The pictures above show the range of colors these come in. There is a very rare bright yellow colour of these that I have never seen anywhere. See the "Still More Photos" section below for pics of these scarce colours.

There is an uncommon variation of the CD 423 AGM with SUB embossed on the back skirt, found only in straw colour and date coded 1960.

CD 423 {F-Skirt} C.C.G. / (Mold Number on most units) {R-Skirt} (Date Code) SB
- Clear, Off Clear, Straw, Peach, Rose Tint $5-10 US
- Light Green, Amber, Dark Amber, Deep Amber $10-15 US
- Amethyst Tint $40-50 US
- Light Amethyst $200-250 US
CD 423 {F-Skirt} A.G.M. / (Mold Number) {R-Skirt} (Date Code) SB
- Straw, Yellow Straw, Ice Green, Light Gree, Light Yellow Green, Amber, Dark Amber, Deep Amber $5-10 US
- Honey Amber $10-15 US
- Yellow $350-400 US
CD 423 {F-Skirt} A.G.M. / (Mold Number) {R-Skirt} (Date Code) / SUB SB
- Straw $100-125 US

Condition

As you can see from the pictures, I have a bunch of these CD 423s. Condition of them ranges from Very Near Mint to Mint. Minor dings, fleabites, flakes, fisheyes and chips are the most common type of damage seen on these pieces.

Still More Photos

Another collector has just given me permission to use these pictures of some CD 423s in the more scarce and exotic colours. The owner of these pieces wishes to remain anonymous, but I thank them for the opportunity to use and share these photos. To borrow a phrase from Brent B., these are the wango-tango colours for this style of insulator.

Other unusual and rare colours these have been found in!

Market Place Musings

This style of insulator is almost always available on eBay. As they are the most common of all Australian insulators, they are not particularly valuable for the most part. There are probably at a few auctions every week for this CD. Often they are sold in groups with other styles. The common colours are readily available, but the scarce colours almost never appear on eBay. They can generally be purchased from a few dollars up to $10 or more, depending on the colour.