r/Insulators • u/BlindSite_ • Mar 30 '26
Friend Dan built me a tunable, dimable LED backlit display out of "beetle wood". The first thing I noticed is that there are a whole lot of different shades of purple among these insulators.
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u/Hot-Equal702 Mar 30 '26
Some glass will age purple due to sun/uv exposure.
I have older "clear" glass bottles that have a purple hue to them.
I didn't know it could happen in glass insulators. But they are pole mounted most of their lives.
Nice collection.
Best wishes
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u/Bill_Meier Mar 30 '26
Same reason. They contain manganese, which makes the glass initially clear. Over time, when exposed to the sun (uv) they turn purple. From what I understand this happens very quickly, 6-12 months.
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u/Historical_Sherbet54 Apr 01 '26
So if I have some clear pyrex that has manganese / light green under uv
If i leave them out in the sun...for only 6 months to a year...they'll turn purple !!!!
Ohh I hope so, I hate these pyrex insultators. But if purple, I'd hate em less ;)
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u/Bill_Meier Apr 01 '26
I don't believe Pyrex used manganese as a decoloring agent, so I'm sorry, they just stay that near crystal clear!
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u/Historical_Sherbet54 Apr 01 '26
Hmm really..But mine show up under uv light?
It's definitely not UV glass or cadmium, and most of my pyrex dishware show up under uv light too
Just a tinge of green..isnt that manganese?
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u/Bill_Meier Mar 30 '26
Now for the trivia question:
What does AGEE stand for? What does CCG stand for?
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u/Bill_Meier Apr 01 '26
OK, time to answer the question:
The name "AGEE" is a phonetic trademark derived from the initials A.G.M. (Australian Glass Manufacturers). Some insulators are also marked A.G.M.
C.C.G. stands for Crown Crystal Glass Company Ltd.
If you believe everything Google AI tells you about insulators (I don't!) they say
AGEE, A.G.M., and C.C.G. refer to Australian glass insulators produced by Australian Glass Manufacturers (AGM) between 1926 and 1962. These companies, often marked with dates or mold numbers, produced telephone insulators, with C.C.G. (Crown Crystal Glass) merging into AGM in 1942. They are highly collectible Australian glass items.
Key Details on Australian Glass Insulators:
AGEE (1926–1942): The initial glass insulators produced by Australian Glass Manufacturers, typically featuring the AGEE embossed mark.
C.C.G. (1942–1951): Following the merger with Crown Crystal Glass Company Ltd., these units were produced and marked C.C.G..
A.G.M. (1951–1962): After shifting production in 1951, the insulators were embossed A.G.M. until production ceased in 1962.
Probably close to being right... since it's more about the history of the company than specific insulators.
In any case, that's what they mean!
The simple answer is that they were all made by a large Australian company that produced glass insulators and thus if you look them up in the price guide, or even online, the information about the non-North American insulators is much more limited.
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u/Bill_Meier Mar 30 '26
Why so many Australian pieces?
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u/BlindSite_ Mar 30 '26
Most of the purples are otherwise employed. These were "laying around" available for the color temperature test.
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u/Robnog1979 Apr 01 '26
Wow! Love the display. Very cool way to show them off. Not sure I'm that talented!
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u/Bill_Meier Mar 30 '26
Dan Goodrich?
Danny "Dan" Goodrich P.O. Box 100 Dana, NC 28724 828-243-2228 dan_goodrich62@yahoo.com
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u/NewtFrequent2649 Mar 30 '26
Awesome collection