Lynchburg Insulators

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Lynchburg CD 121 NO. 30 Long Distance

CD 121, Telephone Toll (Old Style)

Colors: Ice Aqua, Aqua, Lt. Aqua, Blue Aqua, Lt. Green Aqua, Aqua w/milk swirls

Lynchburg CD 121 was made from reworked Gayner molds. On some molds, traces of GAYNER and blot-outs are visible. The size and shape of the molds are uniform. All lettering on the molds is hand engraved, and is bold and consistent on all molds. On front, GAYNER was blotted out and LYNCHBURG added lower on the skirt. On reverse, Lynchburg retained NO. 0, and the mold number from the Gayner lettering, added a period following NO, replaced Gayner's 16, with 3, and added MADE IN U.S.A. On one mold (Mold 9), a backward mold number was corrected. This is one of the few Lynchburg styles that has the L logo on top on the crown rather than the skirt (see below).

CD 121 bears the same NO. 30 company style number as the CD 122 that soon replaced it. These only occur with CDP and in a very narrow range of colors, mostly shades of Aqua. This suggests that it had an early and short production run since Lynchburg made more use of dark colored cullet later in its history. There are a few pieces that have heavy milk swirls.

Comparison of Gayner and Lynchburg CD 121.

The L logo on CD 121 crown top.

Lynchburg Production Records do not distinguish between CD 121 and CD 122, since both are listed as style NO. 30. In an undated illustrated catalog, probably from late 1923, a CD 121 is listed using a cut from a Hemingray catalog with the title "No. 30 Long Distance Insulator." In a Lynchburg price list marked "Effective January 5, 1924," it lists a style No. 30 as a "Long Distance New Style." It is possible that production of the two versions overlapped. However, it seems more likely that the first smaller runs of NO. 30 in early 1924 were CD 121 while the later larger runs in late 1924 and 1925 were the "New Style" CD 122. This seems to be supported by the fact that CD 121, while not rare, is much scarcer than CD 122. The reality is that we do not know. In any case, there were 299,593 of the two styles produced in four production runs: between November 26 and December 29, 1923; the week ending March 1, 1924; between December 22, 1924 and January 17, 1925; and between March 30 and May 9, 1925.

I have confirmed 8 molds of CD 121, seven numbered and one unnumbered. The unnumbered Mold A may have been numbered later. Since Lynchburg tended to make molds in sets of 12 it is likely that there are 12 molds, especially since Gayner CD 121 Molds 10 and 12 are known to exist. Molds below in gray are assumed to exist but have not yet been confirmed. Molds with asterisks have been confirmed with Gayner lettering, suggesting that they also exist with Lynchburg lettering.

* confirmed with Gayner lettering

Additional Information

Chart of Production Records for CD 121 and CD 122

*this is possibly the total or the majority of production for CD 121.

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