Q: Where can I find information on old telephone insulators, and how can I contact collectors who buy them?
A: An extremely informative publication is Crown Jewels of the Wire, available for $20 a year, or $3 an issue, from Crown Jewels of the Wire, P.O. Box 1003, St. Charles, Ill. 60174-7003. Or, you can call Carol McDougald at (708) 513-1544. CJW lists insulator shows and collectors, has for-sale and wanted ads, and is loaded with terrific photos and articles.
Q: Where can I find information on Hess Oil toy trucks?
A: An informative and extensive chapter on the Hess Co. and its promotional toys, along with photos and prices, can be found in "Collecting Cars & Trucks -- Identification and Value Guide" by Richard O'Brien, available in a 489-page telephone-directory-size edition for $26.95 postpaid from Ace Enterprises, P.O. Box 59354, Chicago, Ill. 60659. Also, write Jim O'Rourke c/o Pinelands Publishing, 414 Stokes Road, Medford, N.J. 08055, enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope for information on his newly launched Toy Truck Collector's News bimonthly newsletter for collectors of toy trucks offered by various oil companies, or phone him at (609) 654-4241.