It has been extremely difficult to find accurate info about the McKee Glass Company. I'm not talking about online only, but also for collector books. There is not a modern book that deals only with McKee - the best bet is probably a Depression glass book that has many different manufacturers in it. Even so, the amount of detailed information on McKee, especially their Glasbake line, which comprises a huge majority of the mugs which you'll find today, is limited at best in those books.

Depending on who you ask, McKee Glass company had been around in some form or another since the 1850s in Pittsburgh. Several different factories and companies may have existed with the McKee name, although all the ownerse were most likely related. Around 1888-1889 they moved to Jeannette, PA. Jeannette Glass Company bought McKee in 1961. As a division of Jeannette, they manufactured pressed glass and tableware until the early 1980s.

While McKee is probably more well known for their crystal, colored clear glass, EAPG and other pressed glass - for mugs, the ones you'll most likely see are the Glasbake opaque white with decals. There are a TON of different varieties of these mugs, in a limited amount of different shapes. Most are marked with "Glasbake" on the bottom, very few if any also say "McKee".

As of now, the demand for Glasbake mugs varies greatly. It makes it very difficult that there is not an accurate guide to varieties, or even a coffee table style book that lists only the most valuable or striking examples. I have no idea about even the time period in which most were produced... On the flip side, the mugs are pretty readily available and the variety of different patterns is outstanding.


McKee Glasbake - “Tulip Picnic” Mugs
McKee Glasbake - Have A Nice Day Mug
McKee Glasbake - Language of Flowers Mugs
McKee Glasbake - Lipton Soup Square Mugs