I found the companion to the Tulip Picnic mug in red found earlier. This one is a verde type of green which is pretty interesting because I haven’t seen that color before. As stated previously, there are some other companies besides McKee (Glasbake) that used the same pattern on their mugs. I’ve seen blue, brown, red and green ones now - they also have matching bowls in the pattern.

Frequently, I get some duplication on the collector blogs that we run - this heavy brown Hollywood Craftsmen mug is both Mug related and California Pottery related. Instead of explaining again, I’m going to send you over to read about it on Potteries of California.

I know these aren’t actually mugs but really tumblers - but they were still so interesting that I decided to put them up on the site. They are Georges Briard designed clear glass tumblers with some fanciful, kitschy Egyptian symbols on them. The design is printed in red, blue, black and gold metal leaf on the clear tumbler. The design looks pretty elaborate and over the top, and I almost didn’t pick them up (there were four but I only got the two).

The signature left no doubt that they were Briard designed items - these are the only items designed by him that I’ve come across so far at the thrift. I have no idea as to the date of when they were produced, but I’d guess 70s.

Found this cool Mushroom Mug from the 70s at the thrift the other day. The mushrooms on the mug are in really high relief so the whole surface bubbles up with their form. Both sides have the mushrooms and stems in various colors of yellow, red-brown and green. The mug itself has an interesting form with vertical grooves on it. The handle is wide and curved and easy to grab.

One of the most interesting things about the mugs (there were 4 but I bought only 1) is that they have an exact date on them - as in the day, month and year. This is quite unusual. In addition, I noticed that all 4 of the mugs had a different exact date, some varying by more than several years. While each mug is marked with Arnel’s, it appears that the company sold ceramic molds through a catalog so that anyone could buy them and make the mugs themselves. I think this is why there is what looks like secondary stamps on the bottom - in this case a “DW” and the date 4-25-73.

I know these are really cups, but they were sufficiently “muggish” to take a picture for the website. The cup and saucers are mixed - but the shape is the same. I believe that the red one is called “Flamenco Red” and was made around 1970 by Metlox. I’ve had that cup and saucer set for awhile. Initially, I wasn’t sure they went together because the mug is not marked, while the saucer is indeed marked as Metlox.

I recently picked up the yellow floral pattern cup and saucer at the thrift. I ended up leaving behind a set of four plates, two bowls and one other cup / saucer set - because we are running out of room! The pattern is called “San Clemente Spanish Yellow” and was produced around 1971. I thought this was a fun picture with our yellow phone and red/yellow Pyrex refrig dishes in the background.