Post #108061 by tikijackalope on Thu, Aug 12, 2004 5:37 PM

You asked about vintage mugs; I've dated older women in the past and some have had very pretty faces.

Oh! "mugs" as in drinking vessels! I see; well, thats very different.

If you ever get an age test for Orchids of Hawaii mugs figured out, please let the rest of us know. I've been trying to figure out how to tell an OoH mug from ones made after Dynasty Wholesale bought most of their molds about ten years ago.

I can tell you from talking to U.S. mug distributers and long-time bar owners who ordered through the Orchids of Hawaii to Dynasty Wholesale transition that after that transition, many mugs were still imprinted with "Orchids of Hawaii" and even "Japan" decades after such mugs were made there. How long after that transition?...I can't find anyone who remembers. I haven't taken the next logical step of trying hard to talk with the owners of Dynasty or retired OoH management; even my irrational desire for minutia knows bounds.

From what I do know so far, I assume that either:

A. Dynasty didn't care about the info imprinted on the mugs/molds and didn't bother to change the molds till they had to. They are, after all, in the business of selling to practical business owners, not collectors. Perhaps they eventually changed because of mold deterioration or, perhaps, some US regulation about goods mislabelled as to country of origin.

And/or..

B. When Dynasty purchased OoH, there was a significant warehouse stock of old mugs left and it took a few years for these to be exhausted.

The truth is probably a mix.

I used to assume that crazing was an indication of greater age but have learned that it can happen because of less-stringent manufacturing standards, storage and shipping conditions and can even be intentionally produced.

Even when OoH switched from Japan to Taiwan, there is only a general spectrum of quality decline. I've seen some "Japan" mugs that have poor detail and "Taiwan" mugs that are sharp and crisp. I assume that perhaps when many orders were coming in, quality might have slipped on a particular mold and it got used anyway so as not to slow production. Maybe when things slowed down or customers complained, a new mold got made from a master sculpt.

And speaking of master sculpts; there was more than one for some models. I've got two distinct surfer girls (different wave patterns) and two different R-1s (different nose detail).

Welcome to our world, Ribeerguy!

[ Edited by: tikijackalope on 2004-08-12 21:14 ]