Post #379356 by TorchGuy on Sat, May 10, 2008 5:53 AM

Figured I might as well put this in here... My find was my FIRST find, besides torches - my first mug! I live in WA state, and found this in a little shop in a Seattle suburb. It's not really tiki per se, but it IS a cocktail mug.

Sorry, can't post a photo (yet) but... It's a cylindrical mug, about 7" by 2 1/2", showing a Chinese or Tibetan man, maybe a monk? with a white, bearded face, arched eyebrows and a long beard, and white shoes. He's wearing long brown robes, with a vertical sash in front with a pattern of X's, is holding a walking staff in one hand and what looks like a coconut in the other, and has black dot eyes. On the back, among the ties and folds of his robe, is written "Four Seas Seattle". Now that I search, I see Dogbytes has posted photos of one of these (front and back) elsewhere in this thread.

I thought surely this must be an extremely common mug, with whatever restaurant that bought it having their name added,. but... on the concave bottom (white) is written "Exclusively for Four Seas, Seattle". There's also a gold quatrefoil-shaped sticker reading:
M
O -o- C
JAPAN

I picked this up for five dollars from a shop owner I'm acquainted with... She says she thinks she has another mug somewhere, and will look for it for me. I passed this by my mother, and she says the Four Seas was (and may still be) a Chinese restaurant in Seattle's "International District" aka Chinatown, so I may be paying them a visit. If they don't use these any more, I'll ask if they still have any lying around. I'm curious as to whether this mug could be called uncommon, or even rare, though I have absolutely no intent on selling it. If the Four Seas has more of them and I can get them, I'll offer mugs in trade for torches.

Anyone want to guess at what sort of drink might have come in this wise old monk? I'm curious. Whatever it was, it was big - drink a few of these and you'll feel wise, too.

[ Edited by: TorchGuy 2008-05-10 07:25 ]