Post #420735 by Koolau on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 10:15 PM

Tikipaka - congrats on finding a vintage Hawaii-made tiki mug. Vintage Hawaii-made mugs are often crude, as Bigbro points out, but I admire the individuality and handwork expressed in these mugs. Hawaii was very distant and isolated in the 60's and 70's (and we still are) - I'm amazed that manufacturers were able to make anything here in quantity.

I have that same mug, but it has a glazed bottom and is not marked. I bought it on Maui, thinking it was the Trader Vic Octopus mug. It's not, but is obviously based on the same design. I would imagine it's a knockoff of the Octopus, but you never know.

I doubt it's from Daga - Daga was fastidious about marking their wares, even in their early Polynesian Pottery phase. I've never seen a Daga mug stamped after the mug was fired, as appears to be the case with your mug. I'd suspect an early effort by Louis B (who stamped his mugs and often left the bottom unglazed), the mysterious "SSS", or one of the other small manufactures on Kauai and Maui.

It's a scarce mug, and an excellent addition to any Hawaii-based tiki mug collection.