Hey Tiki History Detectives: Date This TV Fogcutter Mug

hey guys,

had this for a couple years but exhumed it to discuss with Mr. Bali Hai,

anyways, i figure this to be pretty original Trader Vic's... it's marked JAPAN, which means it's probably post 1952, since earlier it would be marked OCCUPIED JAPAN or the like.

thoughts?

Good question. I have thought about this as well. Here is my view which may be all wrong. I have seen these mugs with dates that range all over the place. I believe some are actually dated on the bottom but then again I may be wrong. I have not seen any Vic's mugs marked Occupied Japan on them as of yet. I do know that Vic's used U.S. companies such as Vernon Kilns, Morgantown Glass, Imperial Glass and Teppco for some server ware. Not sure if they were importing server ware as early as 1953. The fogcutter also has a wide variety of molds, quality and sizes while keeping the same basic design. If I'm not mistaken I think that the shape of the fogcutter is one of the earliest mug designs from the earliest days of the commercial Polynesian craze. But then again this is just my view. Here's one of mine that I think is an early piece. It is hard to see on the bottom but the cold glaze paint you can make out "------ --- Vic's".

A look ebay through shows the different variations in markings on the bottom of the mugs. All are fogcutters of the basic design with small variations. Just for comparison.

On 2009-05-10 04:51, uncle trav wrote:
I do know that Vic's used U.S. companies such as Vernon Kilns, Morgantown Glass, Imperial Glass and Teppco for some server ware.

Red Wing Pottery of Red Wing, Minnesota also produced fog cutter mugs for Vic's.

cool thanks - i posted these images several places, and a reputable source sez:

This was made by Tepco, who produced mugs for Trader Vic's. The "Japan" tag gives it away, but if I hadn't seen the bottom I might have known from the detail and glazes used. Tepco made the first Fogcutter mugs for Vic and about 5 other mugs until 1968. Tepco also made and sold the same mugs not labeled for the restaurants during the same period, just with the "Japan" marking like this one.

Later the Fogcutters may have been made by Red Wing pottery, but I don't have production dates for them. Ones made by Red Wing would not have been marked Japan. This places your mug in production sometime before 1968.