QUINN'S mystery mugs....anyone know anything about these?

okay- i found these today and i knew i saw something here on t.c. about them but all it was was this pic from another thread....

i assume from the logo that these coffee cups are from this place, where ever that is.....anyone have any more info ?? -thanks!

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2010-06-13 19:11 ]

sounds like an eskimo joint to me.

you've not seen nothing like it......

Seeing as that the vinyl was from Tiare Tahiti Records, a quick Google search of Quinn's and Tahiti turned up these images:

Apparently Quinn's was located in the Capital City of Tahiti, Papeete.

It also shows up briefly at the minute and a half mark of this British newsreel from 1961:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=68724

Oh, and nice find!

cool- thanks!! who knew? those cups made quite a journey to end up in the midwest.

Tipsy,

Nice find on those mugs. Quinn's was an infamous bar in Papeete that was frequented by Edward Leeteg.

Here is a better scan of the postcard.

It closed in 1973. I found this cool story in the LA times archives that attributes Quinn's to Leeteg's death.

As the most notorious bar in French Polynesia, Quinn's was where the painter Leeteg belted one too many one night, then climbed aboard his moped and spun off on a trip to eternity, colliding head-on with a tree.

When they tore down Quinn's it was like disassembling the Eiffel Tower. Or uprooting the cable cars in San Francisco. Quinn's was a tourist attraction, an institution, the watering hole of Tahitians and tourists, French sailors and foreign legionnaires.

Nearly every tourist who ever set foot in Papeete rushed headlong to Quinn's to kick back and join the wicked who made Quinn's their home base. Well, the timorous did a detour, maybe, but the adventurous were fascinated with the motley crowd that kept the cash register ringing.

Without a doubt, Quinn's was the most shameful bar in the entire Pacific. Customers ducked flying beer bottles while Suzy No Pants danced with the legendary Bali Hai Boys.
Papeete

There's never been a bar like it. Ever. It roared day and night. It was a bamboo jungle, a grimy, stinking, crowded waterfront joint that smelled of stale beer and disinfectant. In the old days, after closing time at Quinn's, everyone revved up their mopeds and roared off to Lafayette's whose reputation was every bit as lurid as Quinn's.

DC

Ha, DC, you beat me to it! Nice postcard! Here is MY original post I just wrote:

Hey, I'll take one of those, wanna trade? That one would go right next to my Tahitian Lanai mug!
Here's some info to increase their mythic value:

Quinn's was perhaps THE quintessential South Seas bar, because it was a real bar in a real South Seas harbor, with real sailors and native Wahines getting drunk together on rum. And it was Edgar Leeteg's "headquarters" in Papeete:

And here Quinn's general history:

Awesome! Thank you all! I think Tipsy McStagger should create a thread for QUINN'S in Locating Tiki, but wait... is it tiki? (I say yes, but... no)
So inspiring anyway! So graphic! The real thing! I feel like I been there many times...

Appendix:
WARNING: Open question, do not derail this thread.
What was Gaugin's bar of choice during his first visit? (We all know that later he became a hermit with boxes and boxes full of absinthe)

i wonder if leeteg drank out of one of these?? great info everyone..what a crazy history and bar....now if only i had an original leeteg i could display both together.....i wonder if these belong in the crypto mug thread?? were there anymore items from quinn's that have surfaced?? there might be others...for a dive bar, these cups are actually really nice....not what one would expect of a place where one has to dodge flying beer bottles.....

I would think they are from the post-Leeteg period, I am sure Quinn's eventually tried to capitalize on its fame, and made mementos like these for sale. How far back does the custom of imprinted restaurant ware go? Where were these made? Where are the dish collectors who can tell?

On 2010-06-14 11:11, bigbrotiki wrote:
I would think they are from the post-Leeteg period, I am sure Quinn's eventually tried to capitalize on its fame, and made mementos like these for sale. How far back does the custom of imprinted restaurant ware go? Where were these made? Where are the dish collectors who can tell?

you may be right- these definately have that vintage look with the painted bases, but these must be from the late 60's up till it closed in 73'....i don't see any sense in making souveniers of a place after it has been torn down. there is a makers mark on the bottom with the name of the china co. that made them....i'll post it when i get home later today...

okay- on the bottom they are marked mayer china and then (something) falls and state initials i cant make out (looks like indiana)....made in u.s.a.

Mayer China Co, Beaver Falls Pa. the company started in 1881 and is still in business today I believe. I believe marking restaurant ware dates back to at least the 1880's. As for the date of your mugs I'm not sure but a great find.

P.s. Just added Quinn"s to the list of restaurant ware on page one of the thread.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=34296&forum=5&start=0

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2010-06-14 19:21 ]

Nice find Tipsy!! I bet they could tell some stories!
The bamboo font on the mug is pretty cool and I like the colored base as opposed to just plain white.

Here is a record from 1965 that's called "Tahiti Yesterday and Today". This record features two bands and on the first side is the band called "Quinn's Combo". This seems to be the house band that played at Quinn's Restaurant in Papeete. Also sounds like they were a sight to see.

On the back of the album it says:

"Everybody who goes to Tahiti and it's capital city of Papeete eventually winds up at Quinn's Club, a water-front rendezvous that's a "must" for tourists. RCA Victor went to Quinn's to record a live performance of the club's prime attraction - Quinn's Combo, which plays and sings Tahitian melodies in today's tempos.
Artfully combining amplified guitars, drum, accordion and melodious voices, Quinn's Combo darts merrily through six Tahitian songs with an up-date beat that would have flipped Captain Cook. The beat is swingable and twistable, but paramount in the presentation are the exciting simplicity of these native songs and the unfettered gaiety with which Quinn's Combo interprets them. And so, "Tahiti Today"."

Geez.... I wish I could take credit for writing some of that but that's what it says on the back of the record!

Kind of cool to hear a bit about a place that seems to have been a pretty big part of the Tahitian scene. Come on.....Leeteg hang out there!! What a great history this Quinn's had! I wonder if there were any Leeteg related items in there? Maybe a photo in memoriam over the bar or possibly a velvet hanging up? That would have been pretty cool to check out.

Mahalo, TabooDan

There use to be a Quinn's "tiki" sunset bar at the Sheraton Tahiti.
I don't know if it is still open.
Good luck!

thanks!! i bought that same album on ebay a few days ago along with the postcard that dusty posted....starting to get my quinn's collection going....

Tipsy,

Glad you started this thread, had been meaning to do one on Quinn's some day. Pretty famous place for not having anything on TC.

Here is another photo of the exterior.

You gotta love the old-school swinging saloon doors on the joint. Easier to throw the riff-raff out!

DC

I just noticed after looking at the B & W photo that the columns holding the arcade roof up are carved.... TIKIS! Quinn's was a Tiki bar!

DC

Higher res. of Quinn's at Sheraton's, Tahiti

"Named after an early explorer, Quinn's Bar takes you back to yesteryear. Live music and fresh tropical drinks or your favorite cocktail are served."

And we have a Tiki!!! Woo-hoo!!!
Dusty you are the best. no riff-raff.

This ashtray is also marked Mayer China Company

I figured there had to be an ashtray out there from Quinn's and it figures that Bongofury has one. Thanks for the post.

DC

You all may be interested in reading this rather funny piece about Quinn's:

http://holidaymag.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/the-toughest-bar-in-the-world-by-randolph-wolfe-may-1968/

I read that the Quinn's Bar in the Sheraton Tahiti was named for the infamous former nightspot. Alas, the Sheraton Tahiti is also no more.
Just speculatin', here:
I wonder if the mugs and ashtrays were from the Sheraton incarnation, copying the iconic bamboo sign. To me, it seems less likely the original Quinn's would have ordered logo ashtrays and coffee mugs from Pennsylvania. Or from anywhere. I don't think there would have been much point in them investing extra money in nice items that would quickly be stolen or broken (probably over someone's head!). And it's not like their usual clientele would've been impressed.
Unless, maybe they ordered them specifically to sell to tourists, never for actual use in the place.

On 2012-06-04 14:40, Limbo Lizard wrote:
I read that the Quinn's Bar in the Sheraton Tahiti was named for the infamous former nightspot. Alas, the Sheraton Tahiti is also no more.
Just speculatin', here:
I wonder if the mugs and ashtrays were from the Sheraton incarnation, copying the iconic bamboo sign. To me, it seems less likely the original Quinn's would have ordered logo ashtrays and coffee mugs from Pennsylvania. Or from anywhere. I don't think there would have been much point in them investing extra money in nice items that would quickly be stolen or broken (probably over someone's head!). And it's not like their usual clientele would've been impressed.

this sounds right on target.... the dishware has to be from the sheraton....

I may have been too hasty, after all...

As best I can determine, the Sheraton Tahiti was first opened in 1960, then "completely rebuilt in July 1999 with Polynesian-style architecture, including thatched roofs". This would probably have been when they added their "Quinn's". That would be too late for any Mayer China with "Beaver Falls" on it. Mayer had been acquired by Syracuse China in '84, and their production was consolidated to a plant in New York in the early '90s.

(A time machine would sure be handy for figuring these things out! I wish someone from the future would send one back, for us to use for a while. )

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2012-06-04 15:49 ]

Quinn's was originally called "Quinn's Tahitian Hut".

Great street scene!

DC

Thanks DC for pointing out this nice night exterior shot of Quinn's:

The historic importance of the place seems to have been somewhat underrated by the time this photo circulated among American news services (in 1976), judging by the caption scribbled on its back :) :

I was lucky that our family visited Tahiti in 1968 when I was 12. I have returned 4 times, and on my last visit, I met the retired fire captain who said he was on duty when Quinn's bar burned down.
I have the record LP that is pictured at the top of this thread, and it's incredible! My parents bought in on that trip. We stayed at Club Med on Moorea, (now gone as well), and every night a band called Tai and his Mustang Band played. They were like Tahitian Beatles! They played Tahitian music on electric guitars and drums. I'll never forget it! I wish I had recordings of that band!
Incidentally, if you're a private pilot, you can rent airplanes from a flying club at the FAAA Airport, get a temporary license, and fly over the most beautiful scenery in the world!

here's an old press photo from 1973 I lifted from an ebay auction

(buy it now for $28 if interested)- not my auction.

I found a few more photos of Quinn's Tahitian Hut on line.

Also two additional album covers from Quinn's.

Here is a great story on Quinn's written by Harold Stephens for Argosy Magazine Quinn's

Photos of Quinn's from the 1950's.

1967

Tikilongbeach,

Those images are great!!!

This Mayer China (“Quinn’s” coffee mug) is actually a vintage item from a restaurant/bar called “Quinn’s on the beach” in Marco, Florida. “Quinn’s on the Beach” was inspired by the original Quinn’s bar in Papeete. Anyway, the vintage mug pictured above is from Florida, not Papeete, Tahiti.

Man, what a cool bar!

We went to a bar in High school called "The Thirsty I" it also had windows that would open up like that.

You could just pull underage girls up from the streets if they had no fake ID. Back then they really did not care as much about underage drinking.

I even copied the hand stamps in my high school art class and kept them in my glove compartment with three different colors of ink so I could stamp girls hands as well to get them in. One of the stamps was DAN and I made the "N" backwards they never caught on to that little mistake.

What a fun time.