Help Identify This Tiki... Thing!

I just picked this up at the antique market for 2 bucks. What the heck is it? My best guess is that the little dishes with handles are for individual soy sauce dishes. The tiki holder holds 6 of them. THe bottom is marked 'IVY'. Any ideas?

It looks like the first guess is the best guess. A flat pan-like dish like that is almost certainly a soy sauce dish, but you could use it for any dipping sauce.

Or perhaps for tea bags?

It could be a set of individual ashtrays for cocktail parties (or gossipy bridge club afternoons). If it is such a set there might be a matching lighter and cigarette box/holder. Is the "IVY" mark a professional mark?

That's a really wonderful find, Tikifish!

The face looks a lot like the one on this mug:

I believe this was a hobbyist mug because they're usually not signed, or signed by a private person's name. In fact I've got a mold for this very mug (you can make it with or without the handle).

I have read on Tiki Hula's gallery website, however, that they were also manufactured by Polynesian Pottery (Daga Hawaii). Here is the link:
http://www.tikiroom.net/gallery/unmarked/abg

Does your dish server have the second tiki face on the other side with the mouth closed?

Sabu

Slacks Ferret said tea bag!!! :D

[ Edited by: FLOUNDERart on 2004-09-06 16:30 ]

Yes, the other side has the face with the mouth closed. The 'Ivy' mark looks kinda home made...
I can post more pics if you like!

Maybe they're coasters? We need to get Sabu's Mug together with tikifish's "whatevas" & see if they fit. Otherwise I'm sticking with sauce dishes.

I agree - those look like sauce/condiment dishes. I don't really need to see a photo of the back side - I think we can assume that the mug mold and your item's mold were probably made by the same manufacturer. What we really need to know is if other collectors have items marked "Ivy" on the bottom - so we know how big an operation this was. Was it a hobbyist, or a small-time entrepreneur?

Sabu

I have two little mugs like that...very similar colours. I assumed they were home made with the initials "KU" on the bottom of each. I can post pics for comparison.

My grandma had little dishes around...for serving raisins to her grand children. Although I kinda like the tea bag holder idea. Good for sauces too.

Maybe they were offered in Canada as "totems" for souvenir shops?(hoping that tourists wouldn't know the difference?) Just an idea!

Here's a photo of one I have, marked Evelyn Ceramics on the bottom:

Ok, I appologise for the REALLY dark image, but this is what I have here at work:

You can see the two little handled mugs in the bottom right corner.

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine on 2004-09-07 18:15 ]