Westwood Pottery collecting

Not too much attention is paid to the Westwood Tiki mugs out there these Days. Westwood made a big contribution to us collectors by making a wide variety of items. Duke has four pages of Westwood photos in Tiki Quest with a ton of eye candy. Many companies latched onto Westwoods style and produced many knockoff items. I have seen many of the handled mugs over the years and many of the mini mugs but nothing else. Is Westwood rarer than is ussualy thought? I would be good to see what other folks have found out in the wild. here are some from my collection.

The ussual suspects that I have found to be most common.

Bottom markings. And the only time I have seen the words "Tiki Mug" on a vintage mug.

Two variations of the pineapple man. Left one is lighter in weight and unmarked. The mug on the right is marked Westwood.

Coffe mugs just over four inches high.

Bottom markings of the coffee mugs.

Two mini mugs with the big guys for comparison.

I think Westwood is underated in the collecting world but has some great designs and a wide variety of items out there to be found. Now I just have to find some more in the wild. Thanks.

Here are four mini mugs from my collection. These are often called Westwood but I am not sure if they are. These four maybe in the knockoff category. Similar in color but the design is a bit off in my opinion.

Here is a side by side with two known Westwood minis. A bit different in size. These may have been made by Westpac and I think they may have been part of a gift set that included a decanter.

I'm a big fan of the Westwood mugs. I'll post pictures of the few I've collected first chance.

Around a month ago there was a full dinner service on eBay, plates, cups, bowls - the whole shebang...

Wish I'd saved the photo's now!

I saw that set also. It was the whole dinner set in orange if I remember right. I do remember the buy it now price. 750 dollars.

That auction originally started at $850.00 and then went 2 rounds at $750.00 with shipping at $45.00. It did not sell and it hasn't been re-listed again.

It's a really nice set and I hope it finds a good home some day but for $750.00 it would be nice they'd toss in the shipping.

It's cool that there are oil and vinegar bottles.

I really like the 3 Four-inch high coffee mugs.

[ Edited by: TeeKeeMan 2010-03-14 17:16 ]

Ha! The dinner set includes an ashtray!

i have those coffee mugs and a few others. i also have a westwood noh mask mug. the markings on the bottom are engraved in and in cursive script.

Westwood was my first real tiki mug obsession, and after twelve years of collecting, it's still one of my biggest obsessions. I've been dying to be able to respond to this thread, not that I have all that much to add.

I've never been able to find much information about Westwood. I think I might stand a better chance if I spoke or read Japanese.

It took me a while to figure out how to handle the mugs on Ooga-Mooga. I finally just surrendered and employed my own numbering system. I laugh a little whenever I see it used on ebay to describe the mugs.

I relied fairly heavily on pages 63-66 in Tiki Quest. I know that Duke never wanted the book to become the definitive information source, but for now it's the best source of info on vintage mugs to which we all have access.

We all know that there were several companies that either knocked off the designs or the style. There was Westpac, Davar, ArtMark and Nasco, just to name a few. They all have that same light weight ceramic, handle and geometric design.

I started with the four most common mugs, all of which are definitely Westwoods because they all have been seen marked as such. Having seen the full dinner set, I wonder how many of the four main designs had other pieces manufactured in their image.

The coffee cup has an ArtMark sticker. The mug is Westwood, and the shot is just marked "Japan."

The toothpick holder and shot are marked "Japan." The napkin holder and lamp are unmarked. The mug is Westwood. The coffee cup has an ArtMark sticker, and the salt & pepper have a small sticker that reads "Japan."

This ashtray is the same style as the items above and is usually seen with "Aloha Hawaii" or "Florida" in raised letters on the front. I haven't seen one with any manufacturer's markings.

The coffee cup has an ArtMark sticker. The mug is Westwood, and the shot is just marked "Japan."

The toothpick holder and shot are marked "Japan." The salt & pepper have a small sticker that reads "Japan." The teapot is unmarked. The mug is Westwood. The coffee cup is unmarked. The cruets have a small sticker that reads "Japan."

I always assumed that the fourth mug in this shot was Westwood since it's the same dimensions as the other three and Duke shows it on page 64 with the other Westwoods. Mine has no markings while the other three are all definitely Westwoods. I've seen that design manufactured as a decanter and shot set by Quon Quon.

These three are just marked "Japan" on the bottom, but they are on pages 63 and 64 of Tiki Quest. The ceramic is thicker and the glaze is glossier than most, but not all of the marked Westwood mugs.

These three are unmarked, but are also on pages 63 and 64. We go back to the lighter weight ceramic and more matte glaze.

The two banks are marked "Westwood" on the bottom. The mug in the center is on page 65. There is a bank with the same design marked "Westwood," so I assume that's why the mugs are thought of as such.

The two coffee cups just say "Japan" on the bottom but are on page 64 of Tiki Quest. The Noh mug in the center is marked "Westwood" and scares me a little, so I hide it behind other mugs.

The first of these woodface mugs is on page 64. One of mine has a "Japan" sticker on the bottom which is the same as the stickers I've seen on my pieces that are definitely Westwood designs.

The mug is unmarked and the spice shakers are stamped "Japan" and are seen on pages 63 and 65.

These two are hobbyist pieces and were both produced in the 70's. I believe that Duncan made the molds.

These pieces are unmarked but have that Westwood style. The teapot has the same pattern on the back as the teapot I showed earlier.

These two mugs are also Westwoodesque in my opinion. They both read "Made in Japan" on the bottom.

These last three just have that light weight ceramic slightly Westwood vibe about them. Sort of.

Wow Tiki Kate that is quite a collection of Westwood, very impressive .Good to hear
from you.You have been missed by many.

EEEEEE! Westwoods , My favorite. I just have a few, nothing that hasn't been posted here. Some day I hope to get one of those pitchers!

Thanks for posting all those, Kate! I'm always learnin'. Here's my small Westwood collection. The big green one has got to be in my top three favorite mugs. I love the streaked green color. The big orangish one is unmarked and so previously I wasn't sure it was Westwood.

On 2010-04-01 17:53, Tiki-Kate wrote:

The two banks are marked "Westwood" on the bottom. The mug in the center is on page 65. There is a bank with the same design marked "Westwood," so I assume that's why the mugs are thought of as such.

Hey there Kate, good to see ya posting again! Those ones above are my favorite sub-style of Westwood. I have only one Westwood mug and it seems to fit the same wacky category. The search continues...

WOW Kate!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for beefing up the thread. I knew someone had to have some Westwood out there but WOW!! I never noticed the resemblance between those souvenir ashtrays and Westwood before. Here is a marked Westwood mug and an unmarked ashtray from my collection for comparison.

Yup, Kate sez it all!

Though some might see Northwest Indian totem pole influences in this guy:

....I say he's clearly an ancestor to this pop icon :) :

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-04-04 00:03 ]

Unmarked red pottery wall hanger...

here are a few westwood inspired cups marked japan on the bottom. i've never seen these before.

here are a few banks all lined up.

a few lamps. the one on the left has a napco sticker on the bottom.

here's a different noh mug and a different color of tiki kates mug.

and here's the bottom.

In checking out the extensive posting in the Hawaii Kai thread by Bifcozz I noticed two small ads for free mugs with a purchase at the restaurant. The mugs are by Westwood and appear to be coffee mugs. I thought it was interesting as this is the first time I have seen Westwood mugs associated with any restaurant. Here are the ads originally posted by Bifcozz.

Does anyone have information on this Westwood style mug? It's unmarked, but has a handle, is light weight, heavily patterned and has the same coloring as the Westwood W-2 mug. I've collected lots of the four common Westwood mugs but only one of these, and I haven't found it on Ooga Mooga. Thanks.

Saw this sell on eBay a short time ago. Intact service for four in the box with all of the pieces listed on the box. I would love to find something like this someday.

Wow, nice! Never seen the box before, interesting type face. I remember when I borrowed the set I photographed for the BOT, it came from the bass player of the Tikitones, and the transaction took place in the parking lot of the Big Foot Lodge.
Is there any way these days to determine who won it? How much did it go for?

Sven, it went for $ 213.00 not a bad price I think but way to rich for my blood these days. I don't think you can tell who the high bidder is unless you are the seller. I thought I would save the image for the thread all the same.

I didn't see this guy here so here he is for cannon purposes.

Found this today
This thing is huge

Westwood?
Reminds me of Trader Vic's Coffee Grog mug.

On 2015-02-15 15:45, Pittsburgh pauly wrote:
Westwood?
Reminds me of Trader Vic's Coffee Grog mug.

Nope. Red clay mugs made by BEST EVER of Japan. As seen in this thread.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=4597&forum=1&start=30

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

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2015-02-15 16:36 ]

On 2010-04-01 17:53, Tiki-Kate wrote:
These three are just marked "Japan" on the bottom, but they are on pages 63 and 64 of Tiki Quest. The ceramic is thicker and the glaze is glossier than most, but not all of the marked Westwood mugs.

i recently acquired the orange handled one shown here, but as you can see, the sticker on the base says Quon-Quon. interesting.

I think it is another prime example of how companies "borrowed" designs from one another. In the same way menu graphics and logos were used somewhat loosely amongst the restaurants of the day.

I don't think they borrowed, they bought the rights or the mold.

Started collecting a few Westwood Tiki mugs back in 1995. Just picked up 7 more on eBay this past week. Back in the hunt.