Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a 10-ounce vintage soda glass for Tru Treat Grapefruit Drink. Tru Treat was a carbonated grapefruit drink that disappeared sometime around the late 1960s. Although their logo is similar to that of Tru Ade soda, I wasn’t able to find a link between them.

This glass, once used at a soda fountain, has a fill line that indicated to the soda jerk how much syrup to put in the glass before adding ice and carbonated water. The molded mark (script “L”) on the bottom of the glass indicates it was made by Libbey. The Libbey Glass Company was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1818. In 1888 the company was moved to Toledo, Ohio. In 1935 Libbey merged with Owens-Illinois, and remain one of the largest glassmakers in the world today.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This NASA coffee cup was made by Walker China in 1961. It was utilized in the cafeteria, or maybe a conference room at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA was founded just a few years earlier, on October 1, 1958. NASA was formed from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a group that was already functioning with 8,000 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. NASA’s mission was to catch up to the Soviets that had launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. This had created what Americans perceived as a dangerous gap in technology.

Walker China was started in May 1923 by investors Albert Walker and Henry Bailey and was originally incorporated as the Bailey Walker China Company. The two men purchased the Bedford China Works manufacturing plant in Bedford, Ohio and resumed pottery-making operations. They produced personalized vitrified china for hotels, restaurants, churches, clubs and other institutions.

The company name was changed to The Walker China Company in 1942. It left the Walker family in 1967 when Alco Standard Corp. purchased the company. In 1976 they were bought by the Jeanette Corp. and were sold again in 1981 to the Mayer China Company. They closed permanently shortly thereafter.

Manufactured by:
Walker China
Bedford, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is one cup in the series of “Frosty Treat Design” cups made by Dixie Cup. This 10½ ounce paper cup was made about 1950 and was part of a series printed with women participating in a variety of sports in beautiful winter scenes. These cups were used for ice cream, shakes and other cold drinks.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Division
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

A “Snowball” was a drink made with Squirt soda and gin. This glass was one in a series made to advertise Squirt soda as a drink mixer. The Snowball was made by mixing 1 part Advocaat liqueur with 2 parts Squirt soda and serving over ice.

This glass is 4 ¾ inches high and was manufactured in 1955 by the Federal Glass Co. This was the last in a series released each year beginning in 1949. During the 1950s, the Federal Glass Co. was a division of the Federal Paper Board Company. They closed in the late 1970s.

This cup and saucer, both with the fun Peter Pan illustration, are from the Peter Pan’s Snack Shop in Chicago, Illinois. They date to the 1950s. A vintage menu from the restaurant states, “America’s Finest Snack Shops” and features Peter Pan with a plate of fries and a juicy burger. The Peter Pan Snack Shops were started by Chris Carson in 1945. He sold the chain in 1953. Carson started other restaurant chains as well. The successful Carson’s, a BBQ rib restaurant chain, is still in business today in the Chicago area.

This cup and saucer were manufactured by Shenango China of New Castle, Pennsylvania. As with many diner sets, the cup and saucer date from different years. The cup was manufactured in 1954 and the saucer was made about 1957. The Shenango China company was a leader in the restaurantware making business from the 1920s until the late 1980s, having acquired many of their competitors over the years. They were sold to Interpace Corporation in 1968 and then to Anchor Hocking Corporation in 1979. Shenango China production ceased in 1991 due to economic pressure from overseas competitors and falling profits.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Pepsi-Cola was invented in 1893 by Caleb Bradham in New Bern, North Carolina. First known as Brad’s drink, it was officially named Pepsi-Cola when Bradham purchased the brand name in 1898. This cup is from the late 1950s to 1960 when the company introduced the slogan “Be sociable, have a Pepsi”.

This 10 ½ ounce paper cup was made by Dixie Cup, a division of the American Can Company of Easton, Pennsylvania. Dixie merged with the American Can Company in 1957. Invented in 1912, the Dixie Cup was first called the Health Kup. It was given the Dixie name in 1919. Today the Dixie Cup name and product line are owned by the paper and chemical manufacturer Georgia-Pacific.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Division
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

The Steak ‘n Shake restaurant chain was started in Normal, Illinois in 1934 by Gus Belt. The restaurant, which still exists today, lays claim to the creation of the “premium burgers and milk shakes” idea. The slogan “In Sight It Must Be Right” refers to the fact that Gus Belt used to bring in a barrel of steaks and grind them into burgers within view of the customers, so they could see that his premium burgers were really made from great cuts of ground steak. The original restaurant offered curbside service as well as a dining room. By 1939 there were eight Steak ‘n Shake restaurants throughout Illinois. Today Steak ‘n Shake claims 51 United States locations all over the Midwest and South.

The markings on the bottom of this mug read, “Shenango China, U.S.A. Copyright by Interpace, C P-31. According to the Shenango China dating system with 1941 as “1”, this mug was made about 1972. The Shenango China Company was incorporated in 1901. From 1909 to 1935 they manufactured only commercial china for hotels, restaurants and other institutions. Beginning in 1936 they formed partnerships with fine china makers such as the Theodore Haviland Company of France and Rosenthal China of Germany. Through the years Shenango China was bought, sold and merged with several other companies. In 1989 they were sold to Pfaltzgraff Company of York, Pennsylvania and shortly after that, they were permanently closed.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This glass was manufactured in the 1950s by L. E. Smith, an American glassmaker that was founded in 1907 and is still in operation. It was used at a soda fountain or lunch counter that served Sealtest ice cream. It would have been used to serve up an ice cream soda, a glass of milk or perhaps a small milkshake.

Sealtest Dairy Company was a division of the National Dairy Products Corporation. It was launched in 1935 as an ice cream brand to replace several regional brands. Sealtest produced milk and ice cream in factories across the United States and had a reputation for making all natural ice cream. Beginning in 1940, “The Sealtest Food Adviser” was published with recipes that used Sealtest milk. In 1949 Sealtest published and distributed a booklet with ice cream recipes called, “New Ways with Ice Cream”. These booklets helped fuel the ice cream craze that was already well under way. Recipes for sundaes, parfaits and sodas were also published in “Life” magazine in the 1950s. Sealtest even had an ice cream parlor in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida. Today the Sealtest brand is owned by Natrel of Quebec, Canada and is no longer available in US stores.

Manufactured by:
L. E. Smith Glass Company
Mount Pleasant Township, Pennsylvania

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This paper cup was manufactured by the Lily-Tulip Corporation in the 1960s. It was made for use in a Dr Pepper cup vending machine. It is called a “broad base cold drink vending cup”. It measures 3 ¼ inches tall and has a 3-inch diameter across the top. The yellow and red two-tone design and funky type reflect a 60s aesthetic.

Cup vending machines were a popular choice among soda machines in the 1960s. To dispense the drink, first the cup was dropped and the premixed soft drink was poured into the cup.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, NY

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This cup and saucer are from a restaurant chain called the Chicken in the Rough. They once had restaurants all over the US, including several located on historic Route 66. The chain was founded in 1936 by Beverly and Rubye Osborne, two Oklahoma restaurant owners who had lost all their savings as a result of the Great Depression. The story claims that Beverly Osborne had a ‘lightbulb moment’ when out driving with his wife. Rubye was trying to eat chicken while Beverly drove. The chicken slipped out of Rubye’s hands and she reportedly exclaimed. “This is really eating chicken in the rough”. Traditionally chicken had been eaten with a knife and fork up to that point. Beverly realized fried chicken could serve as inexpensive finger food at a time when people had little to spend. He and his wife began what was the very first chicken franchise. Up to that point, the only model for franchising had been gas stations. Their motto became the “meal that created food service and fried chicken franchising”. Their advertising proclaimed, “Every Bite a Tender Delight”.

Today the recipe and cooking method for Chicken in the Rough is franchised only to existing restaurants. There are currently only three restaurants that offer it: two in Michigan and one in Ontario, Canada. Their corporate office is in Tinley Park, Illinois.

This cup, made by Syracuse China, had the Chicken in the Rough logo on the front. The chicken is shown dressed and outfitted for a game of golf and he is glancing at his golf ball, which has landed “in the rough”. This cup and saucer are Syracuse China Adobe Ware, which was manufactured from 1932 to 1972. Syracuse China is located in Lyncourt, New York and was founded in 1871. Originally they were called the Onondaga Pottery Company. The factory closed in 2009, after having been in business for 138 years. Production of Syracuse China was moved overseas.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a glass made for the Mr. Nibbs brand of beverages, which were drink mixers made in the 1940s by the Heinz Beverages division of the H. J. Heinz Company. The drink mixers they made included Ginger Ale, Club Soda and Grapefruit Mixer. After getting its start in 1888, the Heinz Company grew rapidly, producing a huge variety of food and beverages in the US and abroad by the 1920s. There isn’t a lot of information available about Mr. Nibbs, but evidently, the drink mixer business was another one that Heinz dabbled in during the 1940s, when this glass was made. It measures 4 ¾ inches high and was made by Libbey about 1944.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This cup dates to 1954 and was manufactured by the Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation for the world famous fried chicken chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The KFC legend began with Harland Sanders, who later became known as the “Colonel”. In 1930 Sanders opened a Shell gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. The following year, he moved across the street to a Gulf station where he added on a restaurant. This grew into the Sanders Court & Café, a full-service motel and restaurant complex by 1937. It was there that Sanders developed his famous recipe for fried chicken. He convinced other restaurants to put his recipe onto their menus and pay him a small portion of the proceeds. This arrangement led to the fast food franchise restaurant chain known as Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In 1991, when they changed their name to KFC, the Colonel’s image was dropped from food packaging and restaurant signage, as was the slogan, “Finger lickin’ good”. The Colonel’s image has returned once again, but in a very stylized rendition. So this cup is a special memento of KFC history and its founder, Harland Sanders. Today KFC is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, New York

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a commemorative cup and saucer set manufactured by Syracuse China. Syracuse China was started in 1871 as the Onondaga Pottery Company. They made a durable line of dishware called Syracuse China with airbrushed stencil designs. The name of the company was changed to Syracuse China in 1966. The quality and beautiful colors of Syracuse China have made it very desirable among collectors. In the 1930s they decided to make Econo-Rim china, a line of durable, but smaller restaurantware to meet the needs of the many roadside diners being started. The idea was to make strong china that would fit on the smaller diner tables. The Econo-Rim line was manufactured from 1933 to 1967 and this set is part of that line.

The image on this cup is of the Old Man of the Mountain that was located in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. This cup dates to the 1960s. Sadly, the Old Man fell in 2003.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This glass is for Wonder Orange Drink made by the Wonder-Orange Company of Chicago, Illinois. Wonder Orange soda was made with real orange juice and their motto was “The Golden Wonder Drink for Fresh Fruity Flavor”. Wonder Orange was one of the many orange drinks produced in the 1940s to take advantage of the orange craze among consumers. The company appears to have been thriving in the mid-1940s, but seems to have disappeared by the 1950s.

This glass was manufactured by the Federal Glass Company of Columbus, Ohio. Federal opened in 1901 and became the largest machine-made glass manufacturer in the US by 1925. They became a division of the Federal Paper Board Company in the 1950s and stopped making glass products in the late 1970s.

Manufactured by:
Wonder-Orange Company
223 West Erie St.
Chicago, Illinois

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Frozen Cokes were first made available in the early 1970s, here in the US. They have been released once again in certain parts of the country in restaurants like Burger King and Race Trac and at some gas station convenience stores. The drink served at Burger King was called a BK Coke Float and was a combination of frozen Coca-Cola and soft serve ice cream. Frozen Coke, which resembles a 7-11 Slurpee and comes out of the same type of machine, can still be found in different areas of the country.

This cup dates to the 1970s and was produced by the Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation. Let us know if you’ve seen any place in your area that still serves up Frozen Cokes.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, NY

This item is not for sale.

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This coffee cup and matching saucer were made by a company called Homer Laughlin in 1969. This set is part of the “Best China” brand that was introduced in 1959 as a line of vitrified hotel china. This exact design also appears on restaurantware made by Syracuse China. They call it the Longhorn Steer and Camp Fire design. Dinnerware like this is also called shadoware or stencilware because of the image transfer process.

Homer Laughlin was formed in 1871 in Liverpool, Ohio. Their most notable pattern is Fiesta dinnerware, designed in 1936. In the 1950s, Homer Laughlin changed their focus from manufacturing domestic dinnerware to producing dinnerware for the food service industry, including hotels and restaurants. They are still in business today.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Vernor’s Ginger Ale was created by James Vernor in 1866, years before any of the other big-name soft drinks were invented. And it is the oldest ginger ale to be continually manufactured to the present day. This cup dates to the mid-1950s and measures only 2.5 inches in height.

Manufactured by:
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a Chaser Lithiated Soda glass. Chaser was a lemon-flavored soda that contained lithium citrate, an anti-depressant. Lithiated drinks was believed at one time to be a curative for indigestion and hangovers and many of the bi-name soda manufacturers produced them, including 7 Up and Moxie. This soda, manufactured by The Chaser Company of Memphis, Tennessee, appears to have disappeared after the late 1940s. The glass is printed with the words “Chases the Imps”, with an arrow pointing to curious little imps labeled “Thirst”, “Hangovers” and “Indigestion”.

L. E. Smith Glass Company is the manufacturer of this glass. They have been in business since 1907, making American-pressed glass. Today they are one of the few remaining hand-molded glass factories left in this country.

Manufactured by:
L. E. Smith Glass Co.
Mt. Pleasant, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Tab, a product of the Coca-Cola Company was the first major brand of diet cola. It was introduced into the soft drink market in 1963 as a soft drink for consumers trying to watch their weight. Tab was very popular until Diet Coke was released in 1982. Tab is still sold today, but with limited distribution. This cup is stamped with the words “Free Sample” and probably dates to the earliest days of Tab’s history when it was first being introduced to the public.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Division
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Mission Orange Soda was first produced by California Crushed Fruit in Los Angeles, California. In 1933 the first Mission soda was bottled using distinctive black glass bottles. The Mission soda brand existed until 1970. This cup dates from about the late 1960s to 1970.

Manufactured by:
Continental Can Company, Inc.
Newark, NJ

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Mello Yello is a soft drink created in 1979 by the Coca-Cola Company to compete with Pepsi’s Mountain Dew. Like their competitor’s soda, Mello Yello is a citrus-flavored soft drink with caffeine. This cup dates to the 1980s and was manufactured by the Solo Cup Company of Chicago, Illinois. Solo Cup was founded in 1936 by Leo Hulseman, a former employee of the Dixie Co.

Manufactured by:
Solo Cup Co.
Chicago. IL

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a paper cup from the 1960s used to distribute free samples of Coca-Cola. It bears the words “Free Sample” and has the distinctive diamond logo pattern used by Coca-Cola from 1966 to 1970. It was referred to as the Harlequin design. The cup also has both “Coca-Cola” and “Coke” printed on it, as well as the phrase, “Ask for it either way, both trademarks mean the same thing”. Although the Coca-Cola Company registered the Coke trademark in the 1940s, they were still trying to get the public used to using the two names interchangeably when referring to their product.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, NY

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a cup and saucer set that was manufactured by Syracuse China, manufacturers of restaurant, hotel and railroad dinnerware. Some of their notable clients were the Union Pacific Railroad, the Bell Telephone Company and New York’s Embassy Hotel. The Syracuse China company was started in 1871 and was originally named the Onondaga Pottery Company. In 1966 they changed their name to Syracuse China. Today they are owned by Libbey, Inc. but beginning in 2009, the manufacturing of Syracuse China was moved overseas.

This particular cup and saucer date to 1977 and 1976, respectively. The diamond pattern is called “Jubilee” and was one of the stock patterns available from Syracuse China.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Bubble Up is a lemon-lime flavored soda that was created in 1917. It was first made by Sweet Valley Products Co. in Sandusky, Ohio ten years prior to the creation of what became its major competitor, 7 Up. Today Bubble Up is licensed to and made by The Dad’s Root Beer Co., LLC of Jasper Indiana. This cup was made in the late 1950s to 1960s.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Co.
Easton, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This mug is from the Original Pantry Café that first opened in 1924 in Los Angeles, California. They’ve been in business for over 80 years and continue to be a famous Los Angeles landmark. In their current location since 1950, there are great neon signs out front, a 1950s diner style counter with stools, in addition to a dining room. Open 24 hours, they never close their doors. The motto of the Original Pantry Café is “We never close. We’re never without a customer.”

This sturdy coffee mug was made by Delco Atlantic China. It is most likely from the 1970s. The Original Pantry Café sells mugs today as souvenirs to their customers.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a paper cup from Manners Big Boy. The Big Boy franchise is one of many that sprung from the hugely successful Bob’s Big Boy restaurant begun in 1936 in Glendale, California. The concept expanded into a chain with locations across the country. Today there are seven states where you can still find a Big Boy restaurant.

The franchise called Manners Big Boy was located in Northeastern Ohio. The first location, near Cleveland, opened in 1939. It was the first California-type fastfood drive-in to appear in that area. They grew to more than 30 restaurants in Ohio, and had over 300 locations in countries other than the U.S. The Manners chain was purchased by Marriott in 1968.

This 6-ounce paper cup is called a “Handi-Handle Cup”. Mostly likely intended for small children, it has a handle built into it that lies flat until you pull it out to use it. This cup was manufactured by Sutherland Paper Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan and Santa Clara, California. In the 1950s the company became the KVP Sutherland Co., so this cup probably was made in the late 40s or early 50s. The pastel color is very reflective of the style of that time.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a Squirt soda fountain glass, copyright 1948. It is about 5 ¼ inches high. There aren’t any markings to determine the manufacturer. It’s a soda fountain glass that advertises Squirt soda.

Squirt is a grapefruit-flavored soft drink that was first introduced in 1938. This carbonated fruit drink was created by Herb Bishop of Dallas, Texas. The character featured on the glass is called “Little Squirt” and was created by Bishop and his partner, Ed Mehren in 1941. Squirt continues to be one of the best-selling grapefruit drinks in the U.S. today.

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a glass used to serve Modox soda, known as “The New Nerve Drink”. It is made of pressed glass and the date and manufacturer are unknown. It’s a very striking glass, decorated with an impressive Indian and the words, “Drink Modox”. Glasses like these were used to hold free samples of Modox or to serve the soda to paying customers at soda fountains.

Modox was one of many “nerve drinks” to spring up following the success of Moxie soda that was invented around 1870. As a matter of fact, the company owner, James Stephen Barry, was sued in 1908 by Moxie for copyright infringement. The similarities between the two products were striking. Moxie’s slogan was “Nerve Food”, while the Modox slogan was “The New Nerve Drink”. They both used an Indian in their advertising and the names were very much alike. Moxie eventually won their case against Modox and Barry and his Providence, Rhode Island soda company were forced out of business.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This mug symbolizes a piece of local New England history that will soon be coming to an end. This is s a coffee mug from the Cedar Crest Restaurant in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Cedar Crest has been in business serving Italian-American food since 1936. It was a great meeting place local people and politicians, having both a diner section, as well as a more formal dining room area.

The mug was made by Westford China in Westford, Massachusetts. They have since moved their factory and offices to Nashua, New Hampshire. This mug is difficult to date, as there are no codes to define when it was made, but I’d guess it was from the 1970s or 80s.

You may also want to stop by Retroplanet.com to see Keith’s blog under the heading of New England Memories for his thoughts about the Cedar Crest Restaurant. It’s an entertaining account of the history of a local gem.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This cup is from a Mister Donut franchise and dates from some time between 1960 and about 1980. It’s hard to determine, as there aren’t any marks at all on the mug to help date it. The saucer was made by Shenango China of New Castle, Pennsylvania. It dates from the 1920s to the 1940s and was not the original companion to the cup.

Mister Donut was Dunkin’ Donuts’ largest competitor in the U.S. until it was bought out by their parent company, Allied-Lyons, in 1990. The Mister Donut company was started by Harry Winokur in 1955. He was the partner and brother-in-law to Dunkin’ Donuts founder, William Rosenberg. Winokur disagreed with Rosenberg’s decision to franchise the Dunkin’ Donuts shops, but ended up doing just that with his very successful Mister Donuts shops. Today Mister Donut has a strong presence in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

What today has become the number one selling root beer nationally started at a roadside stand in Lodi, California. In 1919 Roy Allen sold root beer to people attending a parade that was held to honor returning WWI veterans. His soft drink beverage was so popular he took on a partner and opened a second roadside stand in Sacramento. Until 1971 A&W Root Beer was only available in A&W Restaurants. The soda was first sold in bottles and cans in 1971 starting in Arizona and California. By 1986 A&W soda was being distributed nationally. In 1995 Cadbury Schweppes of London acquired the A&W brand.

This A&W Root Beer paper cup was most likely manufactured for use in an A&W Restaurant from the late 1970s to early 1980s. The colors are very reflective of the orange/brown combination that was popular at the time. The image of the contiguous United States indicates the national distribution of A&W Root Beer.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a soda fountain glass from a Friendly’s Restaurant. I don’t believe it’s very old and they’re still very plentiful on the Internet. But it is an interesting example of company branding. The front of the tumbler says “Friendly Cola” and on the reverse it reads, “The only cola served in this shop”. I’m not sure where this glass was manufactured. There is a star mark on the base, but the mark inside the star is unreadable. It was probably made by Libbey, who used a star among several other markings over the years. Libbey was a very big manufacturer of restaurant glassware and they still are today.

The first Friendly’s Ice Cream Shop was opened in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1935 in the middle of the Great Depression. It was started by two brothers, Prestley and Curtis Blake, who were only 20 and 18 years old, respectively. They began by selling only double-dip ice cream cones for 5 cents. The ice cream shop name was originally “Friendly”, in order to project a welcoming and neighborly feel. The Blake’s second shop was opened in 1940 in Springfield, MA. They began to add food to the menu, starting with a hamburger. Friendly had become a chain with 500 restaurants by 1974, servicing the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. In 1979 the restaurant chain was sold to the Hershey Foods Corporation. Donald N. Smith bought Friendly from Hershey Foods in 1988 and the following year the “s” was officially added to the Friendly name. Friendly’s was purchased by Sun Capital Partners, Inc. in 2007. Today Friendly’s operate as full-service restaurants with take-out windows. The first concept store opened in 2008 in Fairhaven, MA to sell Friendly’s products exclusively.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is an interesting vintage cup and saucer set from Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s reflective of the fact that restaurants bought large quantities of china and as they were used washed and reused, what once were matching pieces would have been mixed up. The cup was manufactured by Jackson China about 1954. The saucer was made by Syracuse China in November of 1970. Vintage restaurantware has become very collectible, especially the finer brands like Jackson and Syracuse China.

The first Dunkin’ Donuts was opened by Bill Rosenberg in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts. It started as a donut shop with coffee “by the cup” and has become the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. The logo on this cup with the doughnut boy is probably the earliest Dunkin’ Donuts logo. It is being used by the company once again on “retro” t-shirts available for sale on their website.

Manufactured by:
Jackson China
Falls Creek, Pennsylvania

Syracuse China
Lyncourt, New York

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

The Orange Crush Company was incorporated in 1916 by Clayton J. Howel of Los Angeles, California. He had previously introduced the successful soft drink syrup, Howel’s Orange Julep. He worked with his partner, Neil C. Ward to perfect the formula for a new and improved orange-flavored soft drink. Their invention was introduced as Ward’s Orange Crush. Today the Orange Crush brand is owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in Plano, Texas.

This glass was made by the Federal Glass Company, as shown by the cap “F” and shield marking on the base. Federal Glass began using this marking after 1930. It reads, “Orange-Crush Fruit Flavored Beverage”. This type of glass was used at soda fountains in the 1930s. The line across the base indicated the amount of syrup to be added to the glass. Then the carbonated water would be added to finish the drink.

Manufactured by:
Federal Glass Company
Columbus, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

The manufacturer of this cup and saucer was the Walker China Company of Bedford, Ohio. They were originally incorporated in 1923 by Albert M. Walker and Henry Bailey as Bailey Walker China. The name was changed in 1942 to The Walker China Company. By then they were making durable dishware for restaurants, hotels, clubs and steamships. The mark on the bottom of the cup reads “2-39”. To date Walker China, you add 1922 to the second number. Therefore, the cup dates to 1961 and the saucer, that reads “11-37” dates to 1959.

This cup and saucer were made for the Esso Oil Corporation for use on their oil tankers. Heavy-duty dishes like these would be a necessity in a mess hall, due to their repeated use. Esso began as the first foreign offshoot of the Standard Oil Trust in 1888. The name “Esso” was first used in 1926 and was officially changed to the company name in 1951. By 1972 the name was changed to the Exxon Corporation.

Manufactured by:
The Walker China Company
Bedford, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Dad’s Root Beer was created in 1937 in Chicago, Illinois by Jules Klapman. It was the first product to be marketed in a 6-pack format. In the 1980s Dad’s Root Beer was distributed by Coca-Cola Company bottlers and was second only to A&W Root Beer in sales. It is still being sold today by The Dad’s Root Beer Company, which is currently owned by Hedinger Brands.

Owens-Illinois in Toledo, Ohio is the manufacturer on the base of this cup. The Toledo, Ohio division of Owens-Illinois was formed in 1982, so based on the markings, I don’t think this cup is older than that.

Manufactured by:
Owens-Illinois, Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

7 Up is a lemon-lime soda that was created in 1929 by Charles Grigg of the Howdy Corporation. Despite its release just two weeks before the stock market crash, 7 Up went on to become, and remain, one of the most popular soft drinks available worldwide.

This cup is from the late 1960s or early 1970s. This is determined by the psychedelic, pop art style of artwork that was prevalent at the time. The artwork on this cup definitely reflects the optimistic look of pop art, with the 7 Up logo rising over the horizon like the sun. In 1967 a new advertising campaign was launched and 7 Up was dubbed the “Uncola”. The reverse side has “The Uncola” printed within a pair of large, red lips. Very groovy, and very reflective of the era this cup is from.

Manufactured by:
American Can Co.
Dixie Cup Division
Easton, PA

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This vintage Dairy Queen cup is from the early 1950s. Printed on the cup is D.Q.’s famous slogan, “The Cone with the Curl on Top”. There is also an illustration of a classic 50s Dairy Queen ice cream stand behind one of their delicious soft serve cones. On the right side of the cup in the copyright with the D.Q. trademark, called “Baby’s Face in a Parka” by collectors. The copyright is 1953.

This milkshake cup was made by the Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation. They were later sold to Owens-Illinois and became Owens-Illinois’ Lily Division.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, NY

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This cup and saucer were made for the International House of Pancakes Restaurant chain by Buffalo China, Inc. Based on the manufacturer’s mark, these were made some time after 1978. Starting out as Buffalo Pottery in 1901, they became Buffalo China Inc. in the mid-1950s. They were acquired by Oneida in 1983 and they are still a very successful manufacturer of restaurant ware today.

The first International House of Pancakes opened in Toluca Lake, California in 1958 and the chain has spread countrywide. There are even restaurants located throughout Alaska.

Manufactured by:
Buffalo China, Inc.
500 Bailey Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14210

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a waxed paper cup from McDonald’s from the 1960s. It was used to serve milkshakes. Printed on the artwork is “The All American”, advertising McDonald’s combination meal of a burger, french fries and a milkshake.

This 16-ounce cup was made by the Sweetheart Cup Division of the Maryland Cup Corporation in Maryland. Beginning in the mid-1950s, McDonald’s became one of Maryland Cup’s biggest customers for disposable food containers.

Manufactured by:
Sweetheart Cup Co.
A Division of the Maryland Cup Corporation
10100 Reisterstown Road
Owings Mills, Maryland 21117

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This retro mug features a character called Reddy Kilowatt. He was created in 1926 by Ashton B. Collins, Sr. at the Alabama Power Company as a spokesperson for the electric utility industry. His purpose was to promote the use of electricity in the home, which in 1926, was still a relatively new technology. His use was licensed to approximately 300 companies in both the United States and abroad.

In addition to advertising, Reddy Kilowatt appeared in a movie, in comic books and on all kinds of promotional items. He made frequent appearances until recently when energy conservation, rather than its use, became more heavily emphasized.

Reddy Kilowatt appears on a ceramic coffee cup and saucer that would have been part of a place setting used in a corporate lunchroom at an electric utility. They were made by Syracuse China in 1955.
Manufactured by:

Syracuse China Corporation
2801 Court Street
Syracuse, NY 13208

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This glass was made by Libbey Inc. for the Howard Johnson’s restaurant chain around 1967. Libbey called it the “Footed Heavy-Base Tumbler”. This 10 oz. glass, printed with “Hojo Cola”, was used to serve soft drinks. Howard Johnson’s began as a drugstore with a soda fountain in 1925 and grew from there, until it became one of the biggest hotel and restaurant chains in the country. The company’s success began to wane in the late 1970s and the name was eventually sold. There are only a handful of restaurants with the Howard Johnson’s name today, and they are run as franchises.

Libbey Inc. began as the New England Glass Company in 1818 in Boston, Massachusetts. It moved to Toledo, Ohio in 1888. They remain one of the leading glassmakers in North America and export to more than 80 countries worldwide.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
300 Madison Avenue
Toledo, Ohio 43604

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a Cheer Up soda glass made by the Federal Glass Company. Cheer Up was a beverage sold as both a soft drink and syrups beginning in 1936. Cheer Up was produced by the Orange Smile Syrup Company of St. Louis, Missouri. This glass is marked “Drink Cheer Up Lemon-Lime Refresher” and was used at a soda fountain. Cheer Up was made until the early 1960s. This glass dates to somewhere between 1936 and the 1950’s.

Federal opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1901, mass-producing affordable tableware and tumblers. By 1925 they were the single largest manufacturer of machine-made glasses in the United States. Business declined in the 1970s and the company closed in 1980.

Manufactured by:
Federal Glass Company
Columbus, Ohio

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a waxed paper cup from Burger King from the 1960s. This 16-ounce cup was made by the Sweetheart Cup Division of the Maryland Cup Corporation in Maryland. It was used to serve soft drinks and/or milkshakes. On the side of the cup is a measuring line marked “ice milk”. The front and back of the cup both feature the Burger King logo with “Home of the Whopper” printed below. The Burger King Corporation used this slogan from 1958 to 1968 and has used numerous others since then.

Manufactured by:
Sweetheart Cup Co.
A Division of the Maryland Cup Corporation
10100 Reisterstown Road
Owings Mills, Maryland 21117

Dixie Produces Paper Cups for Coke, Tab and Sprite

The trend in soda vending machines throughout the 1960s was to serve up pre-mixed soft drinks in paper cups, rather than dispensing them in bottles or cans. Machines that dispensed soft drinks in paper cups were popular at places of business, clubs and in schools. But the original idea of a cup vendor dates back to before WWII.

In 1939 the president of the Vendo Company, E.F. Pierson, came up with the concept of a machine that became known as the “Decapper”. This machine opened a bottle of Coke and poured it into a cup before dispensing it. The customer never had to be bothered with discarding empty bottles. The complexity of the machine made it expensive and it never really caught on, resulting in only 251 of them being manufactured. Vendo’s next try at selling a cup vendor was ten years later, in 1959 with the Model V-800. This pre-mix cup-dispensing machine led the way to further advances in cup vending technology and the increased demand for them in the 1960s. Cup vendors continued to be popular into the 1970s.

Making all of the cup vendors possible, of course, was the invention of the paper cup. The onetime use paper cup was invented in 1907 by Lawrence Luellen of Boston, MA. He had taken on the task of inventing such a product after a business associate was approached by investors who expressed an interest in starting a company that could make a flat-folded paper cup. They wanted to dispense the cup from a vending machine connected to a watercooler. They hoped to address health issues arising from the practice of drinking from community water pumps and water barrels, usually using the same ladle or cup.

Luellen came up with a pleated cup made of paper treated with paraffin. He also invented a machine that dispensed water into a paper cup for the price of a penny. Remaining was the task of convincing the public that disposable cups were necessary and that reusing drinking containers could make them sick. (Up until the turn of the century most people were unaware that germs even existed.) In 1908 Luellen joined forces with a man by the name of Hugh Moore to educate the public about the health benefits of disposable cups. In 1909 they formed the Public Cup Vendor Company and named their product the Health Kup. At that time their main business was leasing their water dispensing machines to railroads and train stations. They also sold their cups in bulk to these customers.

Scientific studies of the time boosted sales of paper cups. It may be hard for us to believe it today, but schools had a single drinking vessel that was used by all of the students. Public places had common drinking cups, or the “tin-dipper”, and railroad stations supplied a shared drinking glass beside water coolers. In 1908 a biology professor published his study called “Death in School Drinking Cups”, which did wonders to eliminate the practice of sharing a glass. The flu epidemic of 1910 also greatly increased the demand for the paper cups.

In 1910 the company was incorporated as the Individual Drinking Cup Company of New York. Luellen handed over his paper cup patents to the company and received money and significant stock in the company in return.

In 1919 the cup was given a new name: Dixie. The company’s name was changed to the Dixie Cup Company and it continued to grow. In 1921 the company was moved to a newly designed and constructed plant in Easton, PA. They experienced great success throughout the course of WWII due to their watertank-cup dispensers being widely used on US military bases and factories.

Dixie’s growth continued after the war, and in 1946 they worked with The Coca-Cola Company to create a cup vendor. The evolution of the Dixie Cup included improved printing methods in the 1960s that allowed them to print company brands on them. This brochure page shows some of the Dixie paper cups made for Coca-Cola in the 1960s. In addition to the Coca-Cola flavor of soft drink cups are cups for The Coca-Cola Company’s Sprite and Tab brands.

Since 2000 Georgia-Pacific Corporation of Virginia has owned the rights to the “Dixie” name. In 2002 the Dixie division of GP and The Coca-Cola Company united once again, collaborating in a product line of plastic Coca-Cola cups to be sold at retail stores. Included in the line is a disposable greenish plastic cup, shaped in the classic fluted Coca-Cola bell-shape. At Retroplanet.com you can find a variety of similar glass versions.