Mustache cups tickle collector interest

Krause Collectibles Corner

That adage dates to the 1800s, when mustaches from the short and tidy to the long, twisted handlebar variety were the tonsorial pride of dapper dandies.

Victorian gentlemen pampered their mustaches. These magnificent obsessions were washed, brushed, combed, dyed, waxed and curled.

But problems arose when the men sipped hot tea or coffee from their cups. Steam from the hot beverage melted the wax used to tame the mustache and sent it dribbling down the chin. The ends of soggy mustaches sagged into the cups along with the gentleman's spirits.

An innovative Englishman, Harvey Adams, came to the rescue around 1830 with the mustache cup.

The cup had a ledge known as a mustache guard that stretched across the inside of the cup from rim to rim. The guard had one semicircular opening against the side of the cup. As the men sipped hot beverages through the opening, their mustaches rested safely on the guard.

"Gentlemen were delighted with the mustache cup, and Victorian ladies were titillated and intrigued," said Pauline C. Peck, co-author of the book Mustache Cups: Timeless Victorian Treasures. "Now they had the perfect gift for the man or men in their lives. Soon every major potter in Europe was making mustache cups."

The rise in collector interest surrounding the Victorian era has spurred growth in the field of Victorian mustache cups, driving up values. The number of cups available online and the number of people bidding in those auctions has grown markedly in the past four years, reports Antique Trader magazine.

"In the 1970s and 1980s, good mustache cups with matching saucers could be readily found for about $40 to $75 a set," said Peck.

"Today, the same sets range from $85 to $175," she said. A mint-condition set from such desirable potteries as Haviland Limoges, Sarreguemines majolica, Irish Belleek, R.S. Prussia, or Royal Crown Derby can range from $300 to more than $900. Generic or unmarked sets might sell for $45 to $95.

The Irish Belleek mustache beaker shown above center is valued between $700 and $1,000. The golf-themed piece shown below, circa 1880, could bring $375 to $475.

The R.S. Prussia cup shown above is not valued only for its maker's mark, it is also a left-handed cup. The piece is worth $800 to $900.

Left-handed cups are uncommon and command a premium. Novice collectors should note that reproductions of these rarities have appeared on the market in the past few years.

Many experienced collectors forgo online auctions for their acquisitions because of escalating prices.

"Over the last six years, prices in shops don't seem to have changed a lot," said Margaret Watts, a longtime British collector. "You can still find a set astonishingly cheap or incredibly expensive, but on the Internet, the prices over the last year or so have increased considerably."

Flea markets, garage sales, or a neighbor's china cabinet are more likely sources of hidden treasure.

But, fair warning: Be sure you know the difference between a mustache cup and a shaving mug before you go shopping. In other words, brush up.

Copyright 2002 by Krause Publications. For a free catalog of Krause Publications books or periodicals on collectibles, write Public Relations, Dept. IC, Krause Publications, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001, or visit www.collect.com on the worldwide web, or e-mail info@krause.com.