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HULL POTTERY MUGS 01 through 03
1938 to Early 1950s
These pottery
mugs were made by the A. E. Hull Pottery Company in Crooksville, Ohio,
between 1938 and the early 1950s. They were embossed on the bottom with
one of two different markings although the markings can be very faint or almost
illegible.
The original mugs show the Ship
Grand Turk and came in a box with a paper-thin
wood veneer that is lithographed with 5 different ships. The Ship Grand
Turk adorns the top, while the Ship Mt. Vernon, Brig. Experiment, Ship
Friendship, and Ship Recovery appear on the four sides. These boxes were
only produced from 1938 until around 1941.
The wood veneer was lithographed in Japan and sent to the Shulton plant where
it was glued to the cardboard boxes. After World War II started, the veneer
was no longer available, and a cardboard box was introduced. Although the veneer is
as thin as paper, one can clearly see the pores and grain with a magnifier. The
bottom of the box bore an oval label that read: "Early American Old Spice.
Fashioned with the charm and sterling quality of an Early American product. A
reflection of a period unsurpassed in gracious living." These boxes are
rather hard to find.
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HULL POTTERY MUG 01
1938-1941
$20
The original Hull mugs were produced by the A. E. Hull Pottery Company,
Crooksville, Ohio, from 1938
until 1944. They bore the Ship Grand Turk opposite the handle. The bottom bears the
incised trademark: "EARLY AMERICAN" in a top arc, "SHULTON" at the
bottom and "Old Spice Shaving Soap USA" in the center.
(See inset)
Dimensions: 3.0" high X 4.75" rim to handle. These mugs held 5.5 ounces of
soap.
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HULL POTTERY MUG 02
1941-1944
$20
Pottery Mug
02 bears an identical incising on the bottom as Pottery Mug 01 but bears the
Ship Friendship instead of the Ship Grand Turk. This mug first
appeared in 1941.
Dimensions: 3.0" high X 4.75" rim to handle. These mugs held 5.5 ounces of
soap initially, but in 1948 the capacity was reduced to 5.0 ounces. |
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HULL POTTERY MUG 03
1944-Early 1950s
$11
Pottery Mug 03 is identical to Pottery Mug 02
except for the logo incised on the bottom. This mug reads "OLD SPICE"
across the middle of the bottom instead of "SHAVING SOAP" (See inset). It is far more common than Pottery Mug 02. This mug was likely produced from
around 1944 until the early 1950s.
There may be slight variations in size. This mug originally
held a 5.5 ounce cake
of soap, and later (late 1940s) a 5.0 ounce cake. |
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AMERICAN GLASS MUGS
1948 through 1992
The first glass mugs were manufactured by the T.
C. Wheaton Company in
Millville, New Jersey. The "pottery-glass" containers are similar to opal
glass, but are manufactured in a clay color with a luster very close to pottery.
Developing this glass required several months of research and several thousand dollars to
determine the right blend of ceramic materials to give a realistic pottery appearance.
The glass mugs have a small number on the bottom. This number is a mold or
cavity indication used for quality control in the production process. |
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This is a glass mug that you probably won't find in any antique store. It
is in the Procter and Gamble archives and I believe it is a sample of the earliest glass
mugs made by Wheaton Glass in New Jersey starting in 1946.
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EARLY GLASS MUG 01 and 02
1948-Early 1950s
$7
The first glass
mugs were introduced around 1948-1949. They resemble the smaller pottery mugs
in all respects except for the glass and the markings on the bottom. The glass colors
range from almost white to a creamy yellow. These mugs bore the "Ship
Friendship." The bottom is marked "Early American Old Spice" in a top
arc with "Shulton Inc., Clifton, N.J." in a bottom arc. The arcs are
separated with a single star on each side. This mug held a 5.0 ounce cake of
shaving soap.
Early Glass Mug 02 is identical in
all respects to Early Glass Mug 01 except for the inclusion of small ribs
around the inside of the mug bottom to hold the soap in place! The first
model had three ribs, followed rather quickly, I believe, by the six ribbed
model. The ribs appear in all Old Spice shaving mugs that follow
with the exception of the Blue Mug issued in 1985. This mug held a
5.0 ounce cake of shaving soap.
Dimensions 2.75" high X 4.5" rim to handle.
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EARLY GLASS MUG 03
Early 1950s
$9
This mug has the "new" logo (shown bottom
left) distinguished by the "O" in Old and the "S" in Spice, but the Ship
Friendship is the same as Early Glass Mug 02. The
bottom is marked "Early American Old Spice" in a top arc with "Shulton Inc.,
Clifton, N.J." in a bottom arc. The arcs are separated with a single star on
each side. This mug held a 5.0 ounce cake
of shaving soap.
Dimensions 2.75" high X 4.5"
rim to handle. |
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EARLY GLASS MUG
04
mid to late 1950s
$8
This mug
was introduced in the mid to late 1950s, and is distinctive for two reasons:
subtle changes to the graphic portrayal of the Ship Friendship and greatly
improved graphics quality as shown in the comparison,
below left. The bottom is marked
"Early American Old Spice" in a top arc with "Shulton Inc., Clifton, N.J."
in a bottom arc. The arcs are separated with a single star on each side.
Dimensions 2.75" high X 4.5" rim to handle. This mug held a 5.0 ounce cake
of shaving soap. |
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EARLY GLASS MUG 05
late 1950s-1960
$7
In this mug, produced in late 1950s to 1960, the words "Shaving
Mug" were printed in blue beneath the image of the ship. The ship appears
opposite the handle.
The bottom is marked "Early American
Old Spice" in a top arc with "Shulton Inc., Clifton, N.J." in a bottom
arc. The arcs are separated with a single star on each side.
Below left is a picture of the mug with a
misaligned logo. These are very rare, a testament to the quality control
used by Shulton and the Wheaton Glass Company. Dimensions 2.75" high X
4.5" rim to handle. This mug held a 5.0 ounce cake of shaving soap. |
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EARLY GLASS MUG 06
1961-1964
$7
This mug was sold from about 1961 until 1964. This is the first
mug to have a slight taper to the sides and the words "shaving mug" were
dropped. This is also the last mug produced with no lip on the top outside
edge. Bottom is marked Old Spice and Shulton with a
number that is the mold mark used by Wheaton Glass in the mug manufacturing.
Dimensions 2.25" high X 4.5" rim to handle. This mug introduced a
smaller cake of shaving soap at 4.0 ounces. |
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LATE GLASS MUG 00
Early 1960s
$43
The graphics on
this mug are identical to the Early Glass Mug 06, and the sides are
tapered, but note the lip around the top rim.
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LATE GLASS MUG 01
Late 1960s
$11
This one has the words "Old Spice" in red opposite
the handle, and a ship (an unnamed Ship Friendship) on each side. This mug
comes in cream color and a pure white. Bottom is marked
Old Spice and Shulton with a number that is the mold mark used by Wheaton
Glass in the mug manufacturing.
Dimensions 2.25" high X 4.75" rim to handle. This mug held 4.0
ounces of shaving soap. |
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LATE GLASS MUG 01A
Mid 1960s
This mug is a variant of
Late Glass 01. Note that the ship is slightly different - the pennant is
curled above the mainsail and there are no waves beneath the ship. The
script "Old Spice" is also a bit bolder. The bottom markings do not indicate
a foreign country of origin. This may cause a little confusion with
the Belgium Mug 01 to which it is identical but is marked "Made in Belgium."
Dimensions 2.25" high X 4.75" rim to handle. This mug held 4.0 ounces of
shaving soap. |
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LATE GLASS MUG 02
1964-1978
$7
This mug was sold from 1964 until 1978. The
ship name appears opposite the handle, with Ship Grand Turk on each side.
Bottom is marked Old Spice and Shulton with a number that
is the mold mark used by Wheaton Glass in the mug manufacturing.
Dimensions 2.25" high X 4.75" rim to handle. This mug introduced a
reduced shaving soap cake of 3.75 ounces. |
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LATE GLASS MUG 03
late 1970s
$7
It is difficult to date Late Glass 03 and 04
precisely. They both have the Ship Recovery on one side, and all the Shulton
sales material I have reviewed only shows the "Ship Recovery" view.
Therefore it is impossible to know what ship is on the hidden side!
Late Glass Mug 03 shows the Ship Recovery on both sides. I believe it was
manufactured for a few years starting in 1978. Bottom is marked Old
Spice and Shulton with a number that is the mold mark used by Wheaton Glass
in the mug manufacturing.
Dimensions 2.25" h X 4.75" rim to handle. This
mug held 3.75 ounces of shaving soap. |
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LATE GLASS MUG 04
mid 1970s-1992
$7
It is difficult to date Late Glass 03 and 04 precisely. They both
have the Ship Recovery on one side, and all the Shulton sales material I
have reviewed only shows the "Ship Recovery" view. Therefore it is
impossible to know what ship is on the hidden side.
This glass mug was introduced around mid 1970 and I believe it to
be the last mug produced. It has two ship images on opposite sides of the
mug. One is the Ship Grand Turk - Salem 1786 and
the other is Ship Recovery - Salem 1794. The bottom is marked with "Old
Spice Shulton." Bottom is marked Old Spice and
Shulton with a number that is the mold mark used by Wheaton Glass in the mug
manufacturing.
Dimensions 2.25" h X 4.75" rim to handle. This mug held the
smallest sized cake of shaving soap at 3.0 ounces. |
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CANADIAN MUGS 01 through 11
The mugs listed here are classified as Canadian because
they are all clearly marked as Canadian products in the graphics. Note,
however, that some of these mugs were made in Belgium and are so marked on
the bottom. The sequence of the mug numbers from 1 to 11 has nothing to do
with their chronology, but more with the order in which they were
"discovered." (I am indebted to collectors Charley, Tom and Ray for research
and photos on these mugs.)
Unfortunately I cannot be certain as to
the dates for any specific mug, but 1970s through 1990 would be a safe
estimate.
Note there are no waves beneath these
ships, which I believe to be Ship Recovery. Dimensions 2 1/4" to 2 3/8"
high X 4.5" rim to handle.
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CANADIAN MUG 01
$15
Marked "100g" and "Shulton Toronto Canada." Bottom is marked "Made in
Belgium." |
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CANADIAN MUG 02
$35
This mug is bilingual, bearing both
"shaving mug" and "bol a raser." It includes the marking "P&G" for Procter
and Gamble, dating it between 1989 and 1992. Bottom is marked "Made in
Belgium" |
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CANADIAN MUG 03
$27
Note the labeling underneath "Old
Spice." Bottom is marked "Made in Belgium" |
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CANADIAN MUG 04
$25
Note the reference to Procter & Gamble,
making this a post 1989 mug. Bottom is marked "Made in Belgium" |
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CANADIAN MUG 05
$22
Note the change in information directly
below the words "Old Spice." |
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CANADIAN MUG 06
$13
Plain text; US Ensign. Bottom is embossed
"Made in Canada." |
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CANADIAN MUG 07
$12
Marked "Shulton, Toronto, Canada"; U.S.
Ensign. |
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CANADIAN MUG 08
$18
Marked "Shulton Company, Toronto,
Canada"; Blank Ensign |
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CANADIAN MUG 09
$9
Marked "Shulton Company, Toronto, Canada,
Net Wt. 4 OZ., Poids Net 4 OZ. 3700"; "X" Ensign. |
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CANADIAN MUG 10
$8
Marked "3700, Shulton Company, Toronto,
Canada, 100 g." "X" Ensign. |
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CANADIAN MUG 11
$36
Marked "Shulton Company, Toronto,
Canada"; "X" Ensign. |
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BELGIUM AND ENGLAND MUGS
The first three mugs below
resemble in graphics the Late Glass Mug 01 and the Late Glass Mug 04.
They are however, embossed on the bottom with "Made in Belgium" or "Made in
England."
Note there are no waves beneath these ships, which I believe
to be Ship Recovery. Dimensions 2.5" high X 4.5" rim to handle. |
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BELGIUM MUG 01
$12
This mug has only the words "Old Spice"
and two ship images, appearing very much like the Late Glass 01 mug. Bottom
is marked "Made in Belgium" Dates around the early 1980s. |
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BELGIUM MUG 02
$10
This has the Ship Recovery on both sides.
It resembles the Late Glass Mug 03 and has the same dimensions, but the ship
and the printing are smaller. |
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ENGLAND MUG 01
$12
This mug is identical to the
Belgium Mug 02 in all respects. It is, however, the only mug embossed "Made
in England." It was manufactured by Rockware near Dorchester, England. |
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ENGLAND MUG 02
$285 - RARE
This mug is made by Wade Pottery
in England and shows a ship on one side and an Old Spice inscription on the
other. The mug comes with a porcelain cover. Based on the Wade pottery mark,
this mug dates between 1969 and 1984. |
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MISCELLANEOUS
The two mugs below do not easily fit in the other
categories. |
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BLUE/BLACK SHAVING MUG
$19 - Mug Only
$28 - Set
This is probably one of the
latest mugs produced. It is heavy pottery with a deep blue or black glaze,
and the only decoration is the single white ship in silhouette. The bottom
reads: "Old Spice, 1985 Shulton" This mug is made in Taiwan and included a
matching brush. Dimensions: 3.25" high by 5" rim to handle. |
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TRADITIONAL STYLE SHAVING MUG
$28
This mug is 3.5 inches high with a more
traditional style. It was manufactured by the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company
around 1970. Correspondence with former Shulton employees indicates that it
was not marketed commercially, but appears to have been a premium or gift
given by sales representatives to their accounts. It may also have been
given to employees as a gift. "USA" is incised into the bottom; there
are no other markings. |
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COFFEE MUGS
Old Spice also produced a few coffee mugs as
shown below. |
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MORNING REFRESHER COFFEE MUG
1984-1985
$7 - Decorated
$18 - Plain
There are actually two mugs shown
here - one decorated, one plain. Both mugs are marked on the bottom with an
embossed script "Old Spice." The decorated mug was included in a "Morning
Refresher" gift set that included After Shave Lotion 4.25 oz. and Shave
Cream 6 oz. The set sold in 1984 and 1985 for $10.75. Dimensions 4.0"
high X 5.0" rim to handle. |
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COFFEE MUG
1980
$56 - Fairly Rare
This mug originated in Canada and
is marked Made in England. It looks to be a coffee mug. Date is uncertain,
but its graphics would make it post 1980 |
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NISSAN COFFEE MUG
$47
The bottom of this coffee mug is marked "Staffordshire
Table Ware Made in England" |
