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USMC 1913 Mess Mug /'Watch Mug' - Are these rare?


GMPETE
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Are these USMC 1913 Mess Hall mugs rare?  There is a company making reproductions with the date of 1917 but the originals were all dated 1913 and I have not seen any other complete original examples online.

 

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I would call them rare - I've never seen one.  I have a variety of watch mugs, mostly WW2 but one USQMC-marked WWI version.  I drank my coffee this morning out of a watch mug!

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Thanks for the reply.  The company making the reproductions has photos with a story of how they reproduced them and why, but they do not show a complete original so I started to wonder.  I bought about eight of them in varying condition 25-30 years ago out of an old cardboard box.   I regularly use a couple of them.  

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Anyone know when the 'watch mug' design first appeared? 

 

Better photo for the record.  The marks vary a little in strength and most of mine have some sort of minor flaw or other in the manufacture which I bet most of them did.   They range from mottled like the first one pictured to pretty clear china white, but all have small spots and specs in the fabric and or glaze and are very slightly irregular one to the next.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/7/2021 at 7:56 PM, GMPETE said:

Thanks for the reply.  The company making the reproductions has photos with a story of how they reproduced them and why, but they do not show a complete original so I started to wonder.  I bought about eight of them in varying condition 25-30 years ago out of an old cardboard box.   I regularly use a couple of them.  

.....just for discussion sake. Bought a couple of the repops. I wanted a couple just because. Had been scouring the web looking for these, got tired of looking. Who knows about the why of the 1917 date on the repops,  copyright maybe or perhaps being honest and not wanting the shady to profiteer by palming them off as originals? Good sturdy cup. Enjoy my cup of morning joe in one most every day now. I also have a handful of the heavy "diner type" coffee cups.  My Dad probably liberated them from mess halls during his post WW2 service in the Army and later Air Force reserves.

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5 hours ago, Vanderbilt said:

.....just for discussion sake. Bought a couple of the repops. I wanted a couple just because. Had been scouring the web looking for these, got tired of looking. Who knows about the why of the 1917 date on the repops,  copyright maybe or perhaps being honest and not wanting the shady to profiteer by palming them off as originals? Good sturdy cup. Enjoy my cup of morning joe in one most every day now. I also have a handful of the heavy "diner type" coffee cups.  My Dad probably liberated them from mess halls during his post WW2 service in the Army and later Air Force reserves.

My sense is that they were making a faithful reproduction rather than a knock-off and chose the 1917 date to go along with the WWI centennial theme and to distinguish them from originals.   Looks like a good honorable company to me.  They apparently support the Marine Corps Museum and Marine Corps Community Services.

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3 minutes ago, tthen said:

I love these mugs, could someone please post the company name or website of the reproductions.

Glass Beach Mugs 'Centennial Watch Mug'

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9 minutes ago, GMPETE said:

Glass Beach Mugs 'Centennial Watch Mug'

.....they're on the web. Easy to deal with, at least when I ordered mine. Got'em in a few days. They aren't cheap but a good sturdy quality mug. Though I'm an old Army vet. Glad to support a cause for my brothers in the Corps. 

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  • 1 year later...

Good Day,

A good friend of mine is a retired USMC Colonel and acquired a few of the USMC marked warming mugs over the years.  The collection consists of a 1917 (reproduction), and two original 1910 and 1909 examples.  There are no manufacturer mold markings but the construction ( slight height and thickness variations) indicates different companies produced them.

Regards,

Michael 

 

 

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VERY NICE!

 

Thanks for posting.  Nice to know there are others out there.

 

Has your friend seen many of the originals for sale over the years?

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I've helped him purchase one of the originals and am closing a deal on a 1907 in very nice condition.  Prices ranged from $5-75.

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Anything in that range sounds like a bargain to me.  I have never seen any others for sale besides the ones I own.

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Good Day,

The 1907 arrived.  It is in exceptional condition for its age and doesn't show signs of being used.  I'd almost say it sat in storage for over 100 years and hasn't had any piping hot Joe poured into it.  No history came with it unfortunately.

Here are a few pictures of all three original warming mugs together. 

Regards, 

Michael 

 

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My dad, who was a seagoing Marine on the USS Nevada (1936-1939) referred to these "cups" as a "bowl"  These are what they served coffee in on board ship.

 

Steve

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