Listen up, class...
The coffee cup AL is fond of, is most likely a copy of a Victor mug. And therein lies a story...
Navy guys being Navy guys, they like their coffee. In WW2, the U.S. Navy put out a contract for a heavy ceramic insulating coffee mug. The Victor company in New York, being in the electrical insulator business, knew how to make and fire insulating ceramic, so they bid on the contract. They got it. The mugs were heavy with an unglazed bottom that didn't easily slide around on a ship's table.
After the war, Victor decided to attach a handle to the mug and the iconic diner coffee mug was born. And the Navy still used them. Victor probably made those mugs 40 years or more.
A sidenote on a tradition with the mugs...If you were far enough up the feeding chain in the Navy where you could hang on to your own mug, the tradition became to never wash it. Rinse it out with water, but never wash with anything that would mess with the stain. You could tell how long a CPO or officer had been in, by how dark his mug was on the inside A 15-year guy might have a mug with a bronze interior.
But back to our story...As with all things, the DamnChinese (one word, like DamnYankee) got into the business with cheap knock-offs. They could make, ship and sell at wholesale a mug for less than what the Victor company could fire the mug in the plant. Victor took the machinery out of use and it probably still sits in a warehouse, somewhere.
So now, Victor mugs have become a bit collectible. There are even some colored ones and a few different designs that the company made up looking to increase sales. Look on the bottom for the word "Victor" stamped into the mug before firing. Since each worker had his own stamp, some employees would modify their stamps a bit, maybe taking off a leg off of the R or an arm off of the Y. That way they knew who made the mug.
Now, the DamnChinese, being the clever Orientals they are, tended to stamp the word "Victory" on the bottoms of their knock-offs. Kinda hard to tell if you've got a Victor or a Victory (with a smudged Y) with just a glance.
Which brings us to Etsey, Ebay and the local bric-a-brac shop...Because of the WW2 connection and because of the numerous Chinese mugs, people started to refer to the mugs as WW2 Victory Mugs, somehow fusing the American and Chinese mugs into a single style of mug. If you decide to buy one, do your research and make sure you are getting what you pay for.
And enjoy your coffee...
