VINTAGE OTAGIRI SPECKLED STONEWARE OWL SOUP MUGS
Updated September 5, 2026
| Lot number | 155 |
| Category | Pottery, China & Glass |
| Auction | Hancock Estate Auction |
| Date | September 25, 2026 at 9:30 AM CDT |
| Auction house | Harrison Auction & Realtor |
| Location | Gracemont, Oklahoma |
AIR OF VINTAGE OTAGIRI SPECKLED STONEWARE OWL SOUP MUGS - RETRO OWL FAMILY, MADE IN JAPAN Two matching vintage Otagiri speckled stoneware soup mugs featuring the retro owl family illustration, made in Japan. Each wide, low mug is decorated with a big owl and a little owl perched together on a brown branch with green leaves and mustard-yellow brows, framed by a dark brown band at the rim. The generous bowl shape and large loop handle make these true soup, chili, and chowder mugs rather than coffee cups, and the speckled ivory glaze with brown and green accents is the look collectors hunt for in 1970s Otagiri kitchenware. Perfect as a usable pair or displayed together on an open shelf. Sold as a lot of two pieces. Description Two matching soup or chili mugs, wide cylindrical bowl-shaped body on a slight foot with a large round loop handle. Each measures approximately 3" to 3-1/4" tall and approximately 4-1/4" to 4-1/2" across the rim per the tape-measure photographs; bidders should verify all dimensions from the photographs. Speckled off-white stoneware body with a dark brown band lining the rim inside and out; interior plain glazed ivory. Owl family decoration on one side of each mug: one larger owl and one smaller owl with black-and-white ring eyes, orange beaks, yellow brow patches, and fine brown feather detail, perched on a brown branch with stylized green leaves. No maker's mark, backstamp, or paper label is presently on either base. Both bases are fully glazed and plain, as shown in the base photograph. Attribution note Otagiri, also seen as OMC, of Japan produced this speckled stoneware line in quantity through the 1970s and into the early 1980s, selling it through gift and department stores; the owl designs are among the most recognized. Otagiri pieces were marked in several ways - impressed or stamped Otagiri, OMC, or Otagiri Japan - and a great many carried only a gold foil label that washed off in normal use, which is why unmarked examples of this exact pattern are common in the market. Collector references on Otagiri note that some authentic pieces have faint or worn markings and that missing labels should not by itself rule out the maker. Since no mark or label remains on these two mugs, the Otagiri, made in Japan attribution is offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and is not guaranteed. Bid on the items as pictured. Condition Used vintage condition, sold as-is. In the photographs the glaze is glossy, the owl decoration is crisp and bright, and the brown rim bands are intact and even on both mugs. No chips, cracks, breaks, or repairs are visible in the photographs. Both mugs show overall fine crazing in the glaze, clearly visible on the body, inside the bowl, and across the base, which is typical and expected for stoneware of this age. The interiors show light gray-tan staining and use marks from beverages or food, most visible in the close-up of the inside. Areas to study closely are the rim edges, the brown rim
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