Otagiri Owl Soup Mugs
Updated September 5, 2026
| Lot number | 159 |
| Auction | Hancock Estate Auction |
| Date | September 25, 2026 at 9:30 AM CDT |
| Auction house | Harrison Auction & Realtor |
| Location | Gracemont, Oklahoma |
PAIR OF VINTAGE OTAGIRI SPECKLED STONEWARE OWL SOUP MUGS - RETRO OWL FAMILY, MADE IN JAPAN Two more vintage Otagiri-style speckled stoneware soup mugs in the retro owl family design, matching the pair offered earlier in this consignment. Each wide, low mug carries a big owl and a little owl perched together on a brown branch with green leaves and mustard-yellow brows, set off by a dark brown band around the rim. The generous bowl shape and large loop handle make these real soup, chili, and chowder mugs rather than coffee cups, and the speckled ivory glaze with brown and green accents is the classic 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 4-1/2" 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 present on either base. Both bases are glazed and plain, with a recessed foot, 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, and 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 left the factory carrying only a gold foil label that washed off in normal use, which is why unmarked examples of this exact pattern are common. Collector references on Otagiri note that some authentic pieces have faint or worn markings and that a missing label does 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 owl decoration is clear 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 heavy overall crazing in the glaze, plainly visible across the outer body, inside the bowl, and over the base - noticeably more pronounced on this pair than on the first pair. The interiors show gray-tan staining and use darkening from beverages or food, and the recessed base of at least one mug shows brown-tan staining and soil along the foot ring and in the crazing lines. Areas to study closely are the rim edges, the brown rim bands, the handle joins, and the fo
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