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How to Identify a Shaving Mug

Decorated shaving mugs were a fixture in barbershops from 1870 to about 1920. To prevent the spread of folliculitis, or barber's itch, these decorated mugs were personalized, usually with the client's name and occupation on the outside. Today, being able to identify these mugs is a necessary first step in determining their collectibility and value in the field of barbershop antiques.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Personalized barbershop mug
  
  Look for typical shaving mug decoration on the exterior of the cup. This decoration usually includes the patron's name.
- 2
  Establish the specific category of the mug by identifying detailed characteristics. Occupational mugs, for example, depict a trade or profession (the stranger the occupation, the more collectible the mug), but fraternal society shaving mugs portray the insignia of a specific club, such as the Elks Club. Heraldic crests are also common.
- 3
  Check the inside of the mug for a separate compartment that would have been used to store a shaving brush or soap.
- 4
  Look for interior ridges, used for easy soap retrieval, and a large opening. Shaving mugs are wider at the mouth than standard coffee mugs.
- 5
  See whether your mug has a large opening for the brush on its side, which allowed water to drain back into the mug. These special scuttle mugs tend to be more ornate and larger than regular shaving mugs.

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