These Charming Vintage Japanese Mugs Are A Thrifting Hidden Gem

Will it add value, or is it just junk? That's the question running through every shopper's mind when they find a unique-looking piece, especially at the thrift store, where items can sell for so cheap. You might pick up a seashell-decorated mug and think nothing of it, never knowing that you're holding a valuable antique. Otagiri pieces are common enough finds at thrift stores, and while they don't necessarily rack up the big bucks on resale sites, they're a unique collectible that enthusiasts go bananas for.

The Otagiri Mercantile Company is responsible for importing and distributing Otagiri mugs, hand-painted pieces meticulously crafted by professional artists in Japan from about 1954 until 1994. The mugs often featured tropical-inspired designs such as seashells, ships, seagulls, and beach landscapes, but plenty also featured decorative florals and other animals such as owls, dogs, and ducks. The pieces feel reminiscent of pottery, crafted out of ceramic, porcelain, and other stoneware, which does make us want to double-check which vintage mugs are safe to drink from. The mugs, which vary in small sizes (about 8 ounces or less), are perhaps the most common to spot today, but the Otagiri Mercantile Company also made other dinnerware.

Otagiri Mercantile Company only lasted about 40 years in production, but in that time, the business crafted hundreds of different designs. The company was based in San Francisco, but imported all of its pieces from Japanese manufacturers, which is why you're more likely to find vintage Otagiri pieces in California than in New York. 

The name "Otagiri" was trademarked in 1980, and the company built a name for itself by distributing mugs and dinnerware to specific stores on the West Coast. At the end of its lifecycle (aka the same year Starbucks opened its first drive-thru), the Otagiri Mercantile Company was purchased by Enesco's Worldwide Giftware Group for $3.5 billion, and production of the classic Otagiri-style stoneware inexplicably stopped.

Most Otagiri mugs won't sell for very much, but each one is unique. Collectors love showing off what they've found, such as with these 10 affordable hacks to organize your coffee mug collection. A quick eBay search shows various Otagiri mugs going for between $10-$40, depending on rarity and condition. Supposedly, an extremely rare Otagiri dinnerware set once sold for close to $3,000, but even rare mugs don't sell for anywhere near that amount. Authentic Otagiri pieces can be verified with golden stickers on or near the bottom of the mug with the word "Otagiri," and/or a stamp pressed directly into the mug, which can also indicate which year the mug was produced.