Fast Food Coffee Mugs May be
Worth More than Your China
by Mark Pusateri
During the 1970s and 1980s, Anchor Hocking's Fire King division produced white glass mugs which bore the logos of major (and minor) fast food chains across the country. The most commonly seen today are mugs made for McDonalds and Burger King.
In the eyes of most people, they look like something to sell for a quarter at a garage sale, or just throw in the trash. Big mistake!
One the low end, the common McDonald's Good Morning mugs are worth about $10 each. Any Burger King mug is worth at least $50, sometimes much more. A Burger King mug with the restaurant's address printed on it (very unusual) recently sold on eBay for $480.00! There are many designs that fall in the $50 to $100 range.
It is important to keep in mind that collectors are only interested in those mugs made by Fire King, so to have any significant value, the mug must have the distinctive Fire King logo on the bottom.
There are hundreds of items like this - seemingly mundane objects that that collectors are willing to pay surprising sums for. This is just one reason it pays to consult a professional when you are downsizing or need to sell an estate.
