{"product_id":"western-stoneware-co-soup-mug-set-of-two-ws-maple-leaf-mark-brown-drip-glaze-loop-handle-monmouth-illinois-circa-1960s-1970s-stoneware-kitchen-decor","title":"Western Stoneware Co. Mug Set of Two | WS Maple Leaf Mark | Brown Drip Glaze | Loop Handle | Monmouth Illinois | circa 1960s–1970s | Stoneware | Kitchen Decor","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe brown on these goes deep. A warm toffee-to-mahogany stoneware glaze covers the lower two-thirds of each mug, glossy and smooth; the upper third carries a thick foam-white drip that breaks and bleeds into the brown in an irregular line the kiln — not a template — decided. The loop handle is a flat tab with a circular hole punched through it: something to grip with one finger while the rest of the hand stays clear of the heat. These are working mugs. The weight tells you immediately.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWestern Stoneware Company formed in Monmouth, Illinois in 1906 from the merger of seven regional pottery operations. Monmouth had been producing utilitarian stoneware since 1894 — crocks, butter churns, jugs, bowls — the full vocabulary of a working American kitchen. When the company reorganized, it kept the maple leaf mark of the original Monmouth Pottery as its own, a symbol of a city known for its maple trees and often called Maple City. That maple leaf, with the initials \"W S\" beneath it, is impressed into the base of each of these mugs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese soup mugs belong to Western Stoneware's mid-century kitchenware production — heavy, oven-safe stoneware made for American tables that expected their equipment to outlast the family that bought it. Sold as a matched set of two. Both mugs bear the impressed WS maple leaf mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Both mugs are structurally sound — no chips, cracks, or repairs to either piece. The brown drip glaze boundary shows characteristic kiln firing variation, with brown bleeding through the white at the irregular border; this is authentic to the manufacture. Interiors clean. Loop handles intact on both.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eHunter's Notes\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWashington, Michigan garage sale. June 2025. The woman was downsizing. Her husband had given her these mugs — she used them for special occasions up north, around the campfire. She didn't want to part with the story. I can imagine someone carrying it forward. The weight in the hand is exactly right for a cold night and something warm inside.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eThe Archive Record — JLM-250015\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 100%;\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaker\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWestern Stoneware Company, Monmouth, Illinois\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEstablished\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1906 (merger of seven Monmouth-area pottery operations)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSoup mugs with loop handle — matched set of two\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStoneware; brown drip glaze over foam-white upper body\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eConstruction\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWheel-thrown or jiggered stoneware; applied loop tab handle with punched hole; impressed WS maple leaf mark on base of each\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCirca 1960s–1970s | confidence: attributed (Mojavi line, believed circa 1967)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCountry of Origin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnited States — confirmed (Monmouth, Illinois)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition Tier\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExcellent\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo chips, cracks, or repairs to either mug. Glaze drip line firing variation is authentic to manufacture. Interiors clean. Loop handles intact on both. Matched pair.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHunt Provenance\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGarage sale, Washington, Michigan — June 2025\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthentication\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImpressed mark — WS maple leaf, Monmouth Pottery Co. \/ Western Stoneware Company; confirmed on base of both mugs\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eComparable Sold\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e$26–$36 individual (eBay — May 2026)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJLM Price\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e$29 (set of two)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFood Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eyes — stoneware body; no known glaze issues; recommend standard vintage caution\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLead Risk\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eno — age-appropriate caution\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChild Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eunknown\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGift Idea\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKitchen Collector, Cabin or Camp Gift, Housewarming\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eProduct Specs\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 100%;\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e6.5″ D × 5″ W × 3″ H each\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1.0 lb each\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Jolene Le Mille","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48964124180708,"sku":"JLM-250015","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0801\/3175\/2164\/files\/E0BB0FF2-2DA6-46D0-A2A0-FA5A033CAEF0.jpg?v=1779627656","url":"https:\/\/jolenelemille.com\/products\/western-stoneware-co-soup-mug-set-of-two-ws-maple-leaf-mark-brown-drip-glaze-loop-handle-monmouth-illinois-circa-1960s-1970s-stoneware-kitchen-decor","provider":"Jolene Le Mille","version":"1.0","type":"link"}