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MS00 - Glass Mugs

A & W has used thick glass mugs to serve root beer since the beginning of the company. Root beer tastes best when very cold, so A & W franchises were required to use chilled approved glass mugs.

According to the Kalen document, three companies have supplied A & W glass mugs in the US, at least up to 1982. Since the mid-1990s, the Libbey Glass company has supplied mugs in Canada.

Mug suppliers in the US to at least 1982 have been:
   1919 to present? Indiana Glass
   1925 to 1960 Hazel Atlas
   1940 to 1946 U.S. Glass
Hazel Atlas mugs can be identified by the stylized "H" above "A" on the bottom of the mug. Other mugs do not show a mark identifying the manufacturer. Mugs with red outline logos that are not marked "HA" are assumed to be from the U.S. Glass company, as they are not listed in the Kalen document as being Indiana Glass mugs.

Mug logos are numbered sequentially in roughly chronological order of first use. A & W in Canada has used a different logo from A & W in the US since the 1960s appearance of the familiar oval logo. Logos for both countries are included here.

I have been tracking top selling glass mugs, mainly on eBay.

Logo 00 - Lettering only
Logo 01 - Target / Bull's eye
Logo 02 - Oval with "soup ladels"
Logo 03 - Oval with "boomerangs"
Logo 04 - Oval with "Great Food Restaurant"
Logo 05 - 1979 A&W Convention
Logo 06 - Oval with brown background
Logo 07 - A & W Root Bear face
Logo 08 - Oval and slanted "A&W" (USA)
Logo 09 - Oval and slanted "A&W" (Canada)
Logo 10 - 2005 Collector Edition
Logo 11 - 2007 Collector Edition

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Last updated: 2007 JAN 25.
Copyright (C) 1995-2007 Ken Polsson (email: kpolsson@islandnet.com)
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