A year ago I decided to create a Zazzle store to make use of all the public domain/vintage images I used in my historic seafood book: From Head To Tale. My favorite items are the coffee mugs with vintage seafood advertisements and labels. Up to now though, I couldn’t really tell you anything about them since I didn’t own one. Finally, I splurged and got myself a lobster label mug from my Zazzle store: Vintage Seafood. So far I am very glad I did, because not only does the coffee mug look good, it is of a much higher quality than I expected.

As the gift shop manager (among other things) at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, I’ve been disappointed in the quality of some of the mugs I can find. One of the major problems is the graphic tends to fade out after only a couple of times in the dishwasher. I ordered some good-looking mugs last year with our logo, and now they are all white! I was so embarrassed selling that type of junk to our visitors and members.

Not so with this vintage lobster label mug. The price may be a little higher than I’m used to at around $16 but I can’t complain about the quality. The graphic on this mug is bright and crisp and still looks new after a couple of trips to the dishwasher. In fact I’m so impressed that I will probably order a few of these as gifts for Christmas. This is just one of the several coffee mug designs I have over at Zazzle along with coasters, t-shirts and more. If you are looking for unique gifts with a maritime theme, come check out Vintage Seafood!