Early Undated Wurstfest Mugs (early 1970s)

Producer: Opa's Haus, bodies by Gerz of Germany (OHI); Zeisig Imports, bodies by Werner Corzelius (Zeisig)

Sizes: .5 Liter

Edition Size: 500 total made on gray-colored earthenware bodies (OHI). Unknown number made on banded earthenware bodies (Zeisig).

Artist: Ernest Murphy

From the Book, 25 Years of Wurstfest Mugs: OHI version: "In response to customer requests received at its initial Wurstfest in 1970, Opa’s Haus in 1971 introduced a souvenir mug decorated simply with the Opa figure that was and is the symbol of Wurstfest. The Wurstfest Opa was the product of Ernest Murphy, a well-liked postal employee who drew cartoons as a sideline. A total of 500 of these were produced using German-made (Gerz) Bavarian-shape blanks in combination with U.S.-made ceramic decals. The last of the 500 mugs was sold during the latter part of Wurstfest 1972. The mugs originally sold for about $3.95 each. Most recent sales have been for 100 times that! It was designed as a souvenir item—not a collectible. Am I, therefore, surprised at the demand (and value) of this mug? A: So surprised that I failed to acquire one for my own collection." --Ken Armke

From the Book, 25 Years of Wurstfest Mugs: Zeisig version: "Few are even aware of the existence of this rare mug. Walter Zeisig, an early Wurstfest president, operated a Wurstfest concession called The Alpine Shop until he retired and sold it to Opa’s Haus about 1974. Among many items sold in his booth were a few steins, including a mug with the Wurstfest Opa decor which I am sure was produced by the German firm Werner Corzelius, with which Opa’s Haus also did business in the 1970s. I have no records indicating how many of these mugs were sold, but I suspect it was very few as Zeisig did not specialize in nor sell the volume of steins we did during this period. I would be surprised if there were ever more than 200 of these mugs in existence. I recall the Zeisig mug being more expensive than the Opa’s Haus mug, but I don’t recall the price." --Ken Armke

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