These three cups are part of a larger collection made by my Great Aunt who was born in 1917. She was born at the birth of a new age but the many moustache cups she collected were made between 1860 and the end of the era which lead up to World War 1. Moustache cups were invented in 1860 by the potter Harvey Adams, to accommodate those wonderful pre-war handlebar moustaches, but were not made much beyond WW1 when the world became modern and moustaches fell out of favour. These three are commemorative cups, commemorating Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1887, her reign from 1837-1897 and Edward VII's and Queen Alexandra's coronation in 1902. Among the collection we have some left-handed moustache cups for the left handed moustachioed-man, a non-necesity with a normal teacup of course! My Great Aunt was worried that no-one would want her moustache cups when she moved from a roomy flat to tiny room in an old-people's home, but I, my husband and our children love them. The collection will remain together but I'm not sure to which of our three children they'll go!
Comments
I have the same 1897 tea cup , comemorating 60 years of Queen Victoria's reign , but without the moustache guard but there is a different handle.However the floral design discernable on both your cup + saucer ( a thistle , a rose and maybe clover + foliage )seems to be identical---as is the shape of the saucer.My cup and saucer were made by Foley China and bear the Rd number 290929 together with the Foley China mark corresponding with that date . I can just about make out an identical coat of arms , to that on the cup , on the far side of your saucer . My cup and saucer are identical in that respect.