AT&SF Santa Fe Railroad China "Mimbreno" Demitasse Cup & Saucer Set

The little cup is bottom marked simply "Made Expressly for Santa Fe Dining Service," while the saucer carries the full railroad bottom stamp over a Syracuse China marking. Looking closely we can see the Syracuse date code 12-EE which translates into December 1950.

There are absolutely no chips, cracks, repairs, spiders, or hairlines in either of these pieces. There is a short indentation on the surface that is actually a tiny mold flaw on the cup handle where it joins the body of the cup. PLEASE SEE OUR LAST PHOTO. This is not damage. It's the way it came out of the mold.

We were informed by our expert railroadiana consultants that this cup is the slant-sided version which is "very" rare, as opposed to the straight-sided cup which is "extremely" rare.

IMPORTANT NOTE - This is a consignment item. If you need further information, please allow us a few days to contact our consignor, who is keeping this china at his home. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

BACKGROUND: The Mimbreno pattern dates to 1936. It was created by the AT&SF for use aboard their luxury all-Pullman "Super Chief" name train, and in business cars beginning in 1970.

Created by designer Elizabeth Coulter, "Mimbreno" paid tribute to the traditional Native American art of the Mimbres tribe, who lived in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The tribe's exquisite stylized life forms and geometric designs on pottery dates back to 1100-1200 A.D.

Item ID: 2008-00294