Cards and Dice (1946) Ucagco

From Mystic Tea Room

Ugagco Cards and Dice cup set

Ugagco Cards and Dice cup set

Ugagco Cards and Dice cup set

Ugagco Cards and Dice cup

Ugagco Cards and Dice saucer

Ugagco Cards and Dice cup backstamp, minus its original Ucagco metallic foil paper sticker

Ugagco Cards and Dice saucer backstamp, minus its original Ucagco metallic foil paper sticker

The ultra-fancy three-legged Ucagco Cards and Dice set set, and its companion, the Ucagco Cup of Fortune, are unusual cartomancy cups in that, in addition to playing cards scattered in the cup's interior, they also have playing cards all over the saucer.

The cup is bacjstamped EW-2706.

Like most Ucagco products, these cups were made in Japan. Not all Ucagco pieces are back-stamped "Japan" or "Made in Japan" but all of them originally came with a red and silver foil sticker indicating the country of origin and the Ucagco name. Although the exact first year of manufacture is unknown, these three-legged cups are typical of post-World War Two Ucagco export ware, so i am assigning them the arbitrary date of 1946, although they may have started production from 1950 to 1956. I await a sales catalogue that will provide a proper date.