The Fortune Cup
From Mystic Tea Room
The Fortune Cup is the somewhat generic name given to a rare cartomancy cup and saucer set created by Verna A. Meredith and John W. Meredith, which bears a copyright date of 1965. It was manufactured in England for the Merediths by the large Johnson Brothers pottery on their popular 1960 Snowhite Regncy swirl shape, and was probably decorated in one of the company's plants in America or Canada.
The rarity of this set comes about because it was not a regular issuance from the [:Category:Johnson Brothers|Johnson Brothers]] pottery and was not marketed by them. Instead -- like the Zanzig's Zodiac shop cup, made by the Anchor Pottery; the Wimsatt Cup, made by the Canonsburg Pottery; and the XXX Romany cup, made by Cavitt-Shaw -- this was a custom job, designed by, and delivered to, a small home-based company -- in this case, Verna A. and John W. Meredith.
I have not found any newspaper or magazine ads for The Fortune by this husband and wife team, but they were definitely American, not British, because they took out an American copyright on "The Fortune Cup" name and a drawing in 1965, which was subtitled "Cross of Playing Cards."
The copyright notice reads as follows:
MEREDITH, JOHN W.
The fortune cup. See MEREDITH, VERNA A.
MEREDITH, VERNA A.
The fortune cup. [Cross of playing cards] Drawing. © Verna A. & John W. Meredith; 12 May 65; GU3863O.
