The moustache cup is a tea cup designed to include a small ledge on the inside of the cup. It was used to protect, of course, one’s moustache from the heat and moisture of the tea. A small opening between the ledge and the cup allowed for liquids to pass through, but not touch the pampered moustaches of the time.

It is generally acknowledged to have been invented in the 1860s by British potter Harvey Adams. Moustaches flourished throughout the Victorian era. Oftentimes, great gobs of wax were melted and then applied to the moustache to keep it nice and stiff, with every hair in place. And therein lay a problem that cropped up when steaming hot cups of tea were carried up to the mouth for sipping: the steam melted the wax and sent it right into the cup! 

This Moustache Cup and Saucer was brought by James Carlin from Scotland to Hopewell Cape circa 1875. However, their commercial production has saw a significant decline between 1920 and 1930, as moustaches progressively began to go out of fashion.