___There are some treasures in this world that only a seldom few are fortunate enough to own. I am not one of those people. Today I will show pictures of some amazing teacups that I will probably never see in person, it pains me to do so...just looking at them leaves me with this ever present desire to stab myself. So let's just get this over with...
The Aynsley Nelros Cup of Fortune 
___Aynsley is a reputable English manufacturer of quality bone china, the company was founded by John Aynsley in Staffordshire, 1775. This is an outstanding piece named the "Nelros Cup of Fortune." This teacup is said to be from 1904 however I'm not one hundred percent sure the one I've shown is that old; there are other Nelros cups from the 1920s and I'm uncertain if there is a difference in appearance. Like most fortune telling teacups this one comes with a fancy little instruction booklet titled "Would'st learn thy future with thy tea?... This magic cup will show it thee." this also appears on the outside of the teacup. They go up for auction starting at a about a hundred dollars or so.
___I like the simplicity of this teacup; the combination of red, black and white is very pleasing to me (if you haven't noticed already...). Perhaps the designer of the Taltos teacup was inspired by the Nelros Cup of Fortune. As you can see the interior of the cup has symbols along the rim, there's a similar star shape in the bottom surrounded by planetary emblems, and a nautical symbol in the center of the cup (this time it is an anchor instead of a ship). The saucer also depicts astrological signs much like the Taltos saucer features.
The Paragon Fortune Telling Teacup
___Paragon is another recognisable English producer of quality china, it was founded by Herbert Aynsley (the great grandson of John Aynsley) and Hugh Irving in 1897. This teacup is from the 1930s and usually is seen in either blue or pink. Along the rim of the interior it reads "Many curious things I see when telling fortunes in your tea." I'm sure there must be a book to accompany this teacup however I have yet to see a copy of one available online. A variety of symbols are scattered about the inside of the cup, these are usually coloured fuchsia but the one pictured appears to be a reddish-brown colour.
___I find the appearance of the symbols in this cup to be quite charming; it almost feels as though a Victorian artist picked up a teacup and started sketching romantic doodles inside it. The one symbol that particularly stands out in my mind is the skull, it piqued my interest. I truly desire this cup. I nearly died when I found it up for auction at ten dollars a few weeks ago, but as I suspected the price climbed to about fifty or sixty dollars which is over my current budget (I have some big financial obligations to attend to XP). From what I've seen it's not unheard of for these cups to sell anywhere from eighty to two hundred dollars (usually USD).
_ 
The Alfred Meakin Cup of Knowledge
___Alfred Meakin Ltd began producing china in 1875. This Cup of Knowledge dates back to 1924 and has a distinct look that separates it from the aforementioned fortune teacups, it depicts playing cards instead of symbols. Here Cartomancy has joined forces with Tasseography to provide the reader with an enlightening divinatory experience. In this instance you would use the location of the tea leaves in relation to the cards to determine what the future could hold.
___To be honest I'm not even sure I can be so bold as to use the word Tasseography when describing this teacup, it's more Cartomancy than anything else. Alfred Meakin is not the only company to produce fortune telling teacups with the use of playing card symbols, there are many other makes, however I felt this one was the most attractive. It probably comes with a booklet for interpretations but in one such example I've seen a teacup with the meanings printed on the saucer (very convenient if you buy the cup without the booklet). In auction this generally starts at seventy five dollars.
Honorable Mentions
___I have some teacups I'd like to share that either didn't make my favorite list, or I did not have a sufficient amount information to work with.
The Royal Doulton 
Swastika
___I'm sure you're already aware of Royal Doulton's popularity, particularly for their whimsical china figurines, but can you believe they produced a tasseography teacup with a swastika in the bottom of it? Before Hitler turned the symbol into a pile of ungodly puke it was recognized as symbol of good fortune, which gives us a decent indication of just how old this one is. I couldn't find much information on this teacup, I happened across it when I was on someone else's blog(linked in sources at the bottom of the entry). I don't know if it's the stigma attached to the swastika or the fact it looks drawn on in pencil that puts me off; I'm not a huge fan of this teacup and have no urge to run out and find one.
_
Cannonsburg Pottery Chinese Cup of Knowledge___This one also came off of the same blog as the Royal Doulton however I have seen it a few times already. I fancy it because it's Asian inspired and the symbols are colourful. It's the same basic idea as the Paragon and the Aynsley Cup of Fortune.
Cup of the Un
known
___This cup is freaking amazing! It's my love of Halloween and fortune telling together!!!! But I know shit about it! I found this while searching Google for Halloween teacups, the auction has ended and I'm pretty sure the seller knew next to nothing about it either. The saucer has North, East, South and West printed on it, inside are symbols synonymous with Halloween. It doesn't appear to be very old, I figure the oldest I'd go is the seventies. I wish I could find it for myself, only in dreams I suppose.
___There are way more teacups for Tasseography than I have featured here today, too many to list. For your curiosity I've included a picture of all different kinds, click here. I'd like to add that many of these teacups have probably been reproduced and since I'm not an antiques appraiser I probably couldn't spot a fake if it were presented to me. Please don't go off and blow your money on anything, always do your research first, use your own discretion.
-Sugar Skull
***Please understand that none of the photographs shown are that of my own, unless I state otherwise (or it's something I obviously own) I pretty much find them via google, auctions, blogs. If any of these photos belong to you I apologize, I'm using them purely for reference and take no credit for them.***
Sources: Royal Doulton Swastika, Cannonsburg Pottery; Octoberfarm.
Sweet dreams of tea.
Crystal balls, tarot cards, and teacups?
___Traditionally when you think about fortune telling a teacup isn't the first thing that comes to mind. I assume most of us picture a swindling haggard old gypsy woman hovering over a luminous little ball of crystal, but this is only a stereotype and it lends no credibility to the true art of divination and the various forms of fortune telling available to us. In this day and age anyone can be a fortune teller...well sort of. I’m not saying you can predict anything that’s legitimate; I’m just saying you can try...and trust me, there are plenty of things for you try. For instance you might be good at Cartomancy, the art of card reading; all you really need is to acquire a simple deck of cards and have access to the definitions (found easily online). Or you could try your hand at palmistry (no pun intended). Why not Tasseography? Never heard of it before? Well that’s what this entry is all about...
___Tasseography is the art of tea leaf reading. In order to practice this all that is required is some loose leaf tea and a teacup to put it in. The subject who wishes to have their fortune told is to drink from the cup and leave a small amount of tea within the bottom (enough so that the bottom is covered), they should then tilt the cup slightly and turn it clockwise three times. After this is completed they can set the cup down and the interpretations can begin. Someone else can read the cup or the subject alone can do so, it’s all personal preference. The reader looks carefully at the tea leaf formations and determines what each resembles. If the formations are far from the rim then these will be predictions for the distant future, if they appear close to the rim then these events should be interpreted as occurring very soon. There are many sites online as well as books available on tea leaf reading that give definitions for nearly any symbol you can imagine, however I’ve found that these definitions can vary substantially so you might try making your own. For example you could ask yourself what a dog symbolizes to you; man’s best friend? or an ill omen? Just remember that this is all for entertainment purposes and not to be taken seriously.
___Now that I’ve given a brief introduction to Tasseography I’d like to touch base with what I really wanted to talk about, my new teacup. I’m fortunate enough to have stumbled upon this lovely little work of art known as a Taltos cup. They were made sometime around the seventies to the eighties and initially were a part of a giveaway contest but were apparently mass produced shortly thereafter. They come under three different makes, I have a Jon Anton. I paid four bucks for this bad mother. They’re not that hard to come by either; after acquiring mine I decided to search for another and have found two more in my city only within two weeks. It’s unfortunate though that many individuals will gouge you on these cups. They’re all over Ebay and usually sell for like ten dollars, if at all, but I’ve seen some pretty greasy individuals claiming that they’re super rare and charging right up the ass for them (one guy was asking eighty?!). If you can find one at a reasonable price then I suggest getting it. I don’t think they will appreciate in value by much but they are quite charming and are a must have for the teacup collector.
___As you’ve probably noticed both the teacup and the saucer look unusual; they’re adorned with symbols depicting the astrological signs, planetary emblems, and just some random stuff. This cup is tea leaf reading made easy, or it would be if I had the booklet that accompanies it. With this teacup (and a few others that are similar in design) you don’t need to interpret what the clumps of tea leaves look like; you just need the definition for whichever symbol they are closest to. Inside the cup along the rim are symbols that are very common in Tasseography; I was able to find most definitions online...however I’m still uncertain as to how one would use the astrological symbols. Assuming it’s similar to using a natal chart I get the impression each planet is a house and it affects whatever symbols fall inside it, but why is there a ship dead center in the bottom?? A ship symbolizes a worthwhile journey, but it doesn’t look too appealing while it’s sunken beneath my tea... I’ve noticed when I set the teacup down the handle can point to whatever zodiac sign is on the saucer beneath it, so I’m guessing that’s how the saucer is used during a reading. Hopefully one day someone can explain to me how to use the Taltos cup as the instruction booklet intended. I don’t drink from it often for fear of breaking it; I’m still in search of another that’s affordable and in good condition so I can lock one up and use the other (I’m the kind of person who takes their action figures out of the box, so yes I brave drinking from antique and collectible teacups). If you were wondering what the teacup reads it says “Perchance this cup will show it thee. Woulds’t thy fortune like to see?” I’ve seen the reverse of this, so I’m not positive which way it should be read. The way it’s been printed on the teacup seems ass backwards, but maybe it’s just me.___Overall I’m quite satisfied with my antique shop find. The next time someone mentions fortune telling perhaps you’ll picture my little teacup, and maybe you could entertain your friends by reading their tea leaves.
-Sugar Skull