College Mug Collection

When attending college, I never had much with the university logo unless it came my way for free.  Bags from the Bookstore, spiral notebooks, a few promotional items, but I never bought a t-shirt or beer stein, largely a matter of price.

As I became more secure in income, and had to visit campuses more frequently, especially as my children went on their tours, I started purchasing a mug from each bookstore, amassing a significant collection, most designated milchig and unused.  A few decals from the declasse drinkware separated from the porcelain.  This week the handle of one which would be hard to revisit broke off in a kitchen mishap.  I had never actually consumed a beverage from it but liked the pewter logo amid the red background, not even dishwasher suitable because of it.  Once the handle had been glued back on, I think unused items that are difficult if not expensive to replace could use a more secure home.  Off they went to My Space on a shelf under the big screen TV.  Makes for a nice display, even if I am the only one who enters this Holy of Holy room.

Ironically, I largely stopped adding to my collection a few years ago.  Campuses remain a destination when I travel.  What has changed is the ownership of the campus bookstores.  They used to be part of the university.  In recent years, Barnes and Noble has muscled in on the action, boosting the prices significantly on most any logo item.  Mugs have been elevated to Drinkware.  Oy.