Pattern: Advertising / Specialty
Identifiers / Alternate Names: This category includes pyrex items that were customized for companies, produced for advertising purposes, or made for special events such as one time employee gatherings. While there might not be much distinction between this category and the "Promotional / Unknown" category, we felt that because of the large number of advertising items (mugs in particular) that they should be placed in their own category to avoid cluttering the already crowded promotional category. In most cases, these items are not sets but single items.
Item Type: Advertising Tableware Coffee Mugs Series 709
Values: Check below on Ebay for approximate prices
Sizes and ID#s: #709
This is one of my favorite Pyrex advertising mugs. It’s an old time Ponderosa mug that was produced by the restaurant by the same name. They’re actually still in business and you may know them either by Ponderosa or by Bonanza. But they don’t make the mug anymore (though, I’m sure they still use the cups in service at some of the restaurants!)
This is actually a piece of Pyrex Tableware by Corning that was mass produced for various restaurants and other institutions. The decal consists only of the word “Ponderosa” written across the top of the mug on both sides in an old time Western font. Note, there is another style of Ponderosa mug featuring a badge and cowboy hat.
It is sort of similar in shape to the classic “diagonal handle” Pyrex mugs, but is quite a bit smaller and has more of a “C-shape” handle than a longer “D-shape” handle. The mug is about 3 inches tall and about 3 inches across from rim to rim. I’m not sure about the capacity of these mugs.
Although the one I have is marked with the number #709-12, I’ve seen examples of this exact same mug that don’t have any number marking, though they are indeed marked as Pyrex Tableware. There are also small Ponderosa plates available that I believe were used to serve rolls. These plates are about 6 inches across and have the word “Ponderosa” three times around the rim.
