Additional information About Moomin Mugs - Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know where the Moomin mug is made?
The country of manufacture can only be determined from the label on the mug. Most labels state the country of manufacture (Finland or Thailand). If the country is not mentioned on the label, the origin of the mug is usually undeterminable. The phrase "Designed in Finland" indicates a mug made in Thailand.
The crown stamp does not indicate the country of manufacture, as it was merely Arabia's factory mark from 1981 to 2014. The first mugs were manufactured in Arabia's Thai factory in the fall of 2007, so there are crown-stamped mugs made in Thailand from 2007 to 2014. If you know the mug was made before 2007, you can be certain it was made in Finland (even if there is no label or the label does not specify the country).
What does the crown stamp on the Moomin mug mean?
The crown stamp, "Arabia Finland", named by a Moomin mug collector, has been Arabia's factory mark in the years 1981-2014. Some collectors value this crown stamp and therefore collect only crown-stamped products in their collections. . However, this stamp does not guarantee its Finnish origin, as the crown stamp was also used in Arabia’s Thai factories on Moomin mugs between 2007 and 2014.
Is the year stamp on the base of the Moomin mug valuable?
Crown-stamped Moomin mugs might have the production start year stamped if production began between 1996 and 2001. Only during the production start year was the start year's date stamped, making these mugs particularly valuable, depending on condition worth about 2-10 times more than a mug without a year stamp. The year date is also on a few crown-stamped special Moomin mugs such as Moominpappa Dreaming and Evening Sailing mugs.
In 2014, Arabia changed its factory mark. Thereafter, every seasonal Moomin mug and a few special mugs have had the manufacturing year added to the base, which does not increase the mug’s value.
In the picture, the year stamp on a Moomin mug with a crown stamp and a 'By Arabia' stamp.
What does "ghost stamp" mean?
A ghost stamp is a series usually comprising two letters and four numbers found on the bottom of Moomin mugs produced after 2009. The ghost stamp is located below the crown stamp or the "By Arabia" stamp. The letters may refer to the place of manufacture (Arabia does not disclose the meaning of the letters), and the numbers indicate the date of manufacture. For example, a mug with the stamp CR1013 was manufactured in October 2013.
Not all ghost stamps include letters. The presence or absence of a ghost stamp does not affect the value of the Moomin mug.
What does the label on a Moomin mug mean?
Moomin collectors refer to the barcoded label on a Moomin mug as a label. Different labels can greatly affect the value of a Moomin mug because the label can indicate the mug's origin or age. The most valuable label is the "Made in Finland" label due to its Finnish origin. The least valuable is the "Made in Thailand" label, as it is not made in Finland. Other labels, like arabia.fi and Iittala Group, do not indicate the origin of the Moomin mug.
Pictures are of the Moominpappa Black mug with different labels.
To which Moomin mugs have different colored labels been applied?
ince 2017, summer season mugs have had labels of three colors. In a box of six mugs, depending on the summer season mug, there are usually 3 green, 2 red, and 1 yellow label. Therefore, the color of the label may be important, especially if collectors start collecting the different colored labels for their collections.
Finmug is the only online store that offers different colored labels. For example, mugs with a golden label can be found here.
What does a 2-sided Moomin plate mean?
The first Moomin plates (around 2002-2005) were printed on both sides and were sold individually in cardboard packaging. The label of the Moomin plate might have been attached to the packaging. Since the double-sided plates are older and considered more exquisite by many, they are also more valuable. Later, the production of the plates continued with a single-sided version, so there might be both 1-sided and 2-sided versions available of the same plate.
Which Moomin mug also comes with a plate and a bowl?
Finmug has compiled a list where you can find the related bowls, plates, pitchers, and other accessories such as 4dl mugs for each Moomin mug series.