Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Coffee Cup Watermark

 A mug with your seal on the bottom
  (+54, -2)(+54, -2)(+54, -2)
(+54, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

It’s a regular-looking coffee mug, but on the bottom (in relief) is the mirror image of your coat of arms, seal, or logo. Now, when you carelessly put your cup on an important piece of outgoing correspondence, instead of leaving an unsightly coffee ring, it imprints an official-looking watermark, or coffeemark (depending on what you’re drinking).
—AO, Nov 06 2003

(?) Accidentally baked in 1896? http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp
[Fishrat, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(??) Prototype http://www.geocitie...sign/Coffeemark.htm
[AO, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Coaster http://www.candlema...ucts.pl?09-glch-837
I think the mug should come with one of these clear-glass things to use as a coaster to hold the "ink" for the stamp. [XSarenkaX, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(?) Ballantine XXX Ale http://www.falstaff.../ballantine_ale.htm
Still unbaked, I say. [XSarenkaX, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(?) Stamp Cups http://www.thorsten...ries/product/?ID=78
[FrankinVa, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Stamp Mugs (might be the link above, not sure) http://www.gnr8.biz...php?products_id=182
"Those irritating ringmarks that mugs and cups leave..... well, you can turn them into a nice floral pattern now with a set of Stamp Cups. The pattern on the base of the cup match up so you can join as many marks as you want." [calum, Jun 22 2006]

[link]






       Ha! Excellent thought! (Having fooled around making coffee rings for a logo design, something like this occurred to me, but not involving crests.)
—DrCurry, Nov 06 2003
   

       Brilliant! Lucent couldn't use this, though, as their logo looks like a coffee stain to begin with.
—krelnik, Nov 06 2003
   

       Beautiful! [+]
—Letsbuildafort, Nov 06 2003
   

       wonderful!   

       ,....,
I___P
—phundug, Nov 06 2003
   

       Smarty pants. Another bun. +
—k_sra, Nov 06 2003
   

       I wish that bris would turn this into a { m - f - d } stamp   

       can I order one please..
—po, Nov 06 2003
   

       Wish I'd thought of this :-)
—stringstretcher, Nov 06 2003
   

       Tell your friends you did!
—DrCurry, Nov 06 2003
   

       I mentioned this to AO last year, I think :)
—po, Nov 06 2003
   

       I have just now, for the first time, carefully observed the formation of a coffee ring (starting with a single drop dripping down the side.) Fascinating stuff.
—AO, Nov 06 2003
   

       Next up: wax coasters.
—Detly, Nov 06 2003
   

       Very nice, [AO]. +
—lintkeeper2, Nov 06 2003
   

       "Property of Bart Simpson" springs to mind on this occasion...
—Supercruiser, Nov 06 2003
   

       Excellent. The first idea I've ever seen on the HB that I would actually buy if I saw it <runs to patent office to steal idea>
—dobtabulous, Nov 07 2003
   

       me like.
—Mistress Bling, Nov 07 2003
   

       Can I have mine as the seal of the office of the US President?
—RayfordSteele, Nov 07 2003
   

       It would have me spilling my beverages on purpose.
—k_sra, Nov 07 2003
   

       You could use water in these mugs to send subliminal messages...y'know, "Give this guy a raise," or "Begin wetting yourself," something along those lines.
—Overpanic, Nov 07 2003
   

       "Clean me"
—DrCurry, Nov 07 2003
   

       This is a fabulous anti-counterfeiting measure. Not only would you have the distinctive crest, but your own preferences in coffee (i.e. brand, brew strength, cream, sugar, etc.) would create distinctive color and composition in the water mark. There is even the possibility that your own dna could find it's way to the watermark. These attributes could be validated through forensics if necessary.   

       As these "caffeidavits" gain the wider acceptance which is their destiny, yet another profound bond between society, government and coffee could be celebrated. Bravo. +
—dijontoothpaste, Nov 07 2003
   

       (((((((dijon)))))))! : )
—k_sra, Nov 07 2003
   

       Wow, I was just browsing my Top 100 list of HB ideas and came across this gem. I was amazed to find that it is still about as fresh as a wet coffee stain! Congratulations on posting an idea to gain HB popularity so quickly!   

       Also, [dijontoothpaste], "caffeidavits"... that's priceless.
—XSarenkaX, Nov 07 2003
   

       That would make a great gag gift cup. Have the indentations be un-noticeably small, so the giftee doesn't know where these odd "eat after reading" stamps keep coming from.
—Worldgineer, Nov 07 2003
   

       Can I get this with a coffee loaded stamp pad?
—ldischler, Nov 07 2003
   

       "Place stamp-pad in water to produce instant single-serve coffee." -- man, Rotarys really have the cush-job now
—Letsbuildafort, Nov 07 2003
   

       Very good, AO. Nicely done.
—waugsqueke, Nov 07 2003
   

       I want one. Lemme give you your 50th danish to go with that coffee stamp. +
—sartep, Nov 08 2003
   

       "I'll propose a toast" called Vladimir above be babble of the cocktail party. As he raised his Black Russian, the four other members of the steering committee shuffled to their feet.
  

       "Bien sur", exclaimed Pierre as he grasped his creme de menthe. "Zis calls for a celebration, non?"
   

       "I should say so,” muttered Sir Rupert, eyeing his rather flamboyant Blue Curacao through his monocle. "It's not every day that we form an international movement on this kind of scale!"
   

       The ex-senator muttered his approval, although he looked less enamoured with the cherry brandy his exuberant hosts had foisted upon him.
  

       "Well we may be witnessing the future of athletics gentlemen,” drawled Bruce, "but some traditions need to upheld, and I'll be buggered if I'm exchanging my XXXX for one of your poncey drinks".
  

       An as the committee drank, and chomped on their cigars, Bruce suddenly leapt up with a start. "Bugger me!" he shouted, almost disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Vladimir was almost certain he saw an optimistic eyebrow rise behind Sir Rupert's monocle, which promptly fell into his glass.
  

       "What iz eet, mon ami?"
  

       "Look at the tablecloth,” breathed Bruce. The committee stared down at the crisp white table covering, now stricken with Vesuvian quantities of cigar ash. There, where the fine-founding gentlemen had placed their assorted cocktails after toasting the future, was a rather natty design of colourful rings.
  

       "Beautiful" agreed the ex-senator. "Why, this will become a symbol for our movement! Athletes the world over will unite under it."
  

       [link] Accidentally baked in 1896? (+)
—Fishrat, Nov 08 2003
   

       Nice. I'm almost tempted to try this (we have a kiln and about three quarters of a ton of porcelain in the garden).
—hippo, Nov 08 2003
   

       you get through a lot of bathroom ware in a year, hippo?
—po, Nov 08 2003
   

       Ever thought about making a photocopier, [hippo]?
—Fishrat, Nov 08 2003
   

       Wow, just two days old and this idea is the 21st highest ranked on the bakery. Nice work, [AO].
—krelnik, Nov 08 2003
   

       It's the highest ever with no bones.
—waugsqueke, Nov 09 2003
   

       Hundred club coming soon!
—sartep, Nov 10 2003
   

       Elegant in it's simpletonicity.
—thumbwax, Nov 10 2003
   

       now is that nice? calling AO a simpleton.
—po, Nov 10 2003
   

       Not obsolete, just patented.
—DrCurry, Nov 10 2003
   

       Awesome! I get to give croissant #69!!!
—Cr0esus47, Nov 10 2003
   

       (-) Not anymore....(+) now its me!
—silverstormer, Nov 10 2003
   

       I hate seeing "Panic Pin" is still #1. The top 10 list has gotten boring.
—XSarenkaX, Nov 10 2003
   

       disagree, XS. its comforting..
—po, Nov 10 2003
   

       You can always add a time filter to your copy of the "best" view.
—krelnik, Nov 10 2003
   

       After hours of toil at the potters’ wheel and countless cups of coffee, I have produced a prototype. See link.
—AO, Nov 11 2003
   

       71 and climbing.   

       Number 13 with a bullet.
—krelnik, Nov 11 2003
   

       [AO] - that coffeemark is a little too perfect. I think one half of it should be lighter than the other half. Fishbone. <-- Just kidding!
—phundug, Nov 11 2003
   

       Just saw the prototype photo and it's marvelous! I'd croissant this idea again, if I could. Can this item be marketed as HB Merchandise, to go along with the plush croissant?
—XSarenkaX, Nov 11 2003
   

       This could easily be marketed at rubber stamp shows.
—Klaatu, Nov 11 2003
   

       phundug, you’re right. Real coffee rings -- of the drip-down-the-side variety -- usually go only part-way around, depending on the size of the drip. You would only get the full image (as shown) if you were using a saucer, and sloshed some beverage into it. Fortunately the croissant would still look right, or even better, if only half of it go stamped.
—AO, Nov 11 2003
   

       The mug would have to come with a nice, little glass coaster, with a lip around it. (See my linky-dink.) That way, you can slosh your beverage around in it and soak your stamper until you're ready to make your mark.
—XSarenkaX, Nov 11 2003
   

       jutta: from the domain, I would guess that Fishrat is referring to the Olympic logo of interlocking coffee rings, though that's not especially obvious from the page.
—DrCurry, Nov 11 2003
   

       Utterly inspired. Does it work for cup-a-soup too?
—squeak, Nov 12 2003
   

       [jutta], the link is the surprise ending to [Fishrat]'s colorful and amusing annotation/story dated Nov. 8, 2003.
—XSarenkaX, Nov 12 2003
   

       There is a company that do rubber stamps close to where I live. You can take any design in on paper and they will create the stamp. Staples also do them but they take about a week.
—sufc, Nov 12 2003
   

       I happen to know some rubber "stampers". They are great people with a passion. They just returned from an 8-hour drive to spend 2 days at a stamp show. I truly believe this would sell like hotcakes there. This is an idea I wouldn't mind getting in at the ground floor. Somebody bake this...'please'?
—Klaatu, Nov 12 2003
   

       Really good idea! Then you can do that to shoes too, so when you walk around in muddy boots you're marking the floor! Wheeeee!!!!!!!
—getslostalot21, Nov 12 2003
   

       With the amount of coffee I drink I could have one for incoming and one for outgoing mail. Great idea.
—soundman, Nov 12 2003
   

       And so it should be.   

       Just flicking through the towering strata of miscellaneous bits of paper on my desk reveals cup rings in dark brown (coffee), light brown (tea), green (mint tea), red (tomato soup) and yellow(erm...not sure..urine?). All unfortunately round and boring. I would love one with "Top Secret" or "Squeak woz ere".Sigh.
—squeak, Nov 13 2003
   

       Ok, who did that? AO, somebody took one of the croissants from the pile!
—sartep, Nov 13 2003
   

       @[squeak]: I think you answered your own question as to the origin of the yellow ring in one of your previous posts... chicken soup would leave this sort of embarrassing mark. But what do I know...
—Cr0esus47, Nov 13 2003
   

       Neat idea,   

       Maybe spencers gifts will buy the idea for a prankster version ...., it leaves behind a skull and crossbones and says "Ha Hah You have been Poisned"
—DeusExMachina, Nov 14 2003
   

       Coffee 101! Go to the top of the class AO.
—DrBob, Nov 14 2003
   

       [UB] Possible (see my anno, above), although we don't have slipcasting facilities so every mug would have to be thrown and the base then hand-carved. [Robert C] raises a fundamental flaw in this idea; Another practical flaw is that it would be unlikely that the base of the mug would stay flat during firing (it would have to be flat for the watermark to work) unless you made earthenware mugs which would be substantially weaker than stoneware or porcelain - for strength the earthenware clay would have to be heavily grogged (i.e. sandy clay) which might reduce the definition of the watermark.
One not very practical way of overcoming [Robert C]'s point about being unable to get coffee to the 'middle' bits of the watermark would be to leave the inside and outsie of the base of the mug unglazed so that it had a porous bottom (stop laughing, po). This would let coffee slowly leach through the base of the mug. Experience tells me though that the mug would quickly develop a rich, mouldy smell that only refiring eradicates (yes, refiring things is sometimes the easiest way to clean them).
—hippo, Nov 16 2003
   

       Matching coaster perhaps, as [XSX] suggested earlier.
—lintkeeper2, Nov 16 2003
   

       Or you could go the "rubber stamp" route mentioned earlier. Have the watermark made as very large rubber stamp, and affix it with glue to the bottom of a mug.
—krelnik, Nov 16 2003
   

       I have to admit that when I mentioned the rubber stamp approach, I was thinking that it would be sitting inside the existing bottom rim and the "stamping" surface would be on the same plane as the rim. However, I like the idea of making the bottom of the cup be a rubber stamp that could also act as a coffee cup muffler. I think my wife actually tries to maximize the noise of setting her cup down.
—half, Nov 16 2003
   

       I’ve been thinking about the problem of getting the coffee to cover the pattern.   

       The easiest and most reliable solution would be to provide a saucer. A saucer would look a little unnatural with the type of mug that I used in the picture, so I think this would best be done with an elegant tea cup. That would make a nice wedding gift.   

       The other approach I thought of would allow for the drip-down-the-side type of coffee mark. As Robert C observed, coffee tends to run around the outside of the ring on a normal cup, so the marking coffee cup would have to have 1) no ring, and 2) the lines of the pattern would really be double ridges, so the coffee would seep through the channel between the ridges.   

       As far as manufacturing the thing goes, I have two suggestions:   

       Take an off-the-shelf mug, put it in a CNC milling machine, and mill out the pattern on the bottom. I think there’s enough material there that you could remove some without making a hole all the way through.   

       Or, make a plastic disk to be glued onto the bottom of a standard cup. It could also be rubber (as half suggested), but it would have to fit over the existing ring, so that the drop dripping down the side is not impeded on its way to the pattern.
—AO, Nov 16 2003
   

       There have been some other instances. But, yeah, they aren't necessarily the majority.
—half, Nov 17 2003
   

       I finally discovered this nearly perfect idea. Wow!
—FarmerJohn, Dec 09 2003
   

       My teacher needs one of these. I find it rude when papers are handed back not only a long time after they were handed in, but dirty too. Great idea.
—theonecalledzil, Dec 29 2003
   

       I want one! The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Good job, [AO]. +
—insertnamehere, Dec 29 2003
   

       Spifflode. +1 Kroysont
—pjd, Dec 29 2003
   

       Not baked. Their 3-ring symbol was just inspired by the moisture rings on the bar. They don't have a can, mug, or glass with a stamp carved into the bottom. See the link I found.
—XSarenkaX, Jan 12 2004
   

       Can you still get Ballantine anywhere? I've had hundreds of different beers, and I don't think I've ever seen it for sale.
—krelnik, Jan 12 2004
   

       I LOVE IT, THE COFFEE MARK ALSO SHOWS HOW HARD YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE OFFICE, THE BLACKER THE COFFEE MARK, THE SRONGER THE COFFEE YOU ARE USING TO PULL THOSE LATE NIGHTERS. Impress the boss :)
—thechadula, May 02 2004
   

       Isn't it obvious? He's had way too much coffee.
—krelnik, May 02 2004
   

       What if these were made as an attachment to your existing mugs? Crazy glued to the bottom they could have openings that channel coffee drips for a full print.   

       my cofee cup doesn't leave cofee ring will this one do?
—Cadey, May 21 2004
   

       Very cool, where do I get mine?
—bspollard, May 24 2004
   

       ideas like this are rare.
—shinobi, Jun 25 2004
   

       Great idea. Bt this was invented by the French way back in 1868 when monsieur le watermark first set down his wine glass accidentally on an official property deed...
—cloudhedd, Jul 08 2004
   

       I don't understand the popularity of this. It seems a bit obvious, not practical (unless you like huge crests or skinny, tippy coffe cups), and irrelevant in a time when documents are not often stamped or imprinted, at least not on an occaisional basis. With this response, maybe it's just me.
—bpilot, Jul 11 2004
   

       If it was made with very thin ceramic that wasn't glazed on the bottom of the cup (inside and out) the liquid would seep through the porous clay and eventually deposit below the cup according to the pattern. (rebunned) +++
—sartep, Jul 11 2004
   

       [AO]: //A mug with your seal on the bottom//   

       How about a seal with my mug on the bottom? Can we create coffee cup watermarkers with customizable caricatures of the cup-owners? o<|:o)
—XSarenkaX, Jul 27 2004
   

       Gorgeous. +
—bristolz, Oct 08 2004
   

       Back to +6? We've got some bunning to do, people.
—Worldgineer, Oct 08 2004
   

       So there was a bright side to the recent problems... we get to vote for brilliant ideas like this for a second time! [+]
—Fishrat, Oct 20 2004
   

       I nearly choked on my coffee this morning when reading the Saturday Telegraph magazine (I only buy it for the crossword, honest) as I came across a page showing "Stamp Mugs" - the name is less elegant but the premise is the same. I showed it to [jonthegeologist] without a further word and we immediately decided these items should be on our wedding list. I came on here to add the link and I find someone has already noted these beautiful items. I wonder if the creator is a baker?
—hazel, Nov 06 2004
   

       Still bunning this one because, like Mary Poppins, it's practically perfect in every way. +
—k_sra, Nov 09 2004
   

       I've not been here for months and I've just found this on the recent page. I'm sure the last time I was here it had about 100 buns. Still one of my favourite ideas that this place has ever come up with.
—sufc, Jun 23 2006
   

       Yeah this is great. I personally have just discovered it. I like these conversations that span decades. I hope things are treating you well back there in 2006.
—mylodon, Feb 21 2018
   

       The past is a foreign country ...   

       People dress oddly, the food's weird, you don't recognise most of the brand names on goods in the shops, the place smells distinctly odd, and cellular mobile telephony is patchy, unreliable and disturbingly expensive.   

       The analogy is, in fact, exact.
—8th of 7, Feb 21 2018
   

       // hat I really need is a digital stamp that can penetrate my ipad screen //   

       No, what you need is a hammer. Or even a pointy rock.   

       Once you have smashed your ipad into fragments, you may go forth in search of a proper computer.
—8th of 7, Feb 24 2018
   

       Wow, a blast back from when the bakery had people. I miss those days.
—RayfordSteele, Feb 28 2018
   
      
[annotate]
   


 

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