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Spurlin collectibles and memorabilia

A guide to collectible objects and products that bear the Spurlin name: Spurlin Dairy milk bottles, Spurlin Sales farm-equipment advertising, Spurlin Ceramics tiki mugs, 1950s Spurlin records, signed art and craft pieces, and modern novelty goods.

Sourcing: weak 2 genealogy · 14 commercial · 4 reference · 1 social · 1 news · 1 official

Objects bearing the Spurlin name appear regularly in antique and collectibles markets. This guide links the wiki's entries on them. Marketplace listings change or vanish quickly, so the individual entries attribute descriptions to sellers and prefer archived sales records. WorthPoint's archive shows item descriptions to anyone but shows sale prices only to paying members, so the prices given below come from eBay item pages or the other sources cited.

Dairy and advertising

  • Spurlin Dairy, Carlsbad, New Mexico. The dairy was run by Elmer and Gladys Spurlin in the mid-20th century.[1] Its glass milk bottles carry orange pyroglazed (painted) lettering reading "Spurlin Grade A Dairy"; one seller's quart also has the slogan "She's Wise She Buys With Her Eyes" on the back.[2] WorthPoint's archive of past sales includes square pints and half-gallon jugs among other sizes,[3][4] as well as a wood-and-metal milk crate that its seller said came from the dairy.[5] One quart was on offer on eBay for US $9.99 in September 2026.[2]
  • Spurlin Sales Company, El Reno, Oklahoma. This was a family farm-equipment business, according to the obituary of Richard "Dick" Spurlin (1929–2020), who worked in it before starting his own distributorship in Oklahoma City in 1955.[6] Its advertising pieces have been resold online. WorthPoint records two advertising thermometers. One, a 13½-inch metal thermometer, is titled "Spurlin Sales MF CASE El Reno, Ok."[7] The other is titled "Spurlin Sales Farm Equipment Case Massey Hesston" and measures about 14¼ by 4½ inches; its record names no town.[8] A third record is a Christmas card from "Spurlin Sales Co. El Reno, Oklahoma" with a Ford tractor and Dearborn farm-equipment theme.[9]
  • No Spurlin trade tokens, calendars, matchbooks, crocks or store signs could be documented from searchable sources; a WorthPoint search for "spurlin token" returned nothing in September 2026. The survey of Spurlin businesses and brands likewise found no documented 19th- or early-20th-century Spurlin stores.

Ceramics and barware

  • Spurlin Ceramics, Lynwood, California: late-1950s and 1960s tiki mugs and bowls designed by Stella Bodey, née Spurlin.[10]
  • Spurlin Island Chief tiki mug, the "Husband Killer" mug from the Islander restaurant, Los Angeles. One sold for $180 on eBay in 2018, according to a collector blog.[11]
  • Spurlin Cobra's Fang mugs: a snake-wrapped mug made for the Islander, which collectors long knew only from a drawing on its menu, and the smaller OA Cobra Fang sold by the decor firm Oceanic Arts.[12][13][14]
  • Spurlin Vicious Virgin mug and bowl: a nude-figure mug and a three-figure drink bowl made for the Islander. The catalog of Oceanic Arts' April 2022 auction called a prototype of the bowl the centerpiece of the firm's "Holy Grail" display cabinet.[12][14]
  • Oceanic Arts auctions. In April and October 2022 Peekaboo Gallery auctioned the collection of Oceanic Arts, a Whittier decor firm, including dozens of Spurlin samples and prototypes that had been kept in its showroom.[14][15]

Records

  • Spurlin records and recordings: Tommy Spurlin's Perfect, Jiffy and Art 45s, Jack Spurlin's country singles, Tracy Spurlin's 1986 soul 12-inch, and songs by Ralph Spurlin Jr..[16] A copy of "Hang Loose" / "One-Eyed Sam" on the Perfect label sold on eBay for $306.09 on June 29, 2026. The listing gave the record as "Perfect 109", and the seller's terms guarantee records as originals, not bootlegs or reproductions, unless noted otherwise.[17] The guarantee matters because an unofficial 1975 issue carries the Perfect name and the same catalog number, 45-109.[18]

Art and craft

Manufactured and current products

Look-alike names

Many products that turn up in searches carry the related surname Spurling, not Spurlin. Examples include "Slim Spurling" copper tensor rings (see Slim Spurling and Light-Life rings) and Spurling Guitars.[23]

See also

  • Spurlin Dairy (Carlsbad, New Mexico) · Companies weak
    Spurlin Dairy was a mid-20th-century family dairy in Carlsbad, New Mexico, run by Elmer Odell and Gladys Spurlin alongside their Black River Village ranch; its glass milk bottles, several described with orange pyroglazed "Spurlin Grade A Dairy" lettering, range from a small creamer to half-gallon jugs and now turn up in collector marketplaces.
  • Spurlin Ceramics (tiki mugs) · Companies mixed
    Spurlin Ceramics was a small Lynwood, California pottery run by designer Stella Bodey (née Spurlin) from about the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Working with Oceanic Arts, it made some of the earliest tiki mugs, drink bowls and lamp figures for Polynesian restaurants, and its pieces are now prized collectibles.
  • Spurlin Island Chief ("Husband Killer") tiki mug · Products & Brands mixed
    The Island Chief, or "Husband Killer", is a standing pointed-head tiki mug that Stella Bodey of Spurlin Ceramics made for the Islander restaurant in Los Angeles by 1960. It is one of the earliest tiki mugs and one of the most collected Spurlin-named objects.
  • Spurlin Cobra's Fang mugs · Products & Brands weak
    Two snake-wrapped tiki mugs made by Spurlin Ceramics and credited to Stella Bodey: the Cobra's Fang mug of the Islander restaurant in Los Angeles, long known only from its menu, and the smaller OA Cobra Fang sold by Oceanic Arts.
  • Spurlin Vicious Virgin mug and bowl · Products & Brands mixed
    The "Vicious Virgin" is a nude female figure that Spurlin Ceramics used on a mug and a three-figure drink bowl for the Islander restaurant in Los Angeles. A prototype of the bowl, designed by Stella Bodey, was the centerpiece of Oceanic Arts' "Holy Grail" display cabinet.
  • Spurlin records and recordings (collectible vinyl) · Products & Brands strong
    A guide to collectible vinyl records by or credited to people named Spurlin, from Tommy Spurlin's 1950s rockabilly 45s to Jack Spurlin's country singles, Tracy Spurlin's 1986 soul 12-inch and LPs with Spurlin sidemen.
  • Spurlin businesses and brands · Companies mixed
    An overview of companies, products, patents and trademarks bearing the Spurlin name, from a 19th-century Alabama jewelry store and a mid-century Oklahoma farm-equipment dealer to today's builders and funeral homes, concentrated in the US South, especially Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina.
  • David Spurlin (painter) · People weak
    David Spurlin Jr. (1923–2009) was a Los Angeles-born impressionist landscape and seascape painter and member of the California Art Club whose oils appear at regional auctions.
  • Jack Spurlin (country singer) · People strong
    Jack Spurlin was an American country singer-songwriter who released small-label 45 rpm singles in Virginia around 1969–1970, including the Vietnam-era "Soldier's Prayer / Send Me Back To Viet Nam", and wrote songs for other Hillbilly Heaven artists.
  • Ken Spurlin puzzle boxes · Products & Brands mixed
    Ken Spurlin, a woodworker from Nevis, Minnesota, makes signed and numbered wooden puzzle boxes that are sold at regional art fairs and resold on secondary markets.
  • Slim Spurling and Light-Life rings (Spurling variant) · Products & Brands mixed
    Bill "Slim" Spurling (1938–2007) was an American metalworker and dowser who created copper "Light-Life" rings in 1991. They are the origin of today's "tensor ring" products, a large Spurling-name product niche on Etsy and Amazon.
  • Spurlin handmade goods and small brands · Products & Brands mixed
    A roundup of small present-day businesses selling products under or by the Spurlin name: craft woodworking, ceramics, farm goods and apparel, cited from their own pages and marketplace listings.
  • Spurlin surname merchandise (crests, mugs, name signs) · Products & Brands weak
    Commercial "Spurlin family crest" downloads, mugs and name products are novelty items made to order from the surname; the heraldry shown is generic and not evidence of a Spurlin coat of arms.
  • Stella Bodey (née Spurlin) · People mixed
    Stella Bodey (1905–1971), born Stella Spurlin, was a California ceramicist who ran Spurlin Ceramics of Lynwood and, working with Oceanic Arts, made some of the earliest tiki mugs, drink bowls and lamp figures for Polynesian restaurants.

References

  1. ↑ Gladys Spurlin Obituary (1914–2014) — LaGrone Funeral Chapel, Ruidoso — Funeral-home obituary; names Spurlin Dairy in Carlsbad, NM Genealogy
  2. ↑ ↑ Spurlin Grade A Dairy Carlsbad N.M. Pyro Quart She's Wise She Buys With Her Eyes — eBay listing — Marketplace listing; seller's description of an orange pyroglazed quart Commercial
  3. ↑ Dairy Glass Milk Square Pint Pyroglazed Carlsbad N.M Spurlin Dairy. New Mexico — WorthPoint (#3787551316) — Archived sale record Commercial
  4. ↑ Vintage NM Spurlin Grade A Dairy Half Gallon Clear Glass Milk Jug w/Images — WorthPoint (#1874764924) — Archived sale record Commercial
  5. ↑ Antique 12 Slotted Heavy Duty Milk Bottle Crate The SPURLIN DAIRY Wood & Metal — WorthPoint (#4774176400) — Archived sale record; galvanized metal and wood; provenance is the seller's claim Commercial
  6. ↑ Richard Spurlin Obituary (1929–2020) — Matthews Funeral Home — Funeral-home obituary; calls Spurlin Sales Company the family farm-equipment business Genealogy
  7. ↑ Vintage 13.5" Advertising Metal Thermometer Spurlin Sales MF CASE El Reno, Ok. — WorthPoint (#4837068926) — Archived sale record Commercial
  8. ↑ SPURLIN SALES FARM EQUIPMENT CASE MASSEY HESSTON Advertising Thermometer — WorthPoint (#1835857079) — Archived sale record Commercial
  9. ↑ Vintage Ford Tractor Dearborn Farm Equipment Christmas Card El Reno, Oklahoma — WorthPoint (#440794208) — Archived sale record; seller says the card is from Spurlin Sales Co. Commercial
  10. ↑ Tiki Creator: Spurlin Ceramics — mytiki.life — Collector database Reference
  11. ↑ The Husband Killer or Island Chief, It's All Spurlin to Me — PinTiki blog — Blog of a collectible-pin seller Commercial
  12. ↑ ↑ Spurlin Ceramics – Tiki Mugs — mytiki.life — Collector database list of 31 items Reference
  13. ↑ Is This The Elusive Cobra's Fang Mug? — Tiki Central — Forum thread, June 2008 – March 2010 Social
  14. ↑ ↑ ↑ Oceanic Arts: The Godfathers of Tiki, auction catalog, April 23–24, 2022 — Peekaboo Gallery (Internet Archive copy) — Auction-house catalog; "Spurlin Ceramics" section; OA Cobra Fang and Vicious Virgin bowl prototype Commercial
  15. ↑ OA 2! The Final Oceanic Arts Vintage Tiki Collection Auction, catalog, October 15–16, 2022 — Peekaboo Gallery (Internet Archive copy) — Auction-house catalog; Spurlin lots 276–282, 288–289, 696–698 and 703 Commercial
  16. ↑ Tommy Spurlin & The Southern Boys – Hang Loose (I've Gotta Rock) / One-Eyed Sam (Perfect 45-109, 1956) — Discogs Reference
  17. ↑ Twin Spin FLA. Rockabilly TOMMY SPURLIN Hang Loose/One-Eyed Sam PERFECT — eBay sold item — eBay sold-item page and seller's description; sold June 29, 2026 Commercial
  18. ↑ Tommy Spurlin & The Southern Boys – Hang Loose (I've Gotta Rock) (unofficial 1975 issue, Perfect 45-109) — Discogs — Release page, checked via the Discogs API Reference
  19. ↑ David Spurlin Sold at Auction Prices — Invaluable — Auction-results aggregator Commercial
  20. ↑ DAVID SPURLIN JR. (1923-2009) impressionist Seascape painting Laguna Cove 10"X8" — eBay sold item — eBay sold-item page; sold July 1, 2026 Commercial
  21. ↑ Forestedge Art Fair draws vendors and viewers from near and far — Park Rapids Enterprise (Aug. 18, 2025) News
  22. ↑ Spurlin Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms — House of Names — Commercial heraldry seller; lower-quality source Commercial
  23. ↑ In the Mind of a Master — Slim Spurling's Light-Life Technology — Seller of Light-Life products Official

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Last reviewed 2026-09-24.