BELTON, Texas  — The Bell County Museum houses artifacts that tell the county’s history. One section of the museum is dedicated to teacups of all shapes and sizes. The cups date back to the 19th and 20th centuries and designed for men with mustaches.

“A man named Harvey Adams invented the mustache teacup, and it was designed in a way that the interior ridge protects a mustache from being disturbed by hot liquids,” said museum director Coleman Hampton.

The museum houses hundreds of mustache cups. Most were donated by a local family more than 30 years ago.

“We have the largest publicly held collection of mustache teacups in North America. I’m going to call the Guinness World Records and see how we compare, but as far as I know, we have the largest collection of mustache cups,” said Hampton.

The cups allow the man’s mustache to rest on the interior ridge while he drinks whatever beverage is inside the cup. It keeps the mustache dry.

“Seeing the mustache cups, they always kind of bring a smile to my face. It’s nostalgic. I think it goes back to an earlier time. A simpler time,” said Hampton. 

These days the cups are considered collectibles. They’re a modern-day reminder of how life used to be more than 100 years ago.