Very few cups are found without some gold representation. Victorians did know how to gild the lily. Mustache cups are found in all sizes from miniature to very large, the large holding almost a pint of beverage. Mustache cups can also be found in a variety of shapes. Unusual shapes such as seashell, kettle, square, octagonal, hexagonal, brandy snifter and thunderjug command higher prices than more common shapes.
Some cups are footed and a rare few are pedestaled.
All mustache cups, with the exception of large mugs, steins, and possibly a few large kettle-shape cups, originally came with matching saucers. The earliest cups had deep saucers for sipping hot beverages. Later, saucers became more compatible with those currently in use. A good many cups found today are missing their saucers due to breakage or misplacement. Although mustache cups with saucers are preferable, cups without saucers are more readily available and take up less space in a display cabinet.