...the gold ring around the lip, my name, and the gold in the badge have almost disappeared.
That was always the problem - and the replacement cost was rather too high for the average 'price sensitive' squadron shag, hence the cheap 'n cheerful everyday mug which was about ¼ the price of a 'proper' Jost mug.
An efficient design, the Jost mug, as it provides the maximum volume for the minimum mass of porcelain - those who suffer from insomnia can brush up their differential calculus to prove it, if they wish. But a side effect is that the mug design is prone to spillage as the natural wavelength of the mug's contents is readily excited by walking across the crewroom - cue many damp patches (on the floor...
) and scalded wrists. Not a problem with the cheapo mug though!
Incidentally, NEVER put a Jost mug in a microwave - the gold will disappear in a cloud of smoke.
I wonder whatever happened to the coffee machine we were persuaded to hire when I was on 56? We were told that the free coffee which came with the monthly hire would easily last the month as it would do nnn cups...
Except that 'cups' to the supplier meant twee little after-dinner demi-tasse thimbles, rather than traditional aircrew Jost buckets. So come the first week of hire and we'd used an entire month's worth of coffee - and the machine didn't seem to like the NAFFI stuff... Neither did we!