For some time now, we have been collecting the Starbucks cups of cities (City Mugs) and islands we visit on our travels. The large cups (437 ml / 16 fl oz) are of course not available from every city where there is also a Starbucks store. But if they exist, then we find these cups a really nice keepsake – better than a postcard or any small statue. Here, however, we collect (almost) only the city cups of the 2008 “Global Icon Series”.
Table of contents
Starbucks’ various cup ranges
The first cups to collect were already available in 1994 (“Collectors Series”). According to Wikipedia, there are currently 420 different cups of the Global Icon series. There are also many country cups (Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, etc.), special cups (such as Oktoberfest) or states (Florida, California, etc.). China (59), then the US (49), followed by Germany (38) and Mexico (26) has the most cups.
Since 2012, however, there is only the new “YOU ARE HERE” series in the USA and Canada, which we don’t like so much visually. The Global Icon cups from 2008 are therefore no longer available in these countries in the Starbucks stores and you sometimes pay a lot of money to get these City Mugs on eBay etc. now. Prices of 70,- € and more for a cup are not uncommon. We definitely find these cups really great and the best thing is – we don’t even drink coffee 🙂
Update April 2018: As expected by some, Starbucks is disaboning the “YOU ARE HERE” series. Since the end of March 2018, the new “BEEN THERE” collection has already been available in some Starbucks stores. This will be available for all 50 states and some cities. The size at 14oz is the same as the cups from the previous “You are here” (YAH) collection. The new cups are characterized by hand-drawn art inspired by local styles, aromas, flowers, fins and local icons (attractions). Canada, Central America and South America will probably also get the new cups in a timely manner. The retail price is US ‘12.95 and in Canada it is ‘14.95. Here is a link to the new cups: starbucks-mugs.com
Our worldwide Starbucks cup collection
Here’s a picture of some of our cups 🙂
Part of our Starbucks cup collection
Our Global Icon Cups from America
Our Global Icon Cups from Asia
Our Global Icon Cups from Europe
Our Global Icon Cups from Oceania
The prices of Starbucks cups
When you buy a current cup in the Starbucks countries, they usually cost between 12-17 €. It gets difficult with the series, which no longer exist. The cups of the Global Icon series – which we still find the most beautiful – are no longer available everywhere, for example. Especially in the USA, this series has been replaced by a new design. So if you are looking for a cup here, then you have to hope for good offers on Ebay. Here the prices usually start at about 50€.
Also, there are some cups that are extremely rare. This includes, for example, the cup of Tokyo, which was probably only sold at the US Air Base. Here you can pay for a cup well over 500€ 🙂
Prices for rare Starbucks cups
What souvenirs do you collect from your travels?
The disadvantage of the cups is certainly the weight. If you buy 3-4 cups on a longer journey, you have to carry them all in your luggage. But so far we’ve always done it very well 😉 But there are still so many other souvenirs that you can bring with you as a souvenir of your travels. Postcards, Hard Rock Cafe T-Shirts, Photo Books, Banknotes, Coins, Stones, Hotel Ballpoint Pens, Beer Lids, Airline Tickets… or even sand? Hence our question to you: what are you collecting? We would be very pleased to receive your feedback in the comments.