Starbucks Iowa mug: Discovery Series
The Iowa mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the state name in light blue over a dark green circle, with a yellow bird, a green tractor, yellow flowers, a cyclist and an orange-roofed structure.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Iowa, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The tractor that threshed for 52 days, then came back
In the fall of 1892, John Froelich, who ran a grain elevator in Froelich, Iowa, took a crew of 16 men and a dining and sleeping car to South Dakota for a threshing run [1]. His steam equipment threatened fire at every turn and kept breaking down, and he had built something to replace it [1]. It was a gasoline machine, and the first of its kind that could move both forward and in reverse [2]. It worked for 52 days. According to Farm Collector, he made a small fortune threshing 62,000 bushels of grain [1]. Then came the customers. The handful who bought tractors from his new company were generally dissatisfied [2]. Of four experimental engines built in 1893, two were sold and both were returned [1]. The directors turned to stationary engines. In 1918 Deere and Company bought the firm for $2,350,000 [2]. The green tractor on the Iowa mug (3) may be a distant relative of Froelich's machine.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
IOWA in light blue capitals over a dark green circle.
- 2Yellow bird
A yellow bird with orange wing tips perches at the left of the lettering.
- 3Green tractor
A green tractor with large orange-and-yellow wheels drives left below the lettering.
- 4Yellow blossoms
Large yellow blossoms with white edges and green leaves sit at the lower right of the circle.
- 5Cyclist
A cyclist in a yellow top rides a bicycle with blue-and-yellow wheels beside the handle.
- 6Orange-roofed structure
A structure with a long orange roof and a railing spans the top left of the circle.
- 7Zigzag ribbon
An orange-red ribbon zigzags down at the upper right, beside a patch of yellow flowers.
The photo shows one side of the mug. The back and the area behind the handle are out of view.
Collector notes
- The tractor, the flowers and the cyclist all sit on the lower half of the circle, so the lettering is the quickest way to confirm the state.
- The cyclist and the zigzag ribbon sit beside the handle, so a photo taken from the left side of the mug will miss them.
Before you buy
The photo shows one side of the mug, so the back and the area behind the handle are not visible. Iowa also appears in the Been There series, so check the lettering and the drawings before you buy. This mug is listed at 14 fl oz.
