Starbucks Pennsylvania mug: Discovery Series
The Pennsylvania mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the state name in yellow-green over a dark green circle, with a cracked bell, a blue bird, a chocolate bar and a fish. A pie, a hiker and a bridge fill the back.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The writer who gave the State House Bell a new name
In February 1835, a writer for The Anti-Slavery Record, a monthly of the American Anti-Slavery Society, climbed the tower of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia and looked closely at the bell [1]. For about 80 years it had been the State House Bell [2]. The writer read the words cast on it, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land," as a sort of prophecy, and headed the article "The Liberty Bell" [1]. Then came the sting: "Hitherto, the bell has not obeyed the inscription; and its peals have been a mockery," the writer wrote, while one sixth of the inhabitants lived in abject slavery [1]. According to the National Park Service, it is the earliest known recorded use of the name [1]. It was not widely adopted until years later [3]. When the bell cracked for good in the 1840s, the split ran up through the word "Liberty" [4]. The cracked bell below the lettering on the Pennsylvania mug (4) may be that one.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
PENNSYLVANIA in yellow-green capitals over a dark green circle.
- 2Blue bird
A blue bird with a dotted body stands above the lettering.
- 3Chocolate bar
A red-wrapped chocolate bar with a bite taken out sits at the upper left, beside a small camera-like box.
- 4Cracked bell
A red-orange bell with a crack down its side hangs below the lettering.
- 5Spotted fish
A yellow and red spotted fish swims in blue water at the lower left.
- 6Pretzel shape
A red looped shape dotted with white, which looks like a pretzel, sits beside the handle.
- 7Pie slice Back view
A slice of red-filled pie with a fork floats on a plate at the upper left of the back.
- 8Hiker Back view
A hiker with a backpack stands on a blue rock beside a tree.
- 9Groundhog on a keystone Back view
A blue-grey animal that looks like a groundhog sits on a red keystone-shaped badge.
- 10Truss bridge Back view
A steel truss bridge crosses a river at the right of the back.
- 11Blue barn Back view
A blue barn with a red roof stands at the right edge.
The two photos show the front and the back. The area behind the handle is out of view in both.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is blue, which shows at the rim in both photos.
- The bell, the bird and the chocolate bar are on the front; the pie, the hiker, the bridge and the red keystone badge are on the back, so check both sides when comparing listings.
Before you buy
The photos show the front and the back, but not the area behind the handle. The inside of this mug is blue. The chocolate bar, bird and bell are on the front, and the pie, hiker and bridge are on the back, so check both sides when comparing listings. A Been There mug also covers Pennsylvania.
