Starbucks Denver mug: Discovery Series
The Denver mug sets the city name over a dark green circle, with Union Station and a train, the red rocks and curved seating of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a chairlift, a bison, a hiker, a tent and a milkshake.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Denver, Colorado, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozStarbucks's Discovery Series launch story calls it the 14-ounce ceramic mug
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The night the Beatles needed oxygen
On 26 August 1964, the Beatles played Red Rocks Amphitheatre, dedicated in 1941 and built between two sandstone monoliths, Ship Rock and Creation Rock [1]. The band felt the altitude. Oxygen canisters were placed on stage, and Ringo Starr later recalled the thin air [2]. Tickets were $6.60 [3]. Red Rocks' own notable-performances page calls it the only concert on the Beatles' first American tour that did not sell out [2]. Sources disagree on how many seats were empty, but about 7,000 tickets were sold for a venue that holds more than 9,000, and the concert still set a box office record there [4]. The tilted red rocks above curved rows of seats on the Denver mug (7) match Red Rocks.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1DENVER lettering
DENVER in pale blue-white capitals over a dark green circle in the middle of the design.
- 2Chairlift with two riders
A blue chairlift seat with two riders in green and orange hangs from a green cable among falling snow at the left. A yellow-green snowboard pokes out below it. It points to skiing in the mountains west of the city; the mug doesn't name a resort.
- 3Denver Union Station and a train
A pale blue station front with three tall arched yellow windows, a clock under an orange arch on the roofline and a dark platform canopy, with a red-and-silver train beside it. The three large arched windows and the clock above the entrance match Denver Union Station on Wynkoop Street, at the head of 17th Street. The train is not identified. The mug doesn't name the station.[5]
- 4Milkshake with a cherry
A tall black glass with white stripes and dots holds an orange-and-cream topping, a red cherry and a black-and-white striped straw. No particular shop is shown.
- 5Dome tent and lantern
A green, orange and blue dome tent with a black doorway sits at the base of the circle, with a small blue camping lantern to its left. It stands for camping in the mountains near the city.
- 6Hiker in a green hat
A hiker in a pointed green hat, with long dark hair, a blue checked shirt, orange trousers and a green backpack, sits on the red rocks at the upper right beside the handle, legs stretched out and pale blue boots raised beside the R of DENVER.
- 7Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Tilted slabs of orange, red and yellow rock rise behind dark pine trees, above curved rows of blue and white benches scattered with musical notes. Red rock, pines and curving rows of seats facing a stage match Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the foothills west of Denver, where the seating was cut between two sandstone rocks. The mug doesn't name it.[1]
- 8Bison (possibly Denver's Genesee Park herd)
A bison with a coral-red hump, a golden head, a dark horn and a black eye appears at the far left edge, above snowy grey mountains. It may refer to the bison herds that Denver keeps in its mountain parks at Genesee Park and Daniels Park, though a bison could also stand for Colorado wildlife in general. The mug doesn't say.[6]
- 9Snowy mountains
Grey and black mountain peaks capped with white snow, with small clouds, fill the left edge below the bison. No particular peak is identifiable.
- 10Squirrel on the tent
A small yellow animal with a bushy orange tail curled over its back, most likely a squirrel, sits on top of the tent.
The photo shows one side of the mug. The back and the area behind the handle are out of view.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is light blue, which shows at the rim in the photo.
- Denver is also on our checklists as a Been There Series mug; this page covers the Discovery design with the chairlift and the station.
Before you buy
Denver is also a Been There, an Icon and a You Are Here mug. This page covers the Discovery design with the chairlift and the station. The inside rim is light blue.
Other Denver mugs
About the Discovery Series
Sources
- Red Rocks history (Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
- Notable performances (Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
- Remember when the Beatles played at Red Rocks in 1964 (KMAX 94.3)
- Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, 26 August 1964 (The Beatles Bible)
- Union Station (Denver Architecture Foundation)
- Bison Conservation (City and County of Denver)
