Long before the Stanley Cup craze, the Facebook generation collected Starbucks cups like they'd surpass the price of gold one day. Wildly, that day is here — and has been for quite a while. Rare Starbucks cups can go for hundreds of dollars on the resale market.
Don't worry. Our jaws hit the floor, too! Thanks to these rare Starbucks cups and their impressive prices, early-bird Starbucks stans get to enjoy the last laugh.
7 Rare Starbucks Cups Worth More Than 400 Starbucks Stars
It's hard to remember a time before Starbucks had shelves full of colorfully designed cups marking your way to the counter. Yet, they didn't introduce their reusable grande-sized tumbler until the early 2010s. Once they dipped their toes into the custom cup market, they never looked back.
From seasonal drops to expensive collaborations, Starbucks has released countless custom cups over the past 10+ years. Yet, these rare Starbucks cups are the ones you should hold on to — whether you have enough cabinet space for them or not.
| Rare Starbucks Cups | Recent Sales Prices |
|---|---|
| 2025 Holiday Bearista Cup | $1,685 |
| Swarovski x Starbucks Collab Cup | $855 |
| NYC Graffiti Cup | $650 |
| Global Icons Collector Mug Series | ~$650 |
| Stanley x Starbucks Collab Cup | $527 |
| Korean Bearista Cold Cup | $430 |
| Slime Green Cold Cup | $195 |
2025 Holiday Bearista Cup: $1,685
Starbucks' 2025 Holiday cup collection struck gold in early November with its $30 Bearista cup. This bear-shaped glass cold cup slid in on the heels of other cutesy '25 merch like Labubus and captured TikTok by storm. Its limited edition status increased demand to an unexpected degree, leaving resellers with high-ticket opportunities on their hands.
While these frequently resell for hundreds, one 2025 Holiday Bearista recently went for $1,685 on eBay.
Swarovski x Starbucks Collab Cup: $855
Swarovski is the industry standard for high-quality rhinestones, and Starbucks has partnered with them for several exclusive initiatives in the past. In 2020, they released a special red holiday cup featuring Swarovski crystals.
The expensive collab makes this cup highly collectible, and someone snatched it off Mercari for less than the asking price at $855.
You may see NWT or BNWT in online listings. These stand for "new with tags" and "brand new with tags."
NYC Graffiti Cup: $650
As you hunt down rare Starbucks cups, you'll notice that many cups are considered rare without any explanation as to why. Several of the cups on this list with impressive sales prices fall into the same category. One is the NYC graffiti venti cup. Potentially from 2015 and sourced through the NYC flagship store, this all-black cup sells well in all forms.
In fact, that venti "brand new with tags" graffiti cup recently sold for $650 on Mercari.
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Global Icons Collector Mug Series: ~$650
In 1994, Starbucks released its first cityscape mug series, called the City Mug Collector Series. These mugs were sold in (and represented) international markets like London & Bangkok. These quaint souvenirs have become a Starbucks staple, and the older mugs always perform well on resale sites.
For example, you can find tons of sepia-toned mugs from the 2009 Global Icons Collector Series listed online. One pristine Tokyo mug recently sold for around $650 on eBay.
Stanley x Starbucks Collab Cup: $527.77
@stephhcastle STANLEY X STARBUCKS BERRY GLITTER TUMBLER #stanleytumbler #stanleystarbucks #starbuckstanleycollab #pink #newstanleystarbuckstumbler #stanley1913 @Stanley 1913 Tchaikovsky: Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy (From The Nutcracker Suite) - Dreamscape Cinema Orchestra
Watertok — that side of TikTok touting water, syrup, and flavor packet combinations that look more like art projects than beverages — helped push Stanley cups to the stratosphere in the early 2020s. Young women went wild when Starbucks and Target announced their Stanley Cup collaboration.
Today, these iconic cups sell for incomprehensible prices online. A two-set of "brand new with tags" red and pink Stanley x Starbucks cups recently sold for $528.
Korean Bearista Cold Cup: $430
A more recent addition to the rare Starbucks cup list is the absolutely adorable 2023 "Bearista" cold brew cup from the Korean market. Featuring a bottle shape that feels more honey pot than coffee pot, it's no wonder that it only took a few years for this design to become a Starbucks best-seller.
One "brand new with tags" Bearista venti cup just sold for $430 on eBay.
Slime Green Cold Cup: $195
Halloween lovers and Starbucks stans do mix if Starbucks' spooky seasonal collections are anything to go off of. In 2023, they released a slime-tastic glow-in-the-dark green cup that people went nuts for. Just like everyone flocked to McDonald's to get their limited-edition boo buckets, people snatched these cups up in droves.
Now, they're steadily on their way to becoming a high-ticket collectible. Not even a year after they were released, one of these brand-new slime cups sold for $195 on eBay.
Related: What Coffee Order Are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign?
What Makes Starbucks Cups Rare?
Unlike rare trading cards that come with low-production numbers, Starbucks cups aren't manufactured in quite as small batches. However, there are a few ways to predict which releases are going to be considered rare in the future.
- They are limited edition. If cups are marketed as limited edition, they are being made in smaller numbers than more standard cup batches.
- They are seasonal. Iconic seasonal cups have their place on the market, as Starbucks usually doesn't repeat its designs year after year.
- They are international. Not everyone can live the jetsetter life, and to complete their collection, they'll pay big money for cups from other countries.
- They come from a famous collab. From Stanley Cups to BLACKPINK, Starbucks has partnered with all sorts of people and brands. Because of the limited production run and crossover appeal, these cups are collectible out of the gate.
Starbucks? More Like Big Bucks
Starbucks cups aren't going anywhere anytime soon, which means you have nothing but time to research and amass your own Starbucks cup collection. Or, if your Starbucks collecting days are long behind you, we hope these rare Starbucks cup values have kept you from tossing out your cup collection just yet.
