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Mayoral miscount results in limited edition coffee mug marking Mamdani era
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 9, 2026
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Elizabeth Kim/Gothamist
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 9, 2026
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A miscount that resulted in Mayor Zohran Mamdani being sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor has resulted in a limited edition souvenir that is now under lock and key.
For a brief time last year, the city-run gift shop called CityStore sold a coffee mug erroneously describing Mamdani as the 111th mayor.
“Maybe a week or two we had them on sale,” said Dan Kastanis, a spokesperson for the Department of City Administrative Services, which runs the store at 1 Centre St. “Once the mayor decided that he was going to honor the new historical facts that had come to light, we decided that we would honor that as well by putting the 112 mugs on sale.”
Those facts emerged through a Gothamist report in December on a historian’s discovery that the city had overlooked the second nonconsecutive term of a 17th century mayor in the official record. By then the CityStore had already begun selling the 111th mayor mugs. City archivists and the mayor acknowledged the mistake, but not before about a dozen people snagged the mugs for $10 apiece. All proceeds from the store go back to the city.
Aaron Heron, CityStore’s inventory manager, said the new, accurate Mamdani mugs are selling like hotcakes.
Elizabeth Kim/Gothamist
About 275 of the mayoral miscount mugs were taken off the shelves and remain in storage. Kastanis said there are no plans to sell them, although ideas about what to do with them are being “floated.”
But what if an eager collector were to make an offer for the novelty 111th mayor mugs?
“I would say, ‘I'm terribly sorry. While I might love to sell them to you, we have a lot of 112 mugs on sale right now,’” Kastanis said.
Misprints can become collectibles. Examples include baseball cards, currency and a royal British wedding invitation.
The city has sold mayoral mugs going back to at least Mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to Kastanis.
Demand for Mamdani memorabilia has been strong. Following his historic win last year, vendors all over the city have been selling yellow “Zohran for New York City” beanies, bandanas and Mamdani T-shirts.
Coffee mugs marking the three recent mayoral administrations.
Katie Honan/The City
The 112th mayoral mugs went on sale last month and have been popular with customers, according to Aaron Heron, CityStore’s inventory manager.
“People have been asking about them since his inauguration,” Heron said.
Katie Honan, a City Hall reporter for the news outlet The City, was among the first to buy one of the new 112th mayor mugs. The new mug joins others in her collection marking Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams’ administrations.
“Since I have the two other mugs, I was on the lookout for Mamdani’s,” Honan said. “I probably actually have a mug buying problem.”
Tagged
Politics
new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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