A beloved collection of Jim Beam whiskey decanters belonging to former Jefferson County Treasurer Donald E. Couch have made their way back home to the Treasurer’s Office and are once again on display there. The collection consists of 34 whiskey and wine decanters honoring the Republican and Democratic political parties in pairs of elephants and donkeys. The Jim Beam whiskey decanters are the complete line of Beam’s Political Decanter Series. The genuine handcrafted Regal China decanters commemorate each election year from 1956 to 1988. The rest of the collection contains decanters created by Ski Country, Ezra Brooks, Hoffman Distilling Company, and Federal Distillers as well as three sets of Italian wine decanters.
Couch, who served as treasurer from 1970-1989, collected the decanters over the course of his career. His wife donated them to the citizens of Jefferson County upon his death in 1989. The decanters were on display in the Treasurer’s office for many years until downsizing and reshuffling of office space in the Administration and Courts Facility meant the loss of display space. The decanters were packed up and transferred to the Jefferson County Archives in 2010 where they remained until now.
When current Jeffco Treasurer Jerry DiTullio learned about the decanters, he had the display cases reinstalled. The Archives returned the collection to his office and the decanters are once again on display for all to enjoy. DiTullio is quite serious about honoring county history. You may remember that not long ago, he had the county’s old cannonball safe brought out of storage for display in his office. The next time you find yourself in the building, stop by the Treasurer’s office where you can view both exhibits!
Ronda Frazier, Jefferson County Archivist