Your Stein: Old or New? (2024)

Stein Collectors International, Inc.

~ Your Stein: Old or New? ~ This is a composite of two earlier articles authored by SCI Master Steinologists Liselotte Lopez and Les Paul, corrections regarding import laws by John McGregor, with editing, photos and photo captions by Walt Vogdes

People who have acquired a stein or two through inheritance or as a gift oftenassume that it is easy to determine the value and age of a stein by simplyinspecting it. If a stein is well made and attractive, they figure, it isautomatically old and, therefore, valuable. Those with less craftsmanship arepresumed to be of recent vintage and worth far less. Others suspect the stein'sage can be determined by signs of wear (which can easily be faked), notrealizing that many old steins were never used for drinking, and mayconsequently appear almost new.

Contrary to these common assumptions, steins can be real puzzles, and numerouspitfalls await those who take anything for granted in the beer stein hobby.

Beer steins are a favored gift in Germany, frequently being inscribed with theowner's name and the date of a special occasion on the pewter lid or rim.Reliance on these dates, however, is very uncertain. Old lids are easily - andfrequently - attached to steins which lack a lid, and anyone who wants tomisrepresent the age of a stein can easily have a date inscribed in the pewter.These dates should only be used to corroborate the age of a stein, if the othertraits are consistent.

A second very common error is to conclude that a four-digit number on the baseor the side of the stein beginning with "17", "18" or"19" is a date. On certain very early steins and on some which werecustom decorated for a specific event like a wedding or birthday the date mayappear as an integral part of the design. But a number behind the handle orimpressed in the base is almost certainly a form or mold number assigned by themanufacturer, and it has nothing to do with the date the piece was produced.

We are often faced with conflicting generalizations regarding the approximateage of a stein. Antique and collectible dealers (and sellers on eBay!) confusethe issue when they refer to steins made 30 or 40 years ago as "old".The problem created is in deciding what to call a stein which is 100 years old.Or 200 or 300 years old. In this article we will use terminology which not onlyacknowledges the full period of stein production, but which has come into commonuse by the large body of stein collectors.

early	from the 16th through mid-19th century
old	from mid-19th to early 20th century
contemporary	post-World War II

These basics can be supplemented by the terms antique(covering both early and old), Jugendstil(referring to the "Art Nouveau" period from 1900 to about 1920), ThirdReich or sometimes simply military(used for steins with patriotic military themes of World War II) and modern(imprecise, but clearly implying very recent vintage).

Producing fine steins was not the exclusive domain of old stein makers. Today'sfirms, with modern technology and improved tools and materials, can and doproduce beautiful steins. And some of the old stein makers who routinely turnedout fine specimens and occasional masterpieces were simultaneously producingjunk for the tourist trade. Even Villeroy & Boch, makers of the famousMettlachs, made steins of varying quality and workmanship, from superior toquite ordinary.

Questions about age, value, type and maker have puzzled collectors ever sincesteins became collectibles. Much factual information, especially factoryrecords, was lost in the devastation of two world wars. The American collectorhas been further hampered by a lack of reference works in English. Thissituation has improved markedly in recent years. In addition to the manyarticles which have appeared in Prosit, new books have been published oncharacter steins, Regimental steins, the steins of the Diesinger and Hauber& Reuther factories and other areas of interest. Interested collectorsshould see A Stein Collector's Bibliography in the Library of this site.Even so, knowledge of Mettlach wares is still far advanced over other factories.Libraries do, of course, offer many books which can make the collector betterinformed about the basics of ceramics and glass.

For the serious collector, one of the best ways to get information is to joinStein Collectors International. There are also local stein collector clubs whichoffer members a chance to see and hold antique steins, by far the best way tolearn about them.

An Apostle stein, c. 1900, in the style of earlier Kreusenpieces.

Most beer steins come from Germany, where they were made at least as early asthe 15th century. Outstanding pottery centers were Cologne, Siegburg and Frechenin the Rhineland, and Kreussen in Bavaria. Many small, unimportant peasantpotteries came and went, their wares, names and locations long ago forgotten.Today's collector is not likely to come across a stein that is 300 years old.But he can expect to find steins made in imitation of those early products, inaccordance with the decorative tastes of the Historismus period in thelate 19th century.

Around 1850 stein production experienced a tremendous upswing, and untoldthousands of beer steins of every imaginable kind were produced in an area ofthe Westerwald called Kannenbäckerland (or jug baker's land), which hasa history of pottery making that stretches back hundreds of years. World War Iforced many stein makers to limit their output - the shortage of raw materialsand labor eventually stopped production. When stein making resumed after 1918,it never regained the former level. Fine steins were no longer items of dailyuse.

During the 60 year "heyday" numerous workshops and factories werefounded or expanded. Some were successful and are still in business; otherlasted but a few years. Marking their products with a firm name was notimportant to 19th-century manufacturers, and many steins are found without anyidentification of who made them. Some manufacturers marked only their topquality steins with their name. Ordinary steins, made in large quantities fordaily use, frequently did not warrant the extra time and effort it took toimpress or stamp the name. Even more frustrating to collectors is the fact thateven some well-marked steins remain a mystery. It was not until recent yearsthat Schierholz was identified as the maker of the beautiful "Musterschutz"character steins, and Diesinger as the manufacturer of the steins previouslyknown as "DRGM", but other mysteries remain.

After the German “Merchandise Marks Act of 1887,” German products that wereto be exported, including beer steins, had to be marked either “Germany,” or“Made in Germany.” Those destined for the domestic German market, however,were not required to be marked, and many were not. The “McKinley Tariff Act of1891” (US) had no effect on German products, because they were already beingmarked due to the earlier German law. During the existence of East and WestGermany (1949-1990) steins produced for export could be marked either"Western Germany" or simply "Germany". The first of thesetwo marks conclusively dates the stein to this period; the appearance of thesecond mark only indicates manufacture post-1887. And the absence of any markindicating the country of origin is inconclusive as to date.

Trademarks, when they are present, are frequently a good determinant of age, anda look through the article "The Basic Marks - A Beginning" in theLibrary may allow you to identify your steins. Most companies which producedsteins over a long period of time changed their trademarks periodically,allowing collectors to date their pieces within a specific timeframe. Somefirms, such as King, Goebel, Ceramarte, Rastal, Franklin Mint and Avon, amongothers, only came into existence and began to produce steins in the post-WWIIperiod. Gerz has changed their trademark to "Gerzit", indicatingcontemporary manufacture. Other terms which are indicative of this period are"West Germany" or "W. Germany", "Japan","Original", "Hand-Malerei" or "Hand-painted","Limited Edition" and "Alt Grenzau".

Most firms, some of them only tiny workshops with less than 10 employees, kepthaphazard records or none at all. Two world wars took their toll on Germanfactories, destroying what records there were along with the buildings. Twicethe country's currency was devalued, and many pottery firms went bankrupt,especially after the monetary crisis of the early 1930s. All files, designs,catalogs and firm histories went down with them. Some of the steins, oftenunmarked, fared better and outlived their originators to find themselves on ashelf in some American collector's stein room. Many of the owners are stillasking the eternal question: Who made them, and when?

We can only attempt to list some of the most common stein materials and thebetter known marks here. Exceptions exist in every stein category, and allstatements are therefore general.

Since earthenware steins are among the mostcommon, we'll start with them. Old and new earthenware steins range in bodycolor from pale ivory to dark brown. Their decoration is mostly relief,showing domestic life, the hunt, courting couples or drinking scenes.Predominant background colors are either dark green, cobalt blue or brown, withmaroon, pink or black highlights. On some old steins, the relief figures arehand painted with various colors, a process repeated on new steins.

Das Gnomenfest (c. 1900) - An earthenwarestein with relief decoration showing dwarfs (Zwerge) in processionthrough the forest, carrying a barrel of beer, a horn player leading the way.The dark background color is typical. The twisted-branch handle is a signatureof the Girmscheid factory. The lid and thumblift are lightweight pewter.

This half-liter stein is marked HR, dating it c.1900. It combines a tapestry style with pebbled background and an etched designof the popular Münchner Kindl.

Earthenware and stoneware steins with etched outlinedecoration are among the most desirable and expensive specimens.Music boxes were often mounted in hollow bottomed steins made around 1900, andmusic-making steins are still produced.

Multicolored relief steins are made in large numbers today and sold in gift anddepartment stores and tourist areas. Their clay composition, due to improvedmining and purifying techniques plus modern production methods, may make themsuperior to yesterday's steins which were still partially made by hand. Theirexecution, however, is sometimes not as careful as it might be. One finds facesand figures painted in a rough, imprecise manner, with gaudy colors than run.Other flaws are also found - even stray chunks of clay fired onto the bottom byaccident. Their cone-shaped metal lids pretend to be pewter but seldom look it.

Despite primitive working conditions and the absence of automatic machinery,steins produced before 1900 are generally better made since there was stricterquality control. It seems that the older the steins, the more attention todetail the work received (mold lines ground off, clear features and outlines,background color only where it should be).

But not every stein buyer of the 19th century could afford the best, so therewas a wide range of prices and quality. Fortunately, few of the inferior onesare still around today.

A miniature porcelain stein, transfer decoratedwith a butterfly and flower design, then highlighted by hand. Porcelain is avery hard type of ceramic, entirely vitrified during the firing process, with aglass-like appearance and surface.

A second category is porcelain steins. Theseare decorated with hand painting, transfer or decal printing, and sometimes acombination of both. Old regimental and occupational steins only seem handpainted. As a rule they are transfer printedwith some areas filled in by hand painting and enameling. Only the very earliestor specially made regimentals are entirely hand painted. Gold and silverdecoration are sometimes found on porcelain steins, and many have translucentpictures, or lithophanes, in the bottom.Lithophanes in old steins are generally of fine detail and may be extremelythin; in new steins they are cruder and thicker. One new lithophane depicts anude, a motif which would have been frowned upon by rural people in Germany,which did not escape the influence of the Victorian age. Many new lithophanepictures are patterned after the originals, showing identical scenes with onlyslight variations - one must look at old lithophanes to learn the difference.Old porcelain steins can be pedestaled and flared; others are straight sided.Some reproduction porcelain steins are recognized by flared bodies and bottomswith a large diameter. Old porcelain steins are seldom marked, but beware.New, imported steins which must list the country of origin may have thecountry's name obliterated. Rough, scratched areas of dull spots in theporcelain glaze (usually on the bottom) can indicate sandpapering and should beconsidered with caution.

Reproduction regimentals have been made foryears. There never was any intent by their makers to pass them off as theoriginal reservist's steins so popular around the turn of the century. It is theuninformed or unscrupulous person who is responsible if "old" pricesare asked for reproductions. Usually, the novice collector, lacking sufficientknow-how, gets burned. But even old pros at stein collecting have been duped.[Editor's note: See the article on this subject in the Library.]

Creamware pottery steins look likeporcelain, but they are a class by themselves. The German term for this type ofstein is Steingut. They resemble porcelain but are lighter and have nolithophane. Cheaper than china, they were decorated in the same way as porcelainsteins and are easier to chip and break.

Steins of earthenware, stoneware and creamware may all be painted, some withenamel highlights. Others are transfer printed, with hand painting over theglaze or printed under the glaze. Hand painting is usually a sign of oldersteins. Today's labor costs are too high to allow it.

A saltglazed pouring stein, decorated in typicalcobalt and manganese colors. This stein, bearing the trademark of Merkelbach& Wick, was made around 1900 in the style of earlier Westerwald pieces.

A century or so ago, most large stein firms manufactured both earthenware andstoneware and did their own decorating-painting , as well as pewter work. Todaythey may specialize in one or the other. Some stoneware steins are saltglazed -in the old days these were the least expensive. Saltglazedstoneware may be decorated with cobalt blue or manganese-violet slipbefore firing. This process became known in the Westerwald area around themiddle of the 17th century. Stoneware steins carry the same motifs asearthenware but are vitrified and consequently more resistant to breakage.

Brewery steins (straight-sided, plain greystoneware with beer or brewery names on the front) are in wide use throughoutGermany and Bavaria in particular, their shape little changed in the last 130years. Most are saltglazed, which makes them ideal for use in beer gardens andinns, as they can take a lot of heavy use. Others appear saltglazed (you cantell the real McCoy by its grainy, pebbly surface, similar to that of anorange), but are in fact covered with a shiny glaze not achieved in a salt kiln.

Figural steins in the shape of a head, animal or human figure, either partial orcomplete, are generally called character steins.They may be made of porcelain, stoneware or earthenware. Occasionally one findsa date on the pewter lid rim. Old and well-made character steins, especially inporcelain, are as prized as Mettlachs and just as expensive. Some have theGerman word Musterschutz on the bottom. This merely means "designprotection" or "patented design" and is not the name of amanufacturer.

German character steins of more recent make (from around the late 1940s to thepresent) are showing up in increasing numbers due to their great popularity inthis country. These often hilarious, gaudy, well-made or kitschy characters canbe found in gift shops as well as antiques shops for anywhere from a little to alot of money. [Editor's note: In addition to entirely knew character steins,such as the Schulz and Dooley series, or the Corona animals, some of the finestporcelain character steins are being made today using molds which are 100 yearsold. These latter steins, unless scrupulously marked by today's manufacturer,are easily confused with the originals.]

Some imports from Japan have recently been made available to collectors who,after ordering what looked like fairly decent character steins, were shocked toreceive cheap "monsters". Most deserve to be hidden rather thandisplayed!

Old glass steins are especially difficult toassess - almost none were marked with a name and very few with a date. They maybe cut, engraved, etched, painted or pressed. Except for the pressed ones, mostwere mouth blown and had handles attached in a separate process.

A half-liter clear glass stein, hand-blown with appliedhandle, c. 1865. The body has been faceted around the base, thumbprint cut abovethe waistline, and fitted with a porcelain inlaid lid in pewter mounts. Theposition of the thumblift (over the lid) and the closed pewter hinge indicatethe earlier date. The traditional pastoral scene on the inlay is typical.

Early glass steins lack the brilliance of modern glass, and old mold-blownsteins have imperfections such as lime or sand spots, swirls, discolorations andstreaks. Their designs lack sharpness, and pontil marks are visible. Glasssteins which are plain, cut or etched and have a painted porcelain insert in thepewter lid can generally be considered old. But it is not difficult for anenterprising quick-buck artist to switch lids or salvage them from broken steinsand mount them on recently produced glass steins. At least one German glasshouseis rumored to be making mold-blown steins using old forms.

Pewter lids and their shapes play asignificant role in determining stein age. Most old pewter lids are of medium toheavy weight pewter, not inexpensive for their time, in shapes more elaboratethan today's (although even 100 years ago one could order the cheaper steinswith thin, flimsy pewter covers). Prior to World War II steepled pewter lidswere made using a three or four part mold which produced undercuts and finials,mirror smooth interiors, and much heavier, more durable pewter lids. Modern spunpewter lids are made in a single cone-shaped mold, have knurlingridges inside and are very thin. They tear easily at the tang or point ofattachment. Cone-shaped spun pewter lids were produced in the pre-war era, butthey were in the minority. Today these less expensive pewter lids have almostcompletely replaced their heavier molded predecessors. Finally, not all steinswere adorned with lids; some drinkers thought it a troublesome items and anunnecessary expense.

Pewter darkens with age and exposure to the air. The inside of the lid, which isnot exposed, will remain shiny and bright. This external patina is coveted bymost stein collectors today who think it a crime to clean and polish a pewterlid. The absence of this patina suggests a newly-made lid, but this is notnecessarily the case. High grade pewter on steins which were kept locked incabinets and seldom used can look like soft silver and still be more than 100years old. On the other hand, steins which stood in dank cellars or spentdecades in unheated attics may have pitted, darkish pewter lids, and blemishesand pitting on pewter is undesirable. Some new lids on reproductions have beendipped in a darkening chemical to make them look old, but the interior of thelid will be darkened as well, giving away their true age.

A high quality relief pewter lid appearing on an Oktoberfeststein manufactured in 1985. The detail is exceptional.

The excellent pewter shown above is contrasted with thisexample of heavy glaze which obscures all detail.

Germany's contemporary stein industry does put some fine pewter lids atop thebetter souvenir steins - many are almost indistinguishable from the old. Someare artificially darkened to resemble antique pewter. On cheap, mass-producedsouvenir steins, imitation pewter lids are common. These cone-shaped covers,with fewer moldings and far less detail than the originals, have a harsh, shinymetal look. The letters DRGM plus a number may be visible on the inside.

Today's stein makers turn out everythingfrom superb artistic specimens to kitsch. Many are made in the traditionalmanner - closely imitating motifs of yesteryear. There is no magic date afterwhich steins suddenly looked different from those made earlier; it is a subtlevariation in the manner of decoration, form, coloring and lid, most noticeablein cheap steins. Separating new unmarked steins of fine workmanship and qualityfrom the old can be a difficult task. Regrettably, some manufacturers stillneglect to permanently mark their steins; some use only an easily removed paperlabel. [Editor's note: It's possible, but rare, to find an original paper labelon a stein which is 100 years old. It's impossible to find an old stein"with the original box".]

There is a trend among ceramics firms to market more steins of artistic meritand higher quality. A few have taken their old molds out of storage and aremaking new copies of old steins. This is so-noted on the bottoms, sometimes byusing the term "Original". The healthy worldwide market for goodsteins has also led to production of limited edition steins.