Antique beer steins, mugs and tankards are prized for their craftsmanship and colorful ornamentation and scenes. They can be found in many styles and materials, including copper, pewter, silver, pottery, ivory, porcelain, glass and wood. Many steins were imported to the U.S. from Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially from the city of Mettlach, whose potteries produced thousands of the vessels.

The beer stein had its origins in the mid-1500's along the Rhine river in Germany, when small towns began producing functional drinking vessels decorated by enameling and glazing. Each town or area adding their own flair or nuance. By the 1860s, factories around Westerwald and Dresden began producing ornamental steins for display, and continued doing so until WW1, from which the industry never fully recovered.

Lately there's been renewed interest in collecting beer steins with unique designs, including reproductions of works by famous artists. Designs reflect everything from historical battles to comical faces and even car racing and baseball. While many steins have been produced and marketed as collectibles, the most valuable continue to be pre-1900 German handmade steins.

Interviews & Articles

Beer Steins, From Stoneware to Faience

I’ve been a beer stein collector for about 25 years. About 10 years ago I sold my business, a specialty database provider. At that… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Beer Stein Library

Beer Stein Library

Though partially restricted to members-only, this site has a huge amount of free, publicly available and incredibly… [read review or visit site]

Red Fox Chapter

Red Fox Chapter

The guys at the Connecticut Chapter of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America have created a full-on tribute to t… [read review or visit site]

Bottle Cap Index

Bottle Cap Index

Assembled by Gunther Rademacher with the help of several other contributors, this collection of over half a million… [read review or visit site]

British Beer Labels

British Beer Labels

This pre-1965 collection is organized alphabetically by brand and contains scans of seemingly thousands of beautif… [read review or visit site]

Plopsite.de

Plopsite.de

Norbert Lamping's collection of 600+ ceramic bottle stoppers, Hutter stoppers, swingtops, swivel stoppers, and ligh… [read review or visit site]

Bock Beer Labels

Bock Beer Labels

A quick tour of pre-Prohibition bock beer label designs with nice, high resolution scans. Do the whole slide show o… [read review or visit site]

Trappist Beers and Monks

Trappist Beers and Monks

An interesting site dedicated to Trappist beers and the history of the development of beer brewed by Trappist Bened… [read review or visit site]



Clubs & Associations: Breweriana

Other Great Reference Sites: Breweriana

Top eBay Auctions

Showing 60. See all 327 by  highest bidmost watchedcompleted
Antique 18thc Georgian Solid Silver Hand Embossed Tankard, London C.1790Antique 18thc Georgian Solid Silver Embossed Lidded Tankard, London C.1766Antique Sterling Silver Tankard Newcastle 1806 Dorothy Langlands 22ozImportant Georgian Solid Silver Large Mug Tankard 1773 Hallmarked Sterling NrR.s. Steeple Tankard 14" Rosebud Mold #7 W/ Poppys & Flowers, Iridescent Finish Stunning Antique 18 / 19th C Norwegian Carved Wooden Treen Tankard Not Tine BoxBudweiser Osprey Stein Low NumberAntique 18thc Georgian Solid Silver Embossed Lidded Tankard, London C.1718Antique Mettlach Pottery Pug Beer Stein Falstaff Large 3 Liter Germany* Rare* Budweiser Anheuser-busch Pewter Lidded Stein Birds Of Prey Osprey Cs212 Superb Georgian English Silver Tankard C.1770Rare Hard To Find Budweiser Spuds Mackenzie Bud Light Stein Germany Mint!Strohs Wildlife Stein Collection Set Of 4 With Boxes, Not BudweiserAmazing C. 1900 Mettlach Stein "hopfen U. Malz, Gott Erhalt's"Cb Heavy Vintage 18k Gold Beer Stein W/ Hinged Lid Charm/pendantEnglish Sterling Silver William & Mary Re-creation Tankard 1913 Rare SizeOutstanding Georgian Solid Silver Mug Tankard 1790 Hallmarked Sterling London NrStunning Heavy Early Victorian John Evans Ii Highly Ornate Solid Silver TankardOld Mettlach Villeroy & Boch Lidded .5 L Stein Hein Bird & Hunting Scene 1823 **Pre-1908 Ohio Art Pottery Clarus Ware Stein And Mugs Neo-classic Design GildingFabulous, Rare Georgian Solid Sterling Silver Half Pint Barrel Tankard Mug, 1805London 1768 George Iii Sterling Silver Pint Tankard Francis Crump 13.62 Troy Oz.Antique Large 3 1/2 Liter Stein Gut Heil Military Regimental Figural Handle1/2l Mettlach Hand-painted Beer Stein - 1526 - Student AssociationAntique Mettlach Boch Hunters Drinking By Fire 2922 German Lidded SteinRare Vintage Mettlach-germany Lidded Beer Stein #2035Schultz And Dooley Syracuse Orangemen 2003 Championship Limited Stein Utica Club5 Budweiser St Patricks Day Steins 1991-1993-1995-1996-2000Vintage Anheuser-busch Budweiser Can Stein MugWhite's Utica Andrew Jackson Cobalt Salt Glaze Blue Gray Stoneware Lidded SteinTalavera Large Mug/ Stein (set Of 6)Michelob SteinAntique Girmscheid Woman Artist Beautiful Things #931 German Lidded SteinGerman Antique Beer Stein - Shooting ThemeWhites Of Utica Two Color Cobalt Brown Salt Glaze Blue Gray Stoneware Beer SteinAntique Old Hand Painted Mettlach Stein 1/4 L Man Smoking Cigar 2793 Mettlach Stein- Dancing Peasants1981 Budweiser Holiday Stein Cs 50Schultz And Dooley The Giant First Edition 1st Ed Stein Utica Club Fx Matts1965 Budweiser Anheuser-busch Stein Blue Blazer Award EditionUtica Club Uncle Sam Stein Matt Brewing 2011** Hand Signed By Nick & Fred Matt**Antique German Regimental Lithopane Beer Stein W/locomotive Train Lid 1911-1913 1981 Budweiser Holiday Stein Christmas Mug Snowy Woodlands Cs50 Fx Matt I Collectors Club Heritage Collection Stein Utica Club Fx MattsVintage 1981 Budweiser Beer Mug Stein Clydesdales Ceramarte Brazil1981 Budweiser Holiday Stein Christmas Mug Cs50 Snowy WoodlandsZinn Pewter Stein Albrecht Durer Knights In TrainingHorlacher Perfection Beer Lidded Stein Allentown Pa Old!!! Pre-prohibitionL@@k! Red Tonka Fire Dept Jeep W/ Removable Tankard!American Brilliant Cut Glass Tankard AbpCrown Devon Fielding's Musical 1937 Coronation King George Vi Tankard .Beautiful19th Century Villeroy & Boch Mettlach German Made Lidded Stein 10" Tall1980 Budweiser Holiday Stein Cs19 "rare" Red & Black Stenciled Lettering Budweiser 1981 Holiday Stein Cs 501/2l Mettlach Pug Beer Stein - Gnomes In The Golden Age 673(1909)Royal Doulton Series Ware Tankard - Canterbury Pilgrims D3188Royal Doulton Tankard Mug Under The Greenwood Tree Robin Hood PerfectAmerican Indian Chief Belleek Cac Handpainted Mug Tankard Warrior Green MarkBudweiser Stein 1981 Snowy WoodlandsGerman Regimental Beer Stein Old Antique Vintage Infantry Military Tankard

Recent News: Beer Steins

Source: Google News

Memories and dishes auctioned at the Wine Cellar
Tampabay.com, May 15th

There's an antique butter churn and a tangled nest of Christmas decoration. At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Bay Area Auction Services Ken gazes up at the object of his desire: a row of German beer steins. They are not in the restaurant business, but...Read more

Vacation Iowa: 2013 East Region events
DesMoinesRegister.com, May 12th

29 — Beer and Brat Festival, Amana: Millstream Brewing. 4-8 p.m. Mini brats, mini Millstream beers. Enjoy live country music, delicious Iowa pork chop cook-out, exhibits, carnival games, antique truck display, the Super Truck Beauty Contest...Read more

Mansion built by Rainier Brewery founder gets a contemporary touch
The Seattle Times, May 10th

It's down here in the cool of the basement that Hakala has built a state-of-the-art brewery to make his own label of beer. He points out the home's century-old trim, "All these cornices and the casework were designed to hold beer steins, after all...Read more

8313 Greenwood Ave N
TheStranger.com, May 8th

The sloshy good times happen at the places below and all over town—check seattlebeerweek.com for more, and celebrate the best beer city in the world (according to Seattle Beer Week) with beer! recommended BITTERROOT • Ballard: Bitterroot, in the old...Read more

Leland Lodell Shaul
Yakima Herald-Republic (press release), May 8th

He enjoyed simple pleasures, his home and family, fishing, hunting, camping, writing poetry and collecting antiques. He had an extensive collection of antique doorknobs, beer steins and calendars spanning a century. He is survived by his wife...Read more

From A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or ...
Vanity Fair, May 5th

Ripley never mocked the efforts of men such as E. L. Blystone, who wrote 1,615 letters of the alphabet on a grain of rice, or the two German railroad workers who drank 372 glasses of beer in 17 hours, or Jim White, who towed cars with his teeth, or the...Read more

Date a Geek: Adri Cowan of Springpad - Chip Chick
Chip Chick, April 26th

I'd love to lunch with Gertrude Stein; I want to be inspired by her stories, what she accomplished, her life in Paris and the people she knew. Plus, it would Be a geek about antique cars, craft beer, vinyl or bird-watching, whatever brings you joy...Read more

Readers write: Column about downsizing parents strikes a chord
Denver Post, April 19th

Like you, some of the antiques and treasures got mixed up with the regular stuff. Like you, we found And, if a professional prices Dad's beer stein at $5 and takes half the proceeds, that may be more than the dollar you were going to sell it for...Read more