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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.
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by 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
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
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
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
This pre-1965 collection is organized alphabetically by brand and contains scans of seemingly thousands of beautif… [read review or visit site]
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
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
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
- Stein Collectors International
- Red Fox Chapter
- American Breweriana Association
- Brewery Collectibles Club of America
- National Association Breweriana Advertising
Other Great Reference Sites: Breweriana
Top eBay Auctions
Antique 18thc Georgian Solid Silver Hand Embossed Tankard, London C.1790
Antique 18thc Georgian Solid Silver Embossed Lidded Tankard, London C.1766
Antique Sterling Silver Tankard Newcastle 1806 Dorothy Langlands 22oz
Important Georgian Solid Silver Large Mug Tankard 1773 Hallmarked Sterling Nr
R.s. Steeple Tankard 14" Rosebud Mold #7 W/ Poppys & Flowers, Iridescent Finish 
Stunning Antique 18 / 19th C Norwegian Carved Wooden Treen Tankard Not Tine Box
Budweiser Osprey Stein Low Number
Antique 18thc Georgian Solid Silver Embossed Lidded Tankard, London C.1718
Antique 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.1770
Rare Hard To Find Budweiser Spuds Mackenzie Bud Light Stein Germany Mint!
Strohs Wildlife Stein Collection Set Of 4 With Boxes, Not Budweiser
Amazing C. 1900 Mettlach Stein "hopfen U. Malz, Gott Erhalt's"
Cb Heavy Vintage 18k Gold Beer Stein W/ Hinged Lid Charm/pendant
English Sterling Silver William & Mary Re-creation Tankard 1913 Rare Size
Outstanding Georgian Solid Silver Mug Tankard 1790 Hallmarked Sterling London Nr
Stunning Heavy Early Victorian John Evans Ii Highly Ornate Solid Silver Tankard
Old 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 Gilding
Fabulous, Rare Georgian Solid Sterling Silver Half Pint Barrel Tankard Mug, 1805
London 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 Handle
1/2l Mettlach Hand-painted Beer Stein - 1526 - Student Association
Antique Mettlach Boch Hunters Drinking By Fire 2922 German Lidded Stein
Rare Vintage Mettlach-germany Lidded Beer Stein #2035
Schultz And Dooley Syracuse Orangemen 2003 Championship Limited Stein Utica Club
5 Budweiser St Patricks Day Steins 1991-1993-1995-1996-2000
Vintage Anheuser-busch Budweiser Can Stein Mug
White's Utica Andrew Jackson Cobalt Salt Glaze Blue Gray Stoneware Lidded Stein
Talavera Large Mug/ Stein (set Of 6)
Michelob Stein
Antique Girmscheid Woman Artist Beautiful Things #931 German Lidded Stein
German Antique Beer Stein - Shooting Theme
Whites Of Utica Two Color Cobalt Brown Salt Glaze Blue Gray Stoneware Beer Stein
Antique Old Hand Painted Mettlach Stein 1/4 L Man Smoking Cigar 2793 
Mettlach Stein- Dancing Peasants
1981 Budweiser Holiday Stein Cs 50
Schultz And Dooley The Giant First Edition 1st Ed Stein Utica Club Fx Matts
1965 Budweiser Anheuser-busch Stein Blue Blazer Award Edition
Utica 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 Matts
Vintage 1981 Budweiser Beer Mug Stein Clydesdales Ceramarte Brazil
1981 Budweiser Holiday Stein Christmas Mug Cs50 Snowy Woodlands
Zinn Pewter Stein Albrecht Durer Knights In Training
Horlacher Perfection Beer Lidded Stein Allentown Pa Old!!! Pre-prohibition
L@@k! Red Tonka Fire Dept Jeep W/ Removable Tankard!
American Brilliant Cut Glass Tankard Abp
Crown Devon Fielding's Musical 1937 Coronation King George Vi Tankard .
Beautiful19th Century Villeroy & Boch Mettlach German Made Lidded Stein 10" Tall
1980 Budweiser Holiday Stein Cs19 "rare" Red & Black Stenciled Lettering 
Budweiser 1981 Holiday Stein Cs 50
1/2l Mettlach Pug Beer Stein - Gnomes In The Golden Age 673(1909)
Royal Doulton Series Ware Tankard - Canterbury Pilgrims D3188
Royal Doulton Tankard Mug Under The Greenwood Tree Robin Hood Perfect
American Indian Chief Belleek Cac Handpainted Mug Tankard Warrior Green Mark
Budweiser Stein 1981 Snowy Woodlands
German 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 15thThere'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 12th29 — 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 10thIt'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 8thThe 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 8thHe 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 5thRipley 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 26thI'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 19thLike 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