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Beer Steins
About Collectible Antique Beer Steins
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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Upcoming Events
- Stein Collectors International 2010 Convention
Sep 9–11. Myrtle Beach, SC. - Western States Beer Show
Mar 25–27. Las Vegas, NV. - 35th Annual Spring Beer Can & Breweriana Blast
May 2. Medina, OH.
Interviews & Articles
An Interview With Antique Beer Stein Collector Frank Loevi
I’ve been a beer stein collector for about 25 years. About 10 years ago I sold my business, a specialty database pr… [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]
Just For Openers
This site features photos of beer advertising openers from the early 1900s, organized alphabetically by state. But … [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]
Beuhbaba's Beer Collection
This site features a fascinating variety of over 1000 beer bottle labels from around the world. Though focused main… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
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
- BeerHistory.com
- Modelbeertrucks.com
- OhioBreweriana.com
- Lemp Breweriana
- BeerNapkins.com
- Historic Ales, Beers and Breweries of Rhode Island
- Hotmog's Victorian Breweriana
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Recent News: Beer Steins
Source: Google News
Biergarten Haus brings a German beer garden to H Street
Washington Post (blog), March 19th
(Those beer towers lying on top of the bar were imported from Germany.) (Fritz Hahn - The Washington Post) A selection of antique steins hangs on the wall...Read more
Brickell Irish Pub gets crowds in the St. Patrick's Day spirit
Miami New Times, March 16thAll sorts of Irish symbols, beer logos, brothership rings, and so forth hang on the walls alongside sizable panels of intricately carved wood and antique...Read more
Nest Egg Auctions LLC
Antiques and the Arts Online, March 12th
Collection of Miniature kerosene and whale oil lamps sold in lots, pair of canton pierced bowls, selection of beer steins incl. 18th and 19th century,...Read more
Local Man King of Beers Collector
WHTM-TV, March 12thAmong the rarest items in Woodside's collection, which he calls Bud City, are a beer stein, bottle and bill of sale from when the pride of Anheuser-Busch...Read more
There's a New Deal at Roosevelt's Dorm
New York Times, March 11thoutdoor antiques shows in Brimfield, Mass.; they will fan out across the fields, seeking accessories like sports pennants, stuffed owls and beer steins...Read more
Missing person
Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal, March 8th27 police were called to a residence on Stanley Park Dr. in Cache Creek to investigate the theft of two milk crates full of antique bottles that went...Read more
Vintage art-metal vases are collectible
Press of Atlantic City, March 5thI would appreciate your comments about the stein and its worth. - CE, Longport Answer: Your stoneware, #2065-mold beer stein was made by Villeroy and Boch...Read more
Von Stuck bronze hits $20880 at Litchfield County sale
USPRwire (press release), February 25thart and antiques, including two single-owner collections, one of early Mediterranean furniture and another of over 300 outstanding Mettlach beer steins...Read more