Artillery shell character steins (or) “Let’s just blow the shit out of each other the whole year long, but sing ‘Merry Christmas’ on one day of the year, okay?”

Now, is this not a happy scene?  A nice Christmas Tree for the boys that have been blown apart in the trenches during WWI!

For an even more “makes me want to puke! ”  video produced in 2014  by Sansbury’s   (an English food firm) trying to be politically correct 100 years later!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM&feature=youtu.be

No need for me to reinvent the wheel, so for a brief history of Artillery Shells (the real ones) please see:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(projectile)

Having been in the Franco – Prussian war, just after two smaller local wars, and then engaged in two “World Wars ”  the German artisans have made lots of “CHARACTER” beer steins that look like artillery shells. Most will carry dates that defines which war they were made in.

Most were from shells and were converted into hand made steins. These are called  “Trench Art Steins,” as shown below ▼.

A really well done piece of “Trench Art”, comes with a compass mounted on the lid (below). (TSACO)

.5 Liter.Trench Art, brass & copper, Artillery Shell, Lid engraved with Iron Cross, 1914 – 1917.

PORCELAIN STEINS – NOT RESERVIST”S

Shell – Character stein, .5L, porcelain,  porcelain inlaid lid.

Shell – .5 liter, an all  porcelain body and lid’s head is painted brass.

POTTERY STEINS

.5 liter ceramic body, with a real brass head inserted in it

Same as above .5 liter ceramic body, but with a different lid, all pewter.

.5 liter, Stoneware , produced during the was with names of prominent battle areas. [TSACO]

 

.5 liter, stoneware [?] Commercially made to celebrate the first year of WWI. [TSACO]

ALL METAL STEINS

Shell, steel with copper rifling bands, and a bullet as a thumblift  The workmanship is so good it was probably a commercial one. [tsaco]

.

Pewter shell, same as above only with the Bavarian Coat of Arms on front. 7.5 IN.

Here is a novel approach in pewter also.▲: Relief portraits of the two men mostly responsible for the 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded. Ranking that war among the deadliest conflicts in human history.

American made shell. .3L, 7.4 In.  ht. – Pewter with a copper band. Marked N.G. Wood & Sons Makers, Boston, Mass., 1026, patent Dec. 14, 1909,  Applied award for Annual Shoot 1914, second prize. [tsaco]

 

 

American made shell. In much better condition, also by N. G. WOOD.

Above ▲a .5 liter Character stein in porcelain,  By Bohne.Germany . One of the most scarce  and expensive when found.

Bohne , Ernst (& Söhne)- For maker info, please  See  http://www.steinmarks.co.uk/pages/pv.asp?p=stein357

RESERVIST’S SHELL SHAPED BEER STEINS, ALL BEFORE WWI:

Style No. 1,  porcelain shell head with no finial;  2. Westf. Feld Artillerie Regiment 22 Münster.

 

Style No. 2 — All pewter shell head  with no finial..5L, 9.3 ht., porcelain, 4. Batt., bayr. Feld Artl. Regt. Nr. 12, Landau, 1904 – 1906, two side scenes, named to Reservist Jakob Ohmer, [TSACO]

Style No. 3. As No. 2 but with a brass insert “cone type” head inserted into the top. [TSACO

Style No.  4. This has a relief band around the bottom of the lid and a cannon finial.  5L, 12.2  ht., porcelain, 4. Battr., Feld Artl. Regt. Nr. 47, Fulda, 1909 – 1911, four side scenes, roster, horse & rider thumblift  Reservist Sauerbier. [tsaco]

While not a shell character stein, this .5 liter stoneware  PUG would certainly be a nice “Go-with” to a shell stein collection. Unknown maker.

[END – SOK – 30 – R5]

“Be yourself, everyone else is taken!   (Oscar Wilde)