Steve On Steins

A lifelong collection of beer stein knowledge.

  • Fakes and Scams Some of the famous recent ones.

    Fakes and Scams Some of the famous recent ones.

    “Fakes and Scams,” some of the famous recent ones. NOTE TO NEW COLLECTORS: Fakes abound! Especially in what is called “Russian Silver” and it has been done in vast amounts. Even before their revolution the famous Russian -smith were making highly collectible and sought after pieces for silver / tankard collectors all over the world, therefore the reason…

  • “Members Only” page.

    “Members Only” page.

      “Note from Mikey: I’m leaving this oddball of a page up mostly because – to remove it would be to sanitize some of the little quirky things Steve thought were important to share – with little concern for how they might translate down the road… Maybe – if I come across enough of them…

  • Pass Cups (1) – A Short History.

    Pass Cups (1) – A Short History.

      Peter Brueghel (or Bruegel), the Flemish painter (1525-69), shows us an excellent example of a three-handled, Rhenish stoneware pass cup being put to good use. Here shown above the holder of the large pottery vessel is waiting for the bagpiper to complete his tune and will then pass the cup along to the thirsty…

  • Guest writer’s articles:”The Beginnings of Ruby Glass.” – by Judy Stuart

    Guest writer’s articles:”The Beginnings of Ruby Glass.” – by Judy Stuart

    A S.C.I. member  and member of Gambrinus Stein (Collecting) Club of Virginia, Maryland and DC. As I have become a slightly more than a novice stein collector, I have found myself thinking about things that I never thought about before.  For example, why were these beautiful drinking vessels, steins, pokals, beakers, etc. made from so…

  • Guest writer’s articles: “Glass Steins with Set-On-Lids.” – by Norman Paratore [Gambrinus Beer Stein Collectors’ Club]

    Guest writer’s articles: “Glass Steins with Set-On-Lids.” – by Norman Paratore [Gambrinus Beer Stein Collectors’ Club]

    Norman is a friend of mine and a member of the “Gambrinus Stein (Collectors’) Club ” of  Virginia, Maryland and DC, and of SCI. Okay, what do you call these things?  By the Stein Collectors International’s (SCI’s, and the commonly accepted definition, it is not a stein because the lid is not attached to the body or…

  • Bronze Steins and Other Bronze Drinking Vessels, A Short Review.

    Bronze Steins and Other Bronze Drinking Vessels, A Short Review.

    sos-r[Editor’s note 6-1-2013l   Anyone interested in Copper, or old mining should enjoy reading this article I did! ~ http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/01/mes-aynak-afghanistans-buddhist-buried-treasure-faces-destruction/ BRONZE BEER STEINS AND OTHER DRINKING VESSELS: Steins made out of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, are extremely hard to find, and when found are “usually” old and expensive, due to the process of making…

  • Guest writer’s articles: “An exercise in dating a pewter pass cup.” – by Jerry Berg

    Guest writer’s articles: “An exercise in dating a pewter pass cup.” – by Jerry Berg

    Member and Past President of the “Carolina Steiners”, and SCI. Editor’s Note This is a very interesting article it touches on a small collectible sub-set of drinking vessels; “The Pass Cup”, It has a lot of boxing history, pewter info, its engraving and how to use chalk to enhance a photo. It was originally published  in…

  • Two European Imperial Beer Beakers. (Now Three Austrian and One Russian)

    Two European Imperial Beer Beakers. (Now Three Austrian and One Russian)

    TWO EUROPEAN IMPERIAL BEER BEAKERS:  THE STORY BEHIND “THE AUSTRIAN IMPERIAL BEAKER.” This 5 inch tall heavily engraved pewter beaker is called  “The Austrian Imperial Beaker”  (Or the “Maundy Thursday” Beaker). [WFTD] They were presentation pewter beakers from the Emperor / Empress of Austria, given to the 12 oldest men and women in the City of Vienna on the…

  • How I Clean Old Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver, & Silver-plate.

    How I Clean Old Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver, & Silver-plate.

    NOTE:  CLEANERS AND POLISHERS ARE NOT THE SAME TO ME  ►  TWO SEPARATE PROCESSES! An example of one process described below: A pre-revolutionary Russian brass “pass cup” with copper body rings. I used “King Midas” (a great cleaner, but it is  now KAPUT! = Out of business.) to get the initial oxidation off and then “MAAS” to…

  • Weygang’s [2] Towers, Servers, Flasks, Wine Cans, etc. – (AWPD)

    Weygang’s [2] Towers, Servers, Flasks, Wine Cans, etc. – (AWPD)

    Weygang beaker  – ebay ad said: 18th Century Pewter Gothic Wine Goblet footed w Gargoyles – Marked W-A 1726-Rare. So sorry sport .Wrong! MORE “WEYGANG FAMILY” BEER DRINKING ITEMS: TOWERS A Weygang tower, 16 inches tall, sold on German eBay for $535, plus shipping (4-1011, which i thought was a good buy.) The copper turret had been…

  • Why the lids on beer steins? [2] Once there, they became something to decorate.

    Why the lids on beer steins? [2] Once there, they became something to decorate.

    It is of course what makes a ‘beer stein’, a “beer stein” = THE LID! This page was produced for the very new collector, who might not have any idea what a “work of art’ an old beer stein lid (up to WWII) might look like. I have purchased some steins only because I really enjoyed the lid. (Just…

  • Kayserzinn Serving Steins, Mugs, Beakers, etc. – ( AWPD)

    Kayserzinn Serving Steins, Mugs, Beakers, etc. – ( AWPD)

    A fairly well known pewter stein, server and beaker maker. Kayserzinn was in business from 1862 to 1925.  They also made “Jugenstil” objects of daily use, such as candlesticks, ashtrays, lamps, beakers, vases, tea and coffee sets. In 1862 the Dusseldorf based Kayser family, already in the tin industry, opened a foundry in the Bockum…

  • “Copper Clad”, AKA: “Bronzed” Beer Steins.

    “Copper Clad”, AKA: “Bronzed” Beer Steins.

    A copper clad Westerwald 3 liter relief stoneware stein showing three early Frankish kings: Pipen, Charles Martel, and Charlemagne. [Editor’s note 6-1-2013l  ~Anyone interested in Copper, or old mining should enjoy reading this article I did! ~ http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/01/mes-aynak-afghanistans-buddhist-buried-treasure-faces-destruction/ A new stein collector asks; “Steve, what is ‘bronzed’ as applied to collectable beer steins?” “Bronzing” is…

  • Pokals (Germ. Deckelpokal) and Humpens.

    Pokals (Germ. Deckelpokal) and Humpens.

    Blown and stained blue glass pokal with the engraved Russian Coat of Arms. This is a newer piece . What is a “pokal?”  (‘po-cull’  (or) ‘po-cow’) Basically it is  a tall (over 7 inches usually) cylindrical beaker with a matching set-on-lid,  and a pedestal base. Those vessels without the pedestal are called “Humpens.”   Very many pokals can…

  • Guest writer’s articles: “A Basket Stein, A Rather Rare Commodity.” – by Judith Ann Stuart

    Guest writer’s articles: “A Basket Stein, A Rather Rare Commodity.” – by Judith Ann Stuart

    Member of the “Gambrinus Stein (Collecting) Club” of  Virginia, Maryland and DC, and also of SCI. Basketry is the weaving of unspun vegetable fibers, usually to form a container. Baskets have been made from any wood, vine, leaf, or fiber that could be formed into a desirable shape. Our ancestors, no matter who or where…

  • Beer Stein Myths, and a Few Misnomers and just The Wrong Words !

    Beer Stein Myths, and a Few Misnomers and just The Wrong Words !

    Beer stein myths, and a few misnomers OR: THE BEER STEIN “BULL PUCKIES”  STORIES. I am going to make a special attempt to clear up and to shed light on those stein descriptions / stories that go with them, that are not true! STEIN MYTH NO. 1   It is the description of the stein (below) being called,  by most stein…

  • Weygang’s [1] and Other Makers’ “Niche steins”; These Are Not ‘Guild’ Steins! (AWPD)

    Weygang’s [1] and Other Makers’ “Niche steins”; These Are Not ‘Guild’ Steins! (AWPD)

    The introduction to this subject is from a Ron Fox article in “Prosit” explaining the benefits of attending any given ‘Beer Stein College,’ and it was then later reproduced in “The Pewter Collectors and Researchers’  Newsletter” with his permission. Best read at a higher magnification!     ABOVE: REAL GUILD STEINS  & CUPS . Called “Guild Steins” by SCI’ers and…

  • Coined Steins (Munzhumpen) and Beakers (Munzbecher) – (AWPD)

    Coined Steins (Munzhumpen) and Beakers (Munzbecher) – (AWPD)

              Zinnkrug  –  Münzhumpen 1821. (Comps. eBay’s  “langorium”) I was the runner up on this one, 2-2013! The following group of photos is merely a display of coined beer steins, called “Munzhupen” and “Muntzbechers,” or “coined beakers.” The idea behind this page is only to give the new stein collectors an overview of what may…

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