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From: John S.
Remote Name: 205.188.116.149
Hello, I've had this stein for a while now, and have been trying to determine it's true age. There are no pewter touch marks, nor any markings on the bottom. I have 8 pictures of it, and I'll do my best to describe it. It is a grey type stoneware that has a combed or brushed design on the outside main body. The handle was manually applied, and you can see where the craftsman pressed the clay down at the bottom of the handle (fingerprints in the clay). The hinge is a closed type of hinge, and a large type of hinge as well, so I know it's at least early 1800's (I suspect even earlier, but wanted to ask the experts). The handle has two holes in the top of it, but the pewter strap is only poured into one of them. The top of the lid has a nice relief design of floral around the outer part, and an image of a man holding a goblet in the middle. The letter 'A' is engraved on one side of the man, and 'W' on the other. The top of the lid is well worn, further indicating quite a bit of age. The thumblift is an skinny acorn style, and I saw in The Beerstein Book similar thumblifts listed in the thumblift section in the 1675 era, and 1825 era. The bottom of the stein puzzles me the most - I expected to see the typical swirl design from the potter cutting the clay from his wheel, but this one is relatively smooth. The bottom surface is uneven, and is slightly concave. There are several lines in the middle of the bottom where it could be cut lines? (circle size is about the size slightly larger than a quarter). I'm not sure if the bottom was applied separately, or if it was purposly made uneven and slightly concave so only the edges touch the surface. The inside of the stein also has circular lines around it as well as diagonal lines almost going in an up and down direction (but slightly angled). I tried to get pictures of all angles. If anyone can clue me in better as to what to look at to pinpoint the approximate age of this, it would be appreciated (as would age opinions). My initial guess is somewhere in the 1700's, but I think it has potential to be a little earlier, or a little later (which is why I'd like to know!). Here are the pics... http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17001.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17002.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17003.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17004.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17005.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17006.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17007.jpg http://members.aol.com/brownsjohn/c17008.jpg
