~ A Stein by August Saeltzer ~
article and photos by SCI Master Steinologist John McGregor

A stein by August Saeltzer, or so we identify it. The actual stein body was manufactured by Fritz Thenn of Regensburg and carries the mold number 153. The painted mark on the bottom, a conjoined "FT" monogram, indicates the design was also of Fritz Thenn origin and it has a décor number of 519. The stein is entirely hand painted and the colors along with the somewhat unique lid would suggest this was the property of a lady who was perhaps a musician. In this case the stein blank was shipped to the August Saeltzer workshop in Eisenach to be decorated. After it was decorated it was shipped back to Fritz Thenn to be sold through one of his outlets in Regensburg. This was very likely a special order piece. The verse on the stein reads: "Schoepft aus dem Pokale, neue Ideale." Which says "Draw new ideals from the pokal." The Saeltzer workshop purchased a large portion of their blank stein bodies from the Thenn factory (1874-1886), but ordered from a number of other factories as well.