Stein Collectors International

Several years ago, I acquired this beautiful hand-blow 1L Bohemian cobalt-blue stein with a pewter lid. It absolutely caught my eye, and I had to have it! This elegant stein, inscribed “Zum Namensfest” (“For the Name Day”), was most likely crafted in the Bohemian glassmaking region of Haida or Steinschönau, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 1880–1900 era. It does not have a makers mark, but the stein style and artwork are consistent with that area which is well-known for their richly enameled and gilded presentation glassware. The swirls on the bottom indicated it was hand-blown. It is decorated with raised enamel vines, golden blossoms, and green foliage, framing the inscription that marks it as a Name Day gift—an Old-World tradition celebrating the feast day of one’s patron saint. Such steins were personal tokens of affection, meant more for display than for drinking. The front of the pewter lid is inscribed with the initials “M.R.K.”. If only this stein could talk and tell the story of how and why it was presented to the recipient.....