[Adolfo Vargas]

Limited Edition collectors series:
Romantic Germany #7. Motorcyclist Stein. Does anyone know what it cost? Thanks
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-AklxDT2rcwdcTKg4lniHYFaLeJ67v7t/view?usp=drivesdk

[Francatan]

Adolfo,
you correctly said that Motorcyclist stein belong to the Romantic Germany series, 7th in the series, manufactured by WWTeam and issued in 9,000 pieces.

I can say it’s not rare, not so many collectors like the 3D WWTeam steins, its value is not high, generally it may varies from $50 to $80, no more.

[Ron]

Fran,

Actually, WW-Team (WW is for Westerwald) is a distributor that designs beer steins and then contracts for the manufacture for sale to retailers. They have used several retailers over the years. I haven’t been able to find a contact for them. Anybody having an interest is the steins they design might have luck in contacting them through a retailer that sells their steins.

[Ron]

Fran,

Here is a blurb on the WW-Team from Cornell Importers catalog, page 12 at http://www.custom-steins.com/downloads/MainCatalog.pdf. Maybe they can put you in touch with the WW-Team to get a list or catalog of their output.

[Francatan]

Ron,

I did what you suggested, I mailed to Cornell Importers asking for a 3D WWTeam catalog if they have any and now I’ll be waiting for their response.

As usual, thank you very much for your help

[Ron]

Fran,

Don’t hold your breath. I don’t think they carry all the WW-Team steins. Also, they only sell to retailers. The best you can hope for is that they put you in touch with WW-Team so you can explain why it is in their best interests to supply their fans with a list or catalog of steins they design.

Did you notice that Cornell also lists the Gerz Flemish Kermess large stein! And it isn’t the Zoeller & Born version. I asked them about it and will be interested in their reply.

[Francatan]

Ron,

there’s a question I would ask you and your answer will be interesting to all the WWTeam fans.

I think that it’s out of question that Cornell only sell to retailers, but if all the 3D Steins were issued in limited numbered edition, generally 9,000 or 5,000, how can they manufactur again steins of already issued and closed series?

[Ron]

Fran,

I am not sure I understand your questions. The catalog clearly states they only sell to businesses and not consumers. Are you questioning that?

I think they had WW-Team design some special steins for them. If they do sell their other limited edition steins, they would not necessarily take the entire edition, unless it was designed solely for them. I think we agreed that WW-Team was selling steins outside the limited edition that had some slight variations. If they are, it is not a smart move on their part. Are you claiming that Cornell is selling steins outside the limited edition?

[Francatan]

Ron,

it’s clear what you said, but I try to explain better what I meant. Let’s start with an example.

Adolfo opened this topic asking the value of the 3d WWTeam Motorcyclist stein, 7th in the series Romantic Germany, issued in 9,000 pieces. All the Romantic Germany steins that belong to that series were issued in 9,000 pieces. All the steins of that series were build in the ’90 years.

The question is: if all the 9,000 pieces of every single stein were built in the ’90, how can the retailer sell other pieces of a series already issued?

If the retailer sell new steins never issued before is ok, my doubts are totally solved.

[Ron]

Fran,

I am still not sure I understand the question. It would take some tme to sell 9,000 steins. If each store sold 100, theree would be 90 stores. Their allotments would be sold at various times over the years. Some might have sold out in the 1990s. Others would have taken longer to sell out. Are you saying that WW-Team started another limited edition of the same series? That would compromise all their limited editions, which really aren’t limited edtions at that scale.

[Francatan]

Ron,

you understand the question. 9,000 steins may look too many to sell and you think that a few of them are already in stock. It might be possible, but I don’t think so. Consider that Germany is the mother country of steins and stein collectors, in Germany live more than 80 millions of people and many Americans have stationed in Germany. And so many US citizens are stein collectors too, so we can determine that 9,000 is not a big number.

You know that I’m a great 3D WWTeam collector, and despite all the steins were issued in limited numbered series, generally 9,000 or 5,000, I can tell you that on Ebay a few of them are easy to find and a few others are hard to find. It sounds stranger, but it’s true. And there’s a stein that I’m desperately looking for, issued in 9,000 edition, that it looks 1 of a kind. I’ve never seen it on sale in almost 15 years.

I’m not saying that WWTeam started another limited editon of the same series, no sense, but there’s another question that I would ask to a great stein expert like you.

Logic says that whatever manufacturer when issues a limited numbered series is supposed to mean that all the steins are similar, the only difference is the number on the bottom. Well, trust me, WWTeam for a few steins issued the same stein with different lid. Quite strange, but true. And it’s not nice either.

In your opinion, do you think that a WWTeam limited numbered series is made by 9,000 steins all included with different lid or 9,000 for each stein with different lid? And the problem is that for a few steins I personally saw that were issued a wide range of different lid. And I will tell you more, that I don’t like at all that, because a few steins look to wear the proper lid, other just a replacement.

If I could back in the past, I think I won’t collect the WWTeam steins again.

[Ron]

Fran,

Old manufacturers sold steins with and without lids or with different lids. They also sold salt-glazed, limited color and full color. Sometimes the painters were given authoirty to vary the colors.

I think your question needs to be answered by WW-Team or a retailer. Did you try to contact them through one of the retuail stares you bought from?

[Francatan]

Ron,

many years ago I contacted the WWTeam asking for a few steins I was looking for and if they could tell me how many steins complete the series Romantic Germany, I have the first 7 steins and I’d like to know how are called the following steins.

I asked for a catalog too, but I didn’t receive any answer. Just one time I asked to a retailer an information, can’t remember exactily what, but he answered to me that he buys steins from manufacturer and sells to customers, that’s all, he couldn’t give me any detailed information.

No use asking information to private people that put on sale steins on Ebay, considering that we’re not talking of precious steins like Mettlach or Regimental, all collectors of precious steins are expert of what they own and what they buy (or sell).

[Author]

Posts