~ Welcome To The Reading Room! ~

Introduction to Stein Collecting:

• The
  Anatomy of a Beer Stein – The basic
  terminology explained

• A Glossary of
  Terms

• A Glossary of
  German Terms

• A Humorous
  Look at Terminology

• Collecting
  Beer Steins – An Introduction to the many types of steins

• Your Steins – Old or New? – A
  discussion about identifying
  steins

• Lithophanes
  – Those pictures in the
  bottom of your stein

• It
  Dates From Around the Turn of the Century – The golden age of steins –
  some
  history about steins.

• Caring
  for Your Steins

• Wrapping
  and Packing – helpful suggestions for how to ship steins

Recent Additions:

• • October 2014:
    White’s
    Pottery – A Pictorial Review A catalogue
    of White’s Pottery by pictures.

  • October 2014:
    Jordan Vandenberg’s HB Stein
    Blog
    (External site) A plethora of information on HB beer steins.

  • January 2014:
    
    Occupational Steins – An Introduction

  • Updated frequently: Translations
    Illustrated – Translated verses with pictures and
    interpretation.

• • Added March 2014: Steve On Steins–
    (External site) A wealth of information on almost every aspect of stein
    collecting.

Specific Areas of Collecting Interest:

• Regimentals – Old or New? –
  How to identify
  reproductions

• Student
  Association Steins – The basics

• German
  Student Societies, History and Traditions: A Bibliography

• Studentica – The
  artifacts of German student
  associations

• Student Association Steins – A
  Pictorial Essay

• A Mettlach Look-Alike – A
  striking comparison of two
  student steins

• Jugendstil Steins – A Pictorial
  Essay

• 4F
  Gymnastic Steins – Turnvater Jahn, Turnfests, Phys Ed

• US Military Steins from the Cold War
  Era – Popular
  collectibles!

• German
  Kinderkrüge – Children’s Steins

• 
  Occupational Steins – An Introduction

• 
  White’s
  Pottery – A Pictorial Review A catalogue
  of White’s Pottery by pictures.

• 
  Jordan Vandenberg’s HB
  Stein Blog
  (External site) A plethora of information on HB beer steins.

Glass Steins:

• Glass
  Beer Steins – An Introduction

• Glass
  Techniques – Blown, mold-blown, cut, pressed, enameled,
  etched…

• Cobalt-Blue
  Glass Steins – Pretty to look at, delightful to hold… but to
  drink?

• American
  Cut Glass Steins – American brilliance!

• Prunts,
  Glass Stein Decorations – Now you know the correct name

• Jeweled Lids: Myths and
  Superstitions – Poison, fidelity and
  health?

Reference Works:

• How
  to Detect Stein Repairs – Helpful hints for ceramics
  collectors

• A
  Stein Collector’s Bibliography – The most common – and useful
  – books

• Pewter
  Fittings Through the Ages
  – Dating steins from their pewter

• The
  Essential Mettlach Marks

• The
  Basic Marks – A Beginning

• Stein
  Marks – (External site) Photos of marks and artists
  signatures appearing on steins.

• The
  Beer Stein Library – (External site) Includes excellent articles and
  pictorial catalogs (Access to catalogs requires an annual subscription)

• The
  Character Stein Book – (External site) A work in progress, but
  containing a
  wealth of information on character steins.

• Der
  Oktoberfestkrug – (External site) A pictorial
  catalog (German)

• MySteinCollection.com –
  (External site) Stein catalogs and more

• Steve
  On Steins–
  (External site) A wealth of information on almost every aspect of stein
  collecting.

Translation Aids:

• • What
    Does This Blasted Thing Say? –
    Deciphering the old German lettering

  • Steinologists’
    guide to old German print and script – More on deciphering
    the old
    German lettering

  • On
    the Subject of Translations –
    Literal or Lyrical?

  • Some Simple
    Beer Stein
    Cognates – Helpful step to understanding German

• • Translations
    Illustrated – Translated verses with pictures and
    interpretation.

• • Introduction to Les Hopper’s “1,001 German
    Translations”

  • Les Hopper’s “1,001
    German Translations” – Side-by-side German-English
    translations

  • Supplement to Les Hopper’s
    “1,001 German Translations”

  • Example of Expressions on a
    Stein: – The Verses of Mettlach # 171

Miscellaneous Articles:

• Why Steins
  have Lids – An interesting video presentation

• Give
  ‘Em the Boot – All about communal drinking boots

• Beer Markers
  – How do you keep track of your personal stein?

• Do
  You Drink Out of Them? Don’t Touch!

• The Bud Man Quartet The
  vastly popular contemporary
  character!

• Beer Steins in Museums –
  Steins in Museum Collections
  Worldwide

• Das
  Reinheitsgebot or Purity Law – The secret to German
  beer?

• The
  Corona Series of Character Steins

• A
  Westerwald History – A very important region of Germany for
  beer steins

• The
  Kannenbäckerland – Jug bakers’ land, the Westerwald

• What Is It – German or
  Chinese? – A Look at Current
  Manufacturing Trends

Manufacturers, Artists, Designers, etc.:

• Mettlach
  Beer Steins: An Introduction

• The
  Artistic Contribution of Otto Hupp to Mettlach Stoneware

• Otto
  Hupp and Spatenbräu

• The
  Mettlach Occupationals Designed by Otto Hupp

• ALBERT JACOB THEWALT GmbH – A
  history of the factory and
  family.

• St.
  Louis Silver Company (pdf format)

• The Schierholz Discoveries
  – A Story in Three Parts

  All about Schierholz (not Musterschutz!) Character Steins

• The Elusive “TP” Mark
  – Mistaken beliefs
  corrected

• Beer
  Steins Designed by Franz Ringer

• A
  Franz Ringer Pictorial Essay

• Heinrich Schlitt
  Remembered – A look at a favorite artist
  of stein collectors

• The
  Fritz Thenn Regensburg Steinzeug Factory

• HR and
  the Freising Facctory Revisited – All you ever wanted to know…

• The
  College Series by J. W. Remy

• Gerz
  Steins, A Closer Look

Themes and Stories on Steins:

• The
  Trumpeter of Säckingen – A Love
  Story

• Baby
  Steins

• The
  Story behind the
  Babies Stein – More information on the previous article

• The Gooseman of Nuremberg
  A popular symbol of the city

• Schlaraffenland
  Steins and
  the Schlaraffia Society

  This long article has been configured in 6
  parts.

  You can read all 6 parts by clicking on the link above,

  or read individual “chapters” by clicking on the links
  below.

• Hans
  Sachs, Meistersinger of Nuremberg

• Schlaraffenland
  Steins

• The
  Schlaraffia Society

• Schlaraffia
  Chapter Steins

• Rubbing
  a Salamander

• §11
  and the Schweningerkur

• Paragraph 11
  (§11) This common symbol explained!

• The
  History of the Munich Child – The Beloved Symbol of
  Munich

• Schützenliesl or the Target Girl –
  Who was she?

• Gambrinus,
  King of Beer – Who is that
  king with brew raised high?

• The
  Gambrinus Pokal

• The Mystery of the Heinzelmänchen
  – Some say
  dwarfs, some say Zwerge,…

• An English Münchner
  Kindl?

• The Mettlach St. Florian
  Stein – Patron saint of firemen,
  also by Otto Hupp

• The
  Wren of Ulm and the Flying Tailor of Ulm – Two famous
  tales

• The Symbolism of Animals –
  Most have a specific meaning

• Oktoberfest – The
  historical origins of this largest
  of festivals

• 
  

  Till Eulenspiegel – The Merry
  Prankster – his life and
  times

Elsewhere on this site:

Index to Prosit
– 1965 -to Present

Featured Stein Archives
— Also known as “Stein of the Month”.

SteinTalk
Archives
— From October 2002 through last year.

The Beer Stein
Museum Research Library and Archives

Through the generous donations of its members, SCI has acquired a number of
physical assets – books, periodicals, maps, videotapes and other items – which
are available on loan to members.