Schierholz Uncle Sam -- (Featured Stein Oct 2001)

Stein of the Month: October 2001

Photo courtesy of Frank Loevi
and BeerSteins America

~ Schierholz Uncle Sam ~
The Uncle Sam stein was produced by the Schierholz factory of Plaue in both full-color (as seen here) and in tones of honey-tan and white. Among the makers of porcelain character steins in the late 1900's, the works by Schierholz rank at the top. The imaginative flair of the designers coupled with exceptionally fine quality finishing makes these steins a delight for collectors.

For many years the steins of this factory were known by the name of "Musterschutz", since that word is the most frequently found mark on the base. In fact, this word simply means "copyright protected". A lesser number of these steins contain a "hash mark" or "tic-tac-toe" mark on the base, which was finally recognized by SCI Master Steinologist Ron Fox as the trademark used by Schierholz.

In the 1990's the original molds for these steins were pressed back into service, and some excellent contemporary copies came to market.