This Master Stein measures 18-1/2" high, and bears a maker's mark from around 1900. ($150).

“In heaven there is no beer/That’s why we drink it here.” – a refrain from an old German beer hall song.

No doubt those lines are being sung all around Munich this month, and many a suds-filled stein will hoisted on high. It may be Bud in the can the rest of the year, but in Oktober there are steins.

The word, stein, comes from the German steinzeugkrug, meaning stoneware tankard, but steins have been made of a variety of materials--art glass, silver, brass, ivory, horn wood, all sorts of ceramics, including porcelain, luster ware, and faience, and even coconuts.

It’s the lid that defines a stein for us, however, whatever the material. Those lids appeared about 500 years ago in Germany in compliance with a covered container law, enacted in reaction to a particularly fly-ridden autumn in the Black Forest and Bavarian Woods, and the fear of a return of the Black Plague. (A more innocent explanation cites the falling of fall leaves.)
Stein collecting is very popular, and requires a knowledge not only of materials, but of history, regional geography, makers’ marks, and especially the shapes and the parts of steins that can be clues to their origin.

Steins have about 50 shape names like Tapit-Hen, Beidermeier Pedestal, Harvester, Schhnelle, and others. The design on the thumb-lift, finial or handle can be a clue to a stein’s age.

The “L” impressed on a stein is the liter content. Most will read “.5l,’ or “1.0L,” but there are many larger, including the tall “Master” stein.

Collectors divide steins into several categories: Regional, Historical, Regimental/Military, Occupational, Figural, Novelty, Brewery and others.

Although we associate steins with Germany, they have been made in almost every country, and by some notable companies, like Royal Copenhagen, Royal Worcester, Royal Doulton, and in New Jersey, by Lenox and Willets.

The big name in German steins, however, is Mettlach (Mid-Lakes), a city in western Germany near the border with France. These steins were made by the Vileroy and Boch Company starting in 1850, and bear a mark featuring what appears to be a castle, but is actually the city’s landmark Benedictine abbey.

Mettlach steins are prized by collectors for the detailed artistry of their designs, and the golden age for collectors is from 1880 to the First World War.

Appraisals: Most unmarked steins from 1920 to the present fall in the $50 to 150 range. Otherwise: Mettlach, .5L, Boar hunt scene, $300-450; Porcelain, hand-painted grapes, artist-signed, Willets, Trenton, NJ, $800-1,100; Brewery, Heineken’s, 1939 NY World’s Fair, $400-600; Occupational, Coach driver, lithophane (picture visible inside bottom), 1910, $300-450; Porcelain, Bugs Bunny, limited edition of 10,000, $250.

And some special pieces: Art glass, blue cut to clear, wheel engraved w/stags in forest scene, $2,500-3,000; Carved wood, Norwegian, mid-19th Century, $1,000; Carved Ivory, ca.1800, $10,000+; Enameled silver, Austrian, ca.1900, $20,000.
The most comprehensive book on beer steins I know, and an absolute must for any collector, is The Beer Stein Book: A 400 Year History by Gary Kirsner (Glentiques Ltd).

For other books on steins, as well as auction catalogs and results, call the publisher at 954-344-9856.

Mark your calendar. I will be at the Physick Estate on Saturday, Oct. 18, between noon and 3 p.m. There will be an antiques and crafts show on the grounds, and I will be there to appraise anything you bring in, as well as to sell and sign copies of my book. It’s all part of Cape May’s annual Victorian Week celebrations. For more information, call the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts at 609-884-5404.

Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments and/or appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com