Military Regimental Beer Steins
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The Ultimate German Collector's "Collectable"

My customers should go first to steincollectors.org to read the excellent article written by R.Ron Heiligenstein, SCI Master Steinologist and author of Regimental Beer Steins 1890-1914. This is the November Stein of the Month and beautifully describes the definition of a Regimental Beer Stein. If any one thing captures the spirit of Imperial Germanys Armed Forces in beautiful fashion it has to be the Regimental Beer Stein. Whether made from porcelain or pottery the Regimental Beer Stein was the symbol of patriotic loyalty to the fatherland, or to a regiment from one of the various lands in the German empire. The regimental beer steins came in with the upsurge of German nationalism and pride in the success in the Franco-Russian War and a young popular emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II began an expansion of Germany’s military system in 1888. Military service was originally for men 17 to 45 years of age. The tour of active duty was 3 years for Calvary and Navy, and 2 years for others. Upon completion of their active duty these men became reservists. It is the reservists and not the professionals who carried souvenirs such as steins, pipes, flasks, beakers, cups, swords and many other items. All reservists reported to their units in October and all ”Graduated” with the same “Class” in September. The cost of regimental steins depended on their uniqueness. Some of them for example might be two or three times the cost of normal military commercial steins. But pride in their class and unit was downright enormous and in cases when it has been recorded all the reservists earned steins. Regimental Steins were usually produced in porcelain, occasionally they were of pottery or stoneware or very rarely of glass or pewter. The decorations generally depicted typical training scenes, portraits or rarely combat scenes. The glazes on these steins included great varieties of color and brilliance. This art for the most part has been lost and cannot be duplicated. (A lost art!) The decorations were primarily transfer decorated, that is the designs were printed on silk screened decal that was put on the body, touched up and hand fashioned, then fired. The pewter work on most regimental steins is both elaborate and meaningful. The lids, the finials, thumb lifts are symbolic of the areas, scenes or national emblems and human figures, cannons, helmets, crowns, eagles, griffons, glass tops, etc. All are seen on these magnificent mementos. Sayings that are catchwords for the units are often included such as “Cannon Thunder is Our Greeting” or “when we the Guarde ď Corp attack it strikes fear into the hearts of the enemy”. Most porcelain steins have lithophane bottoms mostly depicting a soldier and maiden, home scenes, nature, and outdoor scenes, busts of Kaiser William, King Ludwig and Naval Scenes. Lithophane scenes were translucent pictures seen when holding a stein bottom up and looking inside. The meaning for this was basic in that it was used to provide different thickness to the porcelain creating a variation in the translucent nature of that portion of the steins bottom. Providing a scene so as to be collected by beer drinkers. It was an invention of the late 1880’s. Hussars, dragoons, foot soldiers of the infantry, guard regiments, grenadier, engineers, sailors, train battalion soldiers, machine gunners, artillerymen all loved these steins and brought them forward. “Vorwarts” The German Regimental Beer Stein will forever be the sacred spirit of the age of Imperial Glory. ACHTUNG! We are running a very special sale on the military steins in this department. Please do look them over as they are all very special and mostly from one of the finest collections ever assembled in the U.S. All are original period pieces unlike some that are seen on other sites.