From the Slide Library It is expected that by December 15 the library will have available a set of slides of Günter Merk's outstanding collection of regimental steins, as presented by him and Wolfgang Gult at this year's convention in Trier.

U.W.B.

In Memoriam Russell Rudin—December 1983 Don Wright—April 1984 Helen "Mama" Ratzsch—July 1984 Gordon L. Bowman—August 1984 J. Joseph Hersh—October 1984

Our friends: May they rest in peace!

"Mama" Helen Ratzsch It is with great sorrow that we have to inform our readers of the death in July 1984 of Mrs. Helen Ratzsch of Mil­waukee, Wisconsin.

Mrs. Ratzsch, known to all of her friends, and that included just about all of us, as "Mama", was the proprietor of Mil­waukee's famous Karl Ratzsch's Res­taurant—and there she presided right until her death.

To us, Mama was, and will always be, "Miss Beer Stein 1977"—a title she proudly held. Her restaurant has as fine a collection of steins, plaques, glass­ware and objets d'art as you'll find any­where; while the displays are a true joy to stein collectors, the food at Ratzsch's is the superb topping on the proverbial cake, food that is world-renowned!

And now Mama lives on only in our hearts. We wil l long remember her kindness, her wonderful laughter, her delight when greeting fel low collec­tors—and her obvious enjoyment of life with her family.

The Board of Directors and all mem­bers of SCI express their sadness at the passing of this wonderful lady and send their condolences to the Ratzsch family: Like you, we will miss her.

In Memoriam: "Doc" Joe Hersh

On Sunday, October 7, 1984, our very good friend and fellow collector, Dr. J. Joseph Hersh of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl­vania, died at the age of 82.

"Doc" Joe, as most of us knew him, was a surgeon, a historian, a collector, a re­searcher, an author, a Master Steinolo-gist of SCI—and a most wonder fu l gentleman. He loved life, he loved his family, and as we know, he loved his stein collection.

God was gracious to Joe: Joe and Ev­elyn had attended our Convention in Trier, and he celebrated his 82nd birth­day—surrounded by all of his friends— in the old town of Dinkelsbuehl.

Our love and affection, and our heartfelt condolences go out to Evelyn, their children and their grandchildren: We do indeed share your grief. We'll miss our "Doc" Joe.

The Maine Stein Song by Patrick J. Clarke

FILL THE STEINS TO DEAR OLD MAINE SHOUT 'TIL THE R A F T E R S RING

The 1930s, those doleful years that many of us remember with neither wonder nor delight, which we have turned to good ad­vantage by boring our progeny with woeful tales of hardship and deprivation, and, as they shifted from one foot to the other, we hoped they would look up to us as made of the stuff that made America great. They rarely did.

However, during those turbulent times there descended from the rock-bound coast a group of musicians led by a saxophone-playing person named Rudy Vallee.

STAND AND DRINKATOASTONCEAGAIN L E T E V E R Y LOYAL MAINE MAN SING

This they did over and over. And again. The song swept the country as no other at the time. During these troubled economic times there were a great many parades. They were cheap to put on and it didn't cost to get in. There was the St. Patrick's Day parade, the N.R.A. parade, the Co­lumbus Day parade, the Armistice Day pa­rade, parades without number—and in those days of little or no money, they were very popular and well attended. They were almost as much fun as a wake or a funeral.

DRINK TO ALL THE HAPPY HOURS DRINK TO THE C A R E F R E E DAYS

Guess what song was played most at these parades. You were close: It was the Maine Stein Song. It thundered from the tubas, tinkled from the triangles, crashed from the cymbals, convoluted from the cornets, smashed from the snares, and pounded from the bass drums. It was sickening!

DRINK TO MAINE, OUR ALMA MATER THE COLLEGE OF OUR HEARTS ALWAYS.

It seemed that this fair country had be­come obsessed with the Maine Stein Song, knew no other, wanted no other. Small groups got together, gathered round a piano, sang the song, and broke leases for a fee. Other more int roverted groups sneaked off with the sheet music under their arms and started religions in Califor­nia. Most were turned back at the border.

We now contemplate the upstart respon­sible for this tumult. He was a wavy haired, toothy, medium sized chap, addicted to ar-gyle sweaters, f lannel pants, buckskin shoes, and he sang through his nose. He committed this nuisance through a large cone-shaped device called a megaphone. Insult was added to injury when these megaphones became popular with other perpetrators of the art. It was the bull horn of a less advanced decade.

Needless to say, our anti-hero became an overnight sensat ion. He made lots of money—all of which he still has. He sang other songs, had his own radio program, and also went into the movies. He was generally type-cast as the third party in a love triangle and depicted as the wealthy son of rich millionaires, was called "Alger­non" or "Butchie," and spoke with an Ox­ford accent, although to be fair, unlike most Oxonians, you could understand most of what he said.

After World War II he hosted a radio pro­gram that was infamous for its presiding over the last days of John Barrymore, hav­ing him as the butt of many pitiful har-poonings. There is, however, no record of Rudy graduating from the University of Maine. He most likely did not.

You no doubt by now are visualizing all the great fun those students at the college were

The trio that started it all

having back in those years with their drink­ing part ies, song s inging in taverns, thumping the tables with their beer-filled steins, toasting each other, the football team, the fraternities . . . and generally having a good time with all the beer drink­ing and camaraderie, the throwing up in alleys, wetting their pants, and all that other good stuff that students indulge in out of sight of their adoring parents.

Well, you can never blame it on the Uni­versity of Maine. It was a dry campus! Bone dry! Beer, or the consumption of alcohol in any form, was prohibited and anything as­sociated was anathema.

What, you may ask, has this to do with the col lect ing of s te ins, and why are you spraying us with all this trivia? Well, it has a lot to do with the collecting of steins as you will presently see.

As all stories have a hero, this one is no exception. Enter our hero, Barry Millett, S.C.I. #1552, of the sovereign state of New Jersey, who entered the University of Maine in 1952 after discharge from the U.S. Army and service in Korea, and in due course graduated in 1956. During his student years, Barry had a roommate who collected mugs of various colleges, and as collecting is highly contagious, it sparked Barry's inter­est in this area.

After graduation, Barry was offered and accepted the post of Assistant Dean of the University of Maine.

In his capacity as advisor to the Student Union, and with the strains of the by now world-famous Stein Song permeating the hallowed halls of this venerable institution, it occurred to Barry that there was an ironic note buried in the woodwork somewhere: The situation existed that there was not even one stein on the premises. Drinking, or what passed for it, had to be done from teacups, jelly glasses, dixie cups, ga­loshes, or whatever came to hand. It cried out for remedy and resolve was born.

Gathering together members of the Stu­dent Union, Barry proposed to them the project of forming a collection of beer steins that even the University of Heidelberg could be proud of. As a starter he put forward three steins of his own (see accompanying photo), one of which was a Mettlach, and suggested that a brochure picturing these three pieces, and soliciting more of the same, should be sent to all alumni. The project was accepted with alacrity and the work began. A war chest of $100 was an-teed and the mailing was sent off.

Guess What? Opposition came from the powers that be at the college and for a period things looked bleak. Even the fact of Barry owning a few steins was frowned upon, and an offer of a donation of several steins from a prominent brewery had to be turned down.

Rather than being discouraged by this travail, Barry went to work and one of the more famous selling jobs of the century was accomplished. After all, he had served in Korea and this wasn't nearly as bad. Herewith is a quotation from the alumni news letter, "On Tap," circa 1975. After

referring to Barry as a "pump primer," it goes on to say—and I quote:

"It is hard to believe now that barely a decade ago there were some mis­givings about the propriety of having such a collection. Drinking on cam­pus was not permitted. Would such a display suggest the wrong empha­sis? The line in the song beseeching everyone to drink to something did not seem relevant. However, there were no protesters and no pickets and the project continued."

In due course the opposition was over­come and the steins started to come in.

Not everyone has the same idea of a stein as you or I. Some pretty weird stuff arrived. It was suspected that some wives saw an opportunity to dispose of some of the ter­rible things that Egbert had bought at auc­tion when her back was turned. A lot of stuff was returned. But a goodly supply of respectable pieces also was sent and the collection was off and running. It is con­servatively estimated that the collection at the present time consists of over 300 pieces and is still growing. This article may stim­ulate more donations and I am sure the possibility of income tax deductions might be considered. Barry Millett is at the present time Dean of Students at Rutgers Univer­sity at Camden, the State University of N.J. He has no inclination to start a collection in those hallowed halls, but has no objec­tion if you decide to start one for your Alma Mater if you have one, or your local tem­perance society if you don't. It's only a thought. Meantime we hope to have more in the next issue of PROSIT on this famous collection, and will keep you informed.

FILLTHE STEINS TO DEAR OLD MAINE . . .

The University of Maine Stein Collection in 1964 (partial)

Barry Millett at U. of Maine in 1954

1985 Dues Yes, it's that time again: The annual membership dues are due. By now we trust you received your annual bill in the mail, have clipped your 1985 membership card and have returned the stub, plus your check for the dues, to our treasurer, Pat Clarke.

However every year there are a num­ber of stragglers who somehow can't find their bill or their checkbook until sometime during the summer of 1985. So here Is your reminder: While you are reading this item, if you haven't already paid your 1985 dues, make out a c h e c k for $20.00 ($24.00 if overseas) to " S . d . , " sign it, add your SCI membership number, and send it to:

Mr. Patrick J. Clarke P.O. Box 350 Harrison, NJ 07029

Do it now! We cannot exist without your dues, and if you wish to enjoy SCI membership privileges, you must be a paid-up member. We must have your dues by January 1,1985, or we will be forced to drop you from our rolls. Don't force us to do that, please!

Please pay your 1985 dues now! Don't become an ex-member: We need your support. Thank you.

Address Changes Every t ime we send out*an issue of PROSIT, we get a handful of returns, marked "Moved—no Forwarding Ad­dress" or similar notation by the Post Office Department. That means a few of our members don't get their copies of PROSIT on time (or ever), and SCI has to spend multiple postage to re­direct the package.

Please, let us have your new address when you move, or even if you plan to move in the very near future. If possi­ble, use the free "Change of Address" cards furnished by the Post Office (ask for PS Form 3576): Give us your name, old address, new address and your SCI number—and you are all set to receive every issue of PROSIT right on time (and save SCI some money).

And remember, PROSIT should reach you by about the tenth of March, June, September and December. If your is­sue hasn't arrived by then, drop us a card and include your latest, correct ad­dress. Thank you.

Hold That Tigerware!!! by John A. Ey, Jr. Photos by Tom Clark, Frederick, MD

Throughout history some of the inhabitants of all countries at one time or another have succumbed to the myth that if it is imported it is superior to the home product. Whether pottery, porcelain, crystal, sculpture, paint­ings, cameras, automobiles, textiles, fur­niture or metalwork, if the word "imported" is attached, a guaranteed quota of individ­uals will arise and buy and defend it. But frequently the acceptance of imports be­comes simply a fad which is soon lost in memory. This compares with fashion, which may last for years depending upon how the product affects the minds and habits of the purchasers. Sometimes the imports become a tradition in the host country and a part of everyday life, difficult to distin­guish from that which is indigenous.

In the 15th and beginning of the 16th cen­tury, the English were said to "drink out of their boots." That observation was not too farfetched, as they did drink out of leather beakers, mugs and jugs called "black jacks." Drinking thus was somewhat in­elegant, and they turned to their native earthenware. But this proved impractical because of problems with glazes and fra­gility. However, their Dutch trader friends across the Channel came to their aid. The Dutch were instrumental in importing into England from Germany vast quantities of stoneware (Steinzeug) jugs. This particu­lar stoneware was made only in the Rhine-land, principally in the Cologne, Frechen, Raeren, Siegburg area, 1 and best known as Rhenish stoneware. At the time, the Rhineland was famous throughout Europe for the durability and elegance of its stone­ware.

T i g e r w a r e

Once imported into England, these stone­ware jugs achieved an unusual popularity and were highly prized in the late Tudor period, which ran from 1485 to 1558, and the early Elizabethan period, which ex­tended from 1558 to 1603. One group of these imported stoneware jugs from Ger­many soon acquired the name "tigerware" because of their mottled and speckled ap­pearance and orange-peel-like surface. 2

Their colors ran from various shades of brown to grey-brown and some to a faint orange tint covered with a thin, transparent glaze.

It was at this time that the English gold­smiths came into the picture. They took a fancy to these tigerware jugs, and mounted them in exquisitely worked silver which was then gilded. It was unusual to find the de­gree of exuberance by the English gold­

smiths for this type of lavish decoration. English taste, except for a few instances, had always favored the predominately simple form in silver and gold, compared with the heavily decorated and embel­lished work of the Germans and Italians. Simplicity and beauty of line were the English watchwords. Now, with the ap­pearance of the tigerware jugs, a whole new world seemed to spawn a wave of tasteful engraving, as well as repousse and embossing artistry to enhance the jugs' mountings. Despite the manifest simplicity of the jugs themselves, the English gold­smiths, no matter where located, all used the almost identical style mountings on these jugs; a most unusual coincidence.

The earliest notations of tigerware jugs oc-

cur about 1530 to 1540. From that time until the end of the century they apparently were common enough. By about 1600 they seem to have gone out of fashion. Today, it would be extremely difficult to find a sin­gle specimen with a 17th century hallmark.

As regards o rnamen ta t i on , the j ugs ' mountings all bear a close resemblance: the well-known Elizabethan interlaced fil­lets, with running foliage, are often en­graved around the neckbands of the ear­lier jugs, while the later specimens are more often decorated with repousse work. A typ­ical description of a tigerware jug would

This tigerware jug, in the author's collection, and dated 1579, is 9 inches tall (23 cm), the diameter of the neck 2Vz inches (6.3 cm), the body 41/2 inches (11.4 cm), and the base including the silver mounting 4% inches (11 cm). The gilded silver neckband is stamped with the London and sterling hallmarks, the date letter, and the maker's mark. The underside of the gilded silver base is similarly marked.

The full-color insert in this issue of PROSIT shows you the dramatic beauty of the tigerware jug. Be sure to file it with this article.

give a good idea of most of t hem: "A stoneware jug of mottled brown glaze, mounted in silver gilt as a tankard, en­graved neckband of interlaced straps, the cover repousse with lions' heads and fruit, surmounted by a flat-rayed button and small baluster, and thumblift of individual design; around the foot is a border of upr ight strawberry leaves and a gadrooned edge." 3

The foregoing would describe a specimen of about 1565; later ones would differ from it only in the engraving on the neckband being replaced by cartouches of l ions' heads, fruit, flowers and the like, in re­pousse work, variations in thumblifts and finials, and varying styles of foot mount­ings and silver body bands.

From any standpoint, it may be difficult to understand why the tigerware jugs were so popular in England. True, during the late Rennaissance period from 1550 to 1600, wealthy Englishmen had magnificent silver and gold standing cups, tankards, beak­ers, chalices and mugs, but the poorer sort could afford only beer pots of wood. Came the tigerware jugs, and although peasants could ill afford the silver and gold mount­ings, they could be satisfied with a low-cost, lidless piece of stoneware that was plentiful and unlike anything available to them before. Added to this was the fact that these jugs with the silver and gold mountings frequently were given as prizes in state lotteries, thus giving the so-called lower class a chance at something that normally would forever be beyond their grasp.

To fathom the riddle of the jugs ' wide­spread popularity, one comes to realize that it could only be due to the exquisite silver and gold mountings designed and exe­cuted by the English goldsmiths; mount­ings so distinctive that they are immedi­ately recognizable. No other vessels in England were accorded such unique mountings—not tankards, flagons, cups or other lidded vessels. There is one excep­tion that bears mentioning: during the same period that the tigerware jugs were being mounted in silver and gold, white earthen­ware jugs of almost identical style from Siegburg, Germany, also from the Rhenish area, were given the same silver and gold mounting treatment although in compara­tively much smaller numbers. They, too, were mounted with a corresponding han­dle, lip and lid structure, and hinge box characteristic of the tigerware jugs. It should be clear that the exquisite silver and gold mountings of the tigerware jugs were not what made them popular with the peas­ants. Instead, it was that they were plen­

tiful in unmounted form and at prices they could afford. What is fascinating is that the Elizabethan public who could afford the extra expense thought highly enough of these simple Rhenish jugs to provide them with such elegant and costly mountings.

While tigerware jugs were plentiful during the Elizabethan era, seldom does one come on the market today in any condition. There are very few on display in museums, and the number in private collections is un­known. Probably only connoisseurs would recognize one by name in a display, con­ceivably due to the fact that what was once plentiful is a distinct rarity today. And it is not with tongue-in-cheek that it is said that those who do recognize a tigerware jug do so because of an appreciation for the dis­tinctive and exquisite structural design of

its mountings executed by the English goldsmiths of the Rennaissance.

R e f e r e n c e s : 1. Colin D. Townsend, "Rhenish Stone­

ware From The Mary Rose," PROSIT, No. 76, June 1984, pp. 1181-82.

2. Renate Scholz, "Humpen und Krüge-Trinkgefässe, 16.-20. Jahrhundert , " (Munich, 1978), pp. 59-60.

3. Wilfred Joseph Cripps, "Old English Plate," (London, 1967), pp. 82-93, 324-326.

The author is indebted to Professor Colin D. Townsend of the University of Dundee, Scotland, and to Mr. Cl ive P. Blunt of Los Ange les , Ca l i fo rn ia , for the i r research and fac tua l information relative to the tigerware jug discussed in this article, and for background material re. Rhenish stoneware and the English goldsmiths of the Rennaissance.

The enlarged section of the jug shows in part the distinctive embossing of the lid and neckband. Prominent are the unique "hinge box" atop the handle characteristic of the tigerware jugs, the unusual thumblift, and the box's grill-like engraving. Such hinge mountings were found nowhere else but in England on the tigerware and some Siegburg jugs, and only for a period of about 55 years. The apparent slant of the upper mountings from the top of the handle to the front of the lip, and including the hinge box, is not an illusion or photographic aberration. Instead, it is a characteristic of the mountings on many of these jugs due to the asymmetrical nature of the jugs' necks, lips and the contour of the upper handle.

16th Century Tigerware Jug

This Tigerware jug, from the John A. Ey, Jr., col lect ion, is dated 1579. It is 23 cm tal l , the neck diameter is 6.3 cm, body diameter is 11.4 cm, and the base diameter, including the silver mount ing, is 11.1 cm. The gi lded silver neckband is stamped with the London and sterl ing hallmarks, the date letter, and the maker's mark. The underside of the gi lded silver base is similarly marked.

See complete description in PROSIT no. 78

A g l o s s a r y of the j u g ' s four ha l lmarks: The lion passant: Represents sterling. The shape of the escutcheon follows the outline of the animal (lion). This pertains to the pe­riod from 1557 to 1667.

The leopard's head crowned: The mark of the City of London, and created by the Act of 1477. From 1548 to 1680 the outline of the stamp followed the crown and head.

The date letter "B": The letter, representing the year 1579, is stamped in the center of an heraldic shield. The date letter was first adopted in 1427 by the authorities of Mont­pellier, France, to enable us to ascertain the precise year in which a piece was made, and as an improved security against fraud. It was first adopted in England in 1438.

The maker's mark: A scalloped escutcheon surrounds the image of a goldsmith's ham­mer with the letters " N " and " H " on opposite sides of the handle. This hallmark could be that of Nicholas Hilliard, a goldsmith and eldest son of Richard Hilliard, a prominent goldsmith of Exeter. However, the letters "N .H . " are not listed among the 88 gold­smiths working in London in 1579, and the probability that the mark is that of a provin­cial goldsmith is reinforced. Lists of provin­cial marks of that time, however, reveal none conforming to those on the jug. Exhaustive research through correspondents here and in Great Britain failed to determine with a certainty the identify of the maker.

It is certain that goldsmiths' guilds existed in medieval days in many English provincial towns and cities. But it was not until 1423 that provincial "touches," except for York, can be said to have existed. In the early days all goldsmiths were required to bring their wares to London to receive the London touch of the leopard head. At the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth in 1558, the touches of London and Paris are constantly mentioned, but no mention can be found of any English touch except that of London. Much of the information once possessed by the London Goldsmiths ' Company as to workers' names and places of abode is un­fortunately lost forever. It was the practice to stamp the touches of the goldsmiths in cop­per and their names recorded on vellum. The myriad of fires during those centuries de­stroyed the vellum records, and only one of­ficial list is in existence containing the marks, without names, on copper, of those gold­smiths working between 1675 and 1697, but none of any other period before that. It is only by the examination of ancient invento­ries, wills, church records and accounts that here and there a goldsmith's name can be put to a mark.

If Elizabeth I should return and make a compendium of her historic Elizabethan era, 1558 to 1603, she could not help but al lude to Wil l iam Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, Sir Francis Drake, her parents Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh, a great period of English national history, and a period that saw England united as a nation with a great navy and as a first-rate European power. Surely Eliz­abeth could not fail also to list as one of the shining accomplishments of her reign, the elegant and exquisite mount­ings by England's goldsmiths of the tig­erware jugs. Although these jugs were of German origin, they captivated the English populace for over 50 years by the beauty, elegance and uniqueness of their mountings, never to be imitated by the artisans of another nation.

A Very Interesting Munich Child Stein Surfaces by Art Chapman, Jr.

Empty Space? by Steve Smith

Are you lucky enough to need to fill some empty space in your stein display and don't have a stein to put there? One might con­sider what I do—or something similar.

In my flea market travels I have acquired little metal deer made in Germany in the early 1900's. They are usually marked "Germany" on the deer's tummy or one of the rear legs. The deer are found in differ­ent sizes and prices: Those shown in the accompanying photograph are about 41A inches to the top of the antlers and are currently selling in the $12 to $18 price range. The photo shows them displayed on both sides of a 6V2 inch creamware drinking cup, decorated in black and brown. The cup, also made in Germany, is of the same vintage but carries no marks.

So you see, you don't have to fill that empty space with a ste in. Use anyth ing that pleases you and that fits among your other treasurers because of similarity in age, country of origin . . . or anything. Have fun.

For the Münchner Kindl devotee, the pic­tured stein should be of real interest. While not one of a kind, ü is certainly one of a few—a limited edition stein produced for a Munich target shooting association. Age is uncertain, but probably early 1900's. The body is the usual Bavarian blue-grey salt-glazed "Masskrug" of yesteryear, with a two-part multi-colored print on the front. The lower part of the picture shows the asso­ciation's club house and target range at Neuhofen near Munich. The upper part de­picts the Münchner Kindl in the act of cleaning a muzzle-loading musket, with a large stein marked "gun oil" at her feet. The inscription, "Oberbayn Z. Schützen Verband S. i. München," is spread across the front. Signed: "Ritzer." Incised maker's mark "Tp" (?)—see PROSIT no. 71, March 1983, page 1013. Also stamped on the base, in an oval, in red, "Th. Schmid, Por­zel lan und Glasmalere i , Mül lerstr 14, München," on the bottom. Flat pewter lid with copper insert bearing the incised coat of arms of the shooting club. Full figure thumblift of the Kindl with outstretched arms.

A real jewel of a find for any stein collector!

0

Closeup of V2-L regimental stein, showing photograph of reservist

Those Magic Pictures: Photos on Ceramic by Jack G. Lowenstein Photographs by Mike Wald

One of the most interesting decorations found on old beer steins and other ceramic articles are actual photographs. Obviously no other technique could bring a scene "to life" as well as that fairly young art, pho­tography. Whether a family portrait, or the portrait of a young soldier, or a military field scene, these images recall events of al­most 100 years ago with unerring reality.

Many of us have wondered how the ce-ramicists of a century ago were able to transfer these photo images onto the stoneware or porcelain or glass surface. Today, of course, high-quality, high reso­lution decal transfers can put any image, continuous tone or line, on any suitable surface. But 100 years ago?

That question bothered a number of us, so we decided to do some detective work. A number of references were studied, help was requested from researchers here and abroad. An interesting story unfolded, one that revealed a great deal of ingenuity and scientific thought. (A list of references is appended; we were assisted by Mike Wald, Roy DeSelms and Werner Sahm in gath­ering this background.)

The process is called "photo ceramics," and refers to all such processes where a photograph is permanently transferred to

a hard surface, under a coat of protective glaze. While this is not a simple method, we do have to remember that all this hap­pened when the "standard" photograph was indeed on a glass plate. So the real ques­tion was, "how do we get the image off the glass plate and in a permanent form onto the ceramic, non-planar surface?" Ingen­uity triumphed—and the art of photo-ce­ramics was born.

As the accompanying chronology indi­cates (see box), much of the early work was done in France and England, starting in 1849. A little over ten years later, the arena shifted to Germany. And all this while photography itself was in its infancy! The research concerned itself mainly with com­pounding a sensitizing solution which could be spread on a ceramic surface or on a transfer surface, then exposing it to light through a negative, and then developing, fixing and sealing the resulting image. Does this sound easy? Let's go through the steps, as p,er instructions of about 60 years ago (reference 1.):

First the sensitizing solution is prepared according to the following formula:

Distilled water Gum arabic White sugar (refined) Potassium dichromate Black color body

(carbon, etc.) 10 gr ( 7.5%)

All ingredients are ground together thor­oughly, filtered through a gauze and stored in a dark bottle.

The above solution is poured over a slightly warm glass plate, then dried at 50°C. To prevent drying too quickly and cracking, steam may have to be injected into the oven. When the plates are dry, copying

100 ccm (75.5%, wt/wt) 14 gr 7gr 1.5 gr

(10.6%) ( 5.3%) ( 1-1%)

can start. In sunlight, exposures through a negative are ca. 3 minutes, in scattered daylight, 1/2-hour or more.

After exposure, the plate is coated with collodion (add 2-3% glycerine to the col­lodion). When the collodion is dry, incise the layer along three sides.

Now prepare the developer:

Borax Sodium hydroxide Water

100 gr 15 gr 2 L

( 4.7%, wt/wt) ( 0.7%) (94.6%)

The exposed plate is submerged in this solution. The collodion layer lifts the entire exposed layer from the glass. The picture develops in the slightly agitated solution, while unexposed areas of the picture dis­solve in the water.

When developing is complete, the collo­dion layer is rinsed with clean water. Lay the collodion layer on a piece of clean pa­per, and cut fourth side. Carefully slide a clean glass plate under the paper, thor­oughly rinse the collodion layer again with water. Rinse with an alcohol/water solu­tion, finally with alcohol.

Place the "picture" on the article to be dec­orated (glass, ceramic, etc.)—with picture side down. Press thoroughly to make pic­ture adhere to base, then carefully remove the backing paper. Remove air bubbles with a brush dipped in alcohol. Air dry.

Now the collodion skin is very carefully re­moved by washing it with a soft brush dipped in ethyl acetate. (Errors, etc., can be retouched with the sensitizing solution.)

Before firing, coat pictures with a very di­lute glaze (1-2% solids). The thinner this glaze, the sharper the picture. Fire at 800-900°C.

V2-L blown glass stein, with photograph of two children

Ornate porcelain stein with photograph of Queen Augusta Viktoria of Prussia

Now does all of the above sound compli­cated? Remember, this process had to be repeated for every article so decorated. No mass production techniques here!

Even the science of chemistry had not yet come into its own. Take a look at a sen­sitizing solution recommended by Dr. F. Joubert of France in 1860 (reference 2.):

Saturated solution of potassium dichromate 5 parts (14%, wt/wt)

Honey 3 parts ( 8%) Egg-white 3 parts ( 8%) Distilled water 20-30 parts (ca. 70%)

(This almost looks like the beginning of a cake recipe!)

This solution was used similarly to the first. But after the plate was properly exposed, the image on the glass was enhanced by brushing it with a finely powdered, colored glaze. The glaze stuck to exposed areas, while unexposed areas were washed away with a solution of alcohol containing acetic or nitric acid. When this step was com­pleted, the picture was now made up solely of glaze color. The plate was again dried and fired "in the usual manner."

This process was called a "dry process" because of the use of dry glazes instead of colloidal carbon, as in the "wet process."

A large number of French and German re­searchers and photographers worked dili­gently at improving these methods. Pat­ents were awarded. Much publicity was showered on the technique, and photo­graphic images were used to decorate cups, saucers, plates, beer steins, plaques to hang on grave stones—all types of stone­ware and porcelain articles. A photograph of Emperor Franz Josef, taken by Justus Leth (Austria), was transferred to a por­celain tile and in 1871 was set into the

Porce la in in lay lid on a g lass s te i n , w i th photograph

cornerstone of the Vienna Museum of Art and Industry!

The accompanying photographs show ex­amples of photo-ceramics on articles fa­miliar to all stein collectors.

The French photographer, Lafon de Ca-marsac (1821-1905), working in Paris, produced on the order of 15,000 enamel photographs! He won a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1867: He was actually able to color his photo­graphic images by carefully brushing them with various metallic oxides and fluxes prior to firing. (Ref. 3.)

It was a wonderful invention and much use was made of it. Here was a way of pre­serving a photographic image "forever." And not only on a flat plate, good for noth­ing but standing on the mantel piece or hanging on the wall, but on most any sur­face of ones choosing—to be preserved, treasured and today, valued.

As stated previously, the most astounding aspect is perhaps not just the "chemistry," but the enormous work involved in trans­ferring one image, via one negative, to a large number of items, say 1000 steins:

A History of Photo-Ceramics Investigator Count ry Date T y p e of Work H. Fox Talbot ? 1849 Initial process experiments, early patent

for process on glass Thomas Malone ? 1849 Joint patent with Talbot for process on

glass Plaut France 1853 Developed method for firing picture onto

surface Bulot France 1854 Joint patent with Cattin for fixing, vitrify­

ing and coloring,photo images on glass, ceramics, etc. (England)

Cattin France 1854 (see above) Lafon deCamarsac France 1855 First true, working technique. Used gold

and platinum toners J. E. Mayall ? 1855 Photos on artificial ivory C. J. Burnett England 1855 Widely varied use of photographs on por­

celain arjd glass James A. Forrest England 1857 Process for direct imaging and firing on

glass Gamier France 1858 Development of dichromate dry process Salmon France 1858 Dichromate dry process

F. Joubert France 1860 Dry process patent (England) John Wyard France 1860 Photos on glass, porcelain and tiles

Poitevin France 1860 Carbon process, fired (burnt-in) image W. Gruene Germany 1861 Improvements, fired images

Beyrich Germany — Process improvements Heckert Germany — Process improvements Heydenhaus Germany 1863 Process patent (Austria) for burnt-in im­

ages; process documentation Obernettner Germany 1864 Further process improvements and in­

dustrial utilization of the dry process E. Burgess England 1865 Non-fired (burnt-in) process Mathieu Deroche France, Italy — Licensee of Poitevin process Justus Leth Austria 1871 Further process work, use in industrial

photography Du Motay France Process modifications Marechal France Process improvements.

Two ordinary stoneware steins, with photo inlay lids. The inlay on the stein on the right is under glass

The laborious process of transferring the flimsy collodion film from glass plate to fi­nal surface, the rinsing, the preparing—all had to be carried out 1000 t imes. Ob­viously a true—and expensive—labor of love and pride of handiwork.

While commercial sensitizing and devel­oping solutions for use on ceramics and glass can be obtained today for the one-of-a-kind photo-transfer jobs, all mass-

product ion is done by deca l , most ly untouched by human hands on high-speed machinery. Once again the efficiency of the machine has triumphed over the romance of hand work. Oh w e l l . . .

(A note of warning: While the careful amateur sci­entist may wish to try his or her hand at duplicating the primitive steps outlined above, please be warned that a number of the chemicals used are quite haz­ardous. Potassium dichromate is highly toxic, as is collodion and ethyl acetate. Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda, lye) is extremely dangerous and can cause very serious skin burns and permanent eye damage. Nitric acid and acetic acid are corrosives and will attack skin and cause burns. When handling any chemicals, wear rubber gloves and good eye pro­tection, such as goggles. Protect all working sur­faces with heavy plastic sheeting. The safest advice we can give you: Take our word for it and don't re­peat these old experiments!)

Acknowledgments : The subject dis­cussed here was first suggested by Mike Wald. Mike also furnished all the photo­graphs. Werner Sahm furnished a copy of reference 1, Roy DeSelms furnished ref­erences 2 and 3. The two German works were translated by the author.

References: 1. "Photokeramik," Graphische Technik, 1928

(reprinted by Degussa-Farben, Degussa Merkblatt 107, n.d.)

2. "Geschichte der Fotografie," Dr. Wolfgang Baier, VEB Fotokinoverlag Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany, 1962.

3. "The History of Photography," Helmut Gernsheim, Oxford University Press, New York, 1955.

V2-L porcelain stein, with photograph of young girl

Reproduction Regimentals by Peter Meinlschmidt

Federal Republic of Germany

Reproduction regimental steins are a com­mon sight in German tourist-area souvenir shops and even, to a lesser degree, in Germany's neighboring countries, such as Alsace, France. Exclusively produced by German firms, they reflect the broad range from the plain and simple types to the tall and sophisticated ones—where you, in­deed, have to look twice to be able to dis­tinguish them from old, genuine ones. Even though no serious collector would expect to find a true regimental stein in a souvenir shop or similar business, some of these reproduction steins, with various attempts for artificial aging performed on them, ap­pear at flea markets and antique fairs. Thus, a general word of caution is indeed justi­fied since a reproduction stein should at the utmost cost some $45.00, while old ones cost many times that amount. However, malicious intent is not the principal reason for their reproduction; it is more because these regimental steins have always been beautiful and decorative items, something special, and quite useful, because you can drink beer from them and I can tell you it is fun to do so.

Thus, to meet the commercial demand of tourists and Germans alike, various firms have started to specialize in the reproduc­tion of Imperial German regimental steins. While the production of bona-fide regimen­tal steins essentially ceased in 1915, the manufacture of the usual type of beer stein continued through the years. Thus it can be assumed that it would be these estab­

lished firms which would take up the pro­duction of porcelain and stoneware steins after the end of World War II. These firms started off by designing and manufacturing steins with various designs and inscrip­tions for the soldiers of the occupation forces. With the scarcity and relative un­availability of genuine old regimental steins, and the resurgence of the collectibility of such steins, some firms obviously began to reproduce these old steins using mod­ern techniques.

It was an easy thing for an established fac­tory to just gear up a branch of its produc­tion for these items. This may have oc­curred in the 1960's, with many other firms having joined in later. These reproduction regimentals from the initial production pe­riod exhibit all those features which have been outlined in an earlier article in PROSIT (No. 51 , March 1978, page 468), such as a generally conical shape, a large "bump" on the inside of the handle and the rolled-up tentacle-shaped thumblift. This, in ad­dition to a very primitive transfer scene— very bright colors and very plain details and background—makes it easy to distinguish them fairly easily from genuine old regi­mentals. Also, reproduction regimentals only had one type for each "branch of the service," i.e., a certain identical transfer scene associated with a specific perma­nently used lid finial. Thus the sitting sol­dier finial was used for "repro" infantry steins, a cannon for artillery, a mounted horseman for cavalry, a pioneer with an­chor and spade for Pioneer unit steins and the spread-wing eagle for airship unit steins. Simultaneously there existed also the spindle top and crown tops (small crown) finials to be used interchangeably on any branch type stein.

Fig. 1—Six reproduction regimental steins

Fig. 2—Another set of reproduction regimentals (Photo Baumann)

Fig. 5—A complete line of regimental stein reproductions from Kaiser Porcelain Co.

Very cheap porcelain steins did not even have a lithophane in the bottom. Over the course of the years and probably with the advent of new firms joining in, new ele­ments have been introduced with a gen­eral tendency towards more refinement— with this tendency still continuing—so that now it becomes more difficult to pick out a reproduction regimental stein at first glance. At first the "bumps" on the inside of the handles disappeared almost completely, and finial variants, as found on the old steins, gradually appeared, such as both the sitting soldier and the standing soldier finial on an infantry stein. For example, the machine gun finial turned up and, by now, the finials have been improved to the ex­tent that even two soldiers may be found together with a machine gun or a cannon. The parting soldier finials (single soldier or group of two) also made their appearance.

The same applies to the "standing soldier with a lion" finial and the now "perfectly adapted" horseman, so that the one on an Uhlan stein now correctly wears a chapka (or tschapka), the Hussar his busby and the Cuirassier his cuirassier helmet. Also there are at least two different sizes for the

horse and its rider. Generally speaking, the entire spectrum of finial variants is ap­pearing on reproduced regimental steins, except the really rare ones and, to date still, the screw-off and prism types. Thus, either a late-type "sophisticated" lid with finial on a plain and plump regimental stein or, conversely, a "perfect" late-type trans­fer scene with a portrait medallion and per­haps even including a garrison town view on a stein with a rather primitive lid, might be indicative of a reproduction stein. Also reproduction steins only rarely have the "state colors" applied as slant stripes, but some may have them! In one instance these colors were light-blue and black (!) on a Bavarian stein.

The majority of reproduction steins have all kinds of regular pattern ornaments im­printed on their upper and lower "r ing bands," such as a chain wreath of leaves and/or acorns, or a (too regular) rope pat­tern in the form of connected beads of equal shape. Their very regular form dist in­guishes them from the not so regular hair-type brush strokes encountered on old regimentals, if not already immediately recognized by their "impossible" color.

Addit ionally, another criterion has also emerged, that of the thumblifts—if they are to represent the coat-of-arms of former states of the German Empire. As is known, there were 5 types of state-related coats-of-arms in existence: For Prussian units, the spread winged eagle; for Bavarian and Hessian units, the rampant lion; for Würt­temberg and Saxon units, their respective coat-of-arms; and for the Grand-Duchy of Baden, the Baden griffin. (The coat-of-arms of a specific unit is dependent on the unit's state affiliation and not on its honorary ti­tle!) For some strange reason a great many of the reproduction steins are found with a Baden griffin coat-of-arms thumblift, even though the pertinent unit may have been a Bavarian or Prussian unit (this is espe­cially inconsistent with Navy or sea battal­ion steins!). Perhaps this is due to pewter

Fig. 3—Ornate regimental reproduct ions by Bareuther of Waldsassen in Bavaria

Fig. 4—Plain regimental reproductions, also by Bareuther

lids being procured centrally, with no other variations available at the time. While this is still an applicable criterion—the actual percentage of Baden units within the Im­perial German Armed Forces was some­thing like 4%!—recent evidence points to the fact that this is also being changed, since all principal coats-of-arms, as pre­viously mentioned, are now available for reproduction steins; the possible excep­tions are the special Prussian guard eagle variation and the Ulm sparrow thumblift. However, so far it has not been possible to determine whether they are always cor­rectly applied.

As already stated, prism and screw-off lids, as well as the conspicuous "glass eye" feature (both on lid finials and thumblifts of

old regimentals), have not yet been in­cluded in the reproduction line and hope­fully never will. The interior of pewter lids on reproduction regimental steins is invar­iably of a dull color, unlike the highly pol­ished type present on old regimentals. Fi­nally, the name roster on old regimentals is generally offset from the transfer scene background color, since it was separately applied, while on new production regimen­tals it is embedded in the background color—for ease of production. Another ob­vious distinctive criterion is a recurrent re­servist 's name and identical comrades roster, at least for a specific branch service stein. A final criterion to distinguish a re­production stein from an old one is the transfer scene "highlights" or tiny color bumps hand-applied on uniform buttons and crests of coat-of-arms, as encountered on old regimentals—noticeable when sliding a finger across the transfers. Some newly

produced regimentals, generally of a plain overall appearance, also have music boxes either in the lid or in the stein base. This would be an extremely rare feature on an old regimental and, even though I have heard of it, I have so far never seen an old regimental stein with a music box device, but have only seen apparent provisions for installing a music box in the form of circular beveled holes on the inside of hollow 6 cm pottery stein bases.

Realizing that a complete overview of the current German reproduction industry with regard to regimental steins could not be given, it is hoped that some of the afore­mentioned distinctive criteria will be useful to stein collectors. Supporting these con­tentions are the illustrations accompanying this article, newly produced reproduction steins by selected West German manufac­turers. Q

Fig. 6—-A transfer for a new regimental stein, reflecting the poor quality copy as compared to an old regimental stein. Note especially the portrait medallion, intended to represent Ernst Ludwig öf Hesse

Membership Committee Report by Jim DeMars Membership Vice-President

As of August 1st, there were 1523 mem­bers of S.C.I. We thank everyone who helped to increase our rolls with 249 new members in 1983/84. The "inquiry card" that some of you have been putting in steins at shows and in antique shops really works. In June alone, we got nine of these cards back for more information on S.C.I. Of these, five came from Ohio with the same S.C.I, number on them. This means one S.C.I, member is working very hard for us: We thank Sam Brainard for his efforts.

In order to interest more of you to help, we have been given the OK for a "sales con­test". The contest starts December 1st and will run until Convention XIX in New York next year. We will have awards in two cat­egories:

a) the dealer/S.C.I. member who signs up the most members;

b) the non-dealer S.C.I, member who signs up the most members.

The rest is up to you: Let's hit the 1700 membership mark by July! Please let us know how many membership information/ application cards to send you—so that you can win! Q

The United Convention Trier, August 1984 by Jack Lowenstein Photographs by John P. Mertz

SCI's 18th annual Convention was another of those dream-like events, the once-in-a-lifetime, the ultimate . . . for stein collec­tors. Far from being a replay of the 1978 Convention, this one in Trier had a flavor all its own.

Things started to happen right from the be­ginning. By Wednesday, which was the day before the official start of the Convention, fully 25% of the attendees were already in Trier. The board meeting that afternoon was a brief one (minutes will be published in a future issue of Prosit), since no board member wanted to be cooped up in a hotel room while there were "things to be done" outside. After all, Trier was celebrating its 2000th anniversary!

Thursday, August 2, was the official open­ing of the Convention. We were greeted by our German hostess, Therese Thomas, by our Chairlady, Johanna Scott, by the U.S. Consul, and by the deputy mayor of Trier, Herr Hans Petzholdt. Then a mar­velous lecture about Heinrich Schutt by Prof. Dr. Adi J. Schmoll, and following that a lecture by Guenter Merk and Wolfgang Gult on "Regimental S t e i n s . " . . . . And then the stein sale room opened. Need we say more?

August 3 was "Mettlach Day". Busloads of expectant visitors were off to that tiny town on the Saar River, made big and famous by the Vil leroy & Boch famil ies. A tour through the V&B showrooms was high­lighted by a demonstration of "Keravision", a mind-boggling scientific tour-de-force— where we "met" Eugen vonBoch, the 19th century founder of the firm. Lunch in the tent at Saareck, a visit to the giant bend in the Saar River, and it was time for the much-awaited evening, back in the tent. First, a band concert by the Dinkelsbuehler Kna­ben, young men with adult talents, and then food, beer ("Saarfuerst Bier"), oompah music, singing, dancing. . ..

Many dignitaries were present to greet and

chat with the SCI members: Herren Luitwin and Wendelin vonBoch, Mettlach mayor Feiten, the mayor (and his wife) of Merzig, and Himself, the Fuerst of Saarfuerst Bier. Many gifts, certificates of honor . .. and steins of b e e r . . . were exchanged.

Next the contests: The chug-a-lug and the "most original tee-shirt" contests—read all about the results following this article.

Memorable highlight: John Coleman of Pennsylvania leading the German band, waving that baton as if he had been per­sonally trained by John Philip Sousa!

Saturday started with another outstanding lecture, "The History of Collecting," by Therese Thomas. (The lecture will appear in print in the next issue of Prosit.) This was followed by the official SCI auction, while another stein auction was held in the nearby Europa Park Hotel. Both auctions were well-attended, and many, many beer steins found themselves new owners.

Saturday afternoon a number of us visited the Cathedral of Trier for a special mass, with readings in English especial ly for members of SCI. Highpoint: Altarboy Mark Durban, in white sneakers peeking out from under his altar robe.

That evening was the gala dinner-dance at the Dorint Hotel, with countless door prizes, many awards, the costume con­tests . . . and the usual farewells for those unable to continue with the crew on the post-convention trip.

Sunday morning it was all over. 275 lucky souls went on the ten-day trip through southern Germany and Holland, while the rest of us went home. But for 375 Ameri­cans and 85 Germans it was a wonderful experience, a truly "united" event. What a Convention!

Long live Trier! Next year: New York.

Convention Awards With two notable exceptions, American steiners took most of the awards and honors at the 18th Annual Convention in Trier, Germany. As reported in the last issue, L o u i s e S c h n e i d e r o f Met t lach was crowned "Miss Beer Stein, 1984."

Ridge Scott, our jolly stein man from Illi­nois, was honored with the coveted "Mas­ter Steinologist" award, which, as always, was accompanied by a gorgeous certifi­cate, emblazoned in Ridge's honor with scenes from the tale of the Seven Swabi-ans (see PROSIT no. 53, September 4978).

Terry Hill, sometime chug-a-lug coach from Cal i fo rn ia , was named "M is te r Beer Stein"—no reflection of his silhouette—and was henceforth recognizable by his sash of honor.

Mrs. Hill, a.k.a. Claire, won the "best lady's costume" contest, while AI Klein­dienst of Louisiana won the "best men's costume" contest. Both winners wore the most authentic Bavarian "Trachten," al­though all of the many contestants put on a great show (especially delightful, as al­ways, were the men's knees, visible above the Bavarian knee socks).

Another Californian, the ever-popular Frank Poppy, won the "most outstanding t-shirt" contest with his beautifully hand-embroi­dered shirt covered with Heinrich Schlitt scenes. Kathy Jacobson of Minnesota won second prize with a gorgeous disco t-shirt, while Jack Lowenstein, ye olde editor from New Jersey, came in third with his electric and electrifying t-shirt sporting the SCI logo (during the brief rainstorm that evening, Jack was in real danger of electrocuting himelf, but his flashes survived—we al­ways said that the guy had plenty of insulation).

The group talent contest was won hands-down by the Meister Steiner Ballet Group, ably led by Pat Jahn, assisted by prima ballerina Hannah Steichmann—both, of course, from Illinois.

You may now well ask, who was the other non-American awardee, since above we said there were two, and Louise Schneider is one of them. Well, the other was not a "he," it was a "they"; The German band which entertained us in Mettlach under the giant Saareck tent. You notice that we are

The Convention Connecting Tour Through Germany and Holland

still avoiding revealing just what it is they won. But the truth will out, as the saying goes. Four members of the German band beat all challengers—and there were many of them—at the chug-a-lug contest! Emp­tying their half-liter steins with astounding speed they were unbeatable! The famous California team had gone down to defeat earlier, being outmatched by the Student Prince Group from New England. The lat­ter also were out-chug-a-lugged, and fi­nally the "German Four" emerged as clear winners. They were personally congratu­lated by Wendelin vonBoch—and then went back inside the tent to finish the evening's gig of polkas, waltzes and two-steps. Wir gratulieren!

However, even the losing teams have to be congratulated: They all did well, women and men alike: Prosit!

To all of our winners, honorees and awar-dees: Congratulations, the best of luck— and many thanks for being such wonderful sports.

Words of Thanks The "United" Convention would almost have been impossible if it hadn't been for the extremely complicated work and as­sistance of just one SCI member: Vera Christy. Vera, all by herself (with some help from husband Earl) collected all the convention deposits and fees, deposited them in a special account, had the dollars converted to German Marks, and sent all these monies to our German hosts in Mett­lach. Besides the money, Vera took care of all records, who had sent in how much and when, what was still owed—and con­firmed all receipts, sent out the necessary letters, juggled cancellations and last-minute requests, and in many other ways stew-arded a record-breaking quarter-million-dollar budget.

To Vera, our great appreciation and our thanks: You did a fantastic job and we can­not even imagine how we could have man­aged without you! You truly deserve our unqualified "thank you" and a tip of the old hat: Prosit!

by Therese Thomas (Mettlach) Photographs by John P. Mertz

Once the Convention in Trier was over, our group of 460 persons got smaller: 270 conventioneers joined us for the 10-day connecting tour that took us through two countries.

The main direction from Trier was Nurem­berg, the Romantic Road, and Munich. Stops along the way were the ancient cities

of Rothenburg ob der Tauber (i.e., on the Tauber River) and Dinkelsbuehl, both still protected by the city walls. In the latter town we were greeted by the famous Dinkels-buehler Knaben, who had also entertained us in Mettlach. At dinner in the Old Gran­ary we were regaled with Gregorian-like chants, courtesy of the "Joculatores et his-triones Franconiae" : A jewel of a per­formance. Birthday celebrations that eve­ning included those of "Doc" Joe Hersh and Fred Schroeder, Jr.

An obvious highlight of the stay in Munich

was the ( in)famous Munich Street Car Party—a beer, schnapps and singing party exactly the way the Americans love it. Oompah music was everywhere , with Schuhplattler and Goazlschnalzer (if you have to ask what those are, you are cer­tainly not a true Bavarian).

Then a trip to visit Ludwig ll's castle at Herrenchiemsee, with walks through the beautiful grounds and a boat ride. Back to Munich for more beer and music and beer— and a fond farewell. But not before a sur­prise in the early morning hours: Bavarian music, free beer served from a genuine Oktoberfest brewery truck pulled by four

large draught-horses, dancing in the streets (remember, this was before 9 o'clock in the morning)—and a last rendition of "Muss i denn zum Staedtele h i n a u s . . . . "

The Rhine city of Cologne with its magnif­icent cathedral was an intermediate stop: The beautiful High Mass, with 24 altar boys, the organ music and the awesome archi­tecture—all made this one of the highlights of the tour.

On to Scheveningen in Holland, the final station of the trip. We also visited Holland's capital, Den Haag, and the "De Porse-leyne Fles", the 17th century Delft factory, still actively turning out fine ceramics.

And then, at last, as all good things must come to an end, the Farewell party at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen: All of us still united in friendship!

It certainly was a wonderful Convention. The Convention Team did its very best to

make this another memorable event, and the many letters we have received prove that all of you agree. We had the largest attendance of any Convention in SCI's his­tory, and the program we worked on so hard was a real success. Even the weather cooperated—although it was a trifle warm in Trier. I want to thank all the people who helped me put on this 18th United Convention:

Those who helped with the tent construc­tion;

those who helped with serving food and drinks in the tent;

those who controlled registration and the auction;

the hosts and hostesses who shepherded our guests everywhere they went;

the drivers who were responsible for their buses and passengers;

Dr. Ridge Scott, our Convention Coordi­nator and auctioneer, Johanna Scott, who gave us much good advice and helped out in so many ways, and Jack Lowen-stein, who has been our continuing link between Germany and the Unied States;

to the team at Castle Saareck, who pre­pared the buffet (and took charge of things in a driving rain);

(continued)

. . . . This convention couldn't have hap­pened without them. Many thanks to all of you!

And now we must ask, should we do it again, maybe in 1991? After all, it will be SCI's 25th Convention, it will be the 150th anniversary of the Villeroy & Boch merger of 1841, and it would probably be the last SCI Convention in Germany before I retire. Think about it: Something special must happen for SCI's 25th!

In the meanwhile, thanks again to every­body, including the 460 international Con­ventioneers, for making the United Con­vention such a marvelous success: Prosit!

Th. Th.

Tief in dem Herzens Texas Yes, that headline translates to, "Deep in the Heart of Texas." And why do we spout German in connection with one of our fa­vorite states? Because in 1986 the State of Texas and the Country of Germany will be celebrating a Sesquicentennial Anni­versary—150 years of German-Texan friendship, coinciding with Texas' 150th "birthday."

German "wild west" enthusiasts are al­ready planning and preparing this event, with tentative programs including German-Texan folkdancing, a sports program, tex­tile industry interchanges, ranching heri­tage tours and a German Heritage Ex­change. Plans are even afoot for "twinning" of German and Texan cities, also to in­clude student, faculty and industry ex­changes.

The U.S. contacts for this event are Susan McClelland of Austin and Dr. Meredith McClain at Texas Tech University of Lub­bock, while one of the German contacts is our own Dr. Graham Dry of Munich.

Where does SCI come in? It appears that a part of our American heritage found great favor among German artists: The Ameri­can Indian. Graham Dry's committee wants to publish a booklet, in English and Ger­man, illustrating beer steins and similar drinking vessels featuring as their motif American Indians. An example is the stein at the head of this article, a lid-less S. P. Gerz stein manufactured in the Wester­wald around 1900.

Hence we have been requested to collect photographs of steins with decorations of Indians, either German- or American-made. While we would like to have the names of

photo donors, anonymity will be protected, if so desired. Here's what we would like to get:

Good, sharp photographs, in color or black-and-white, or even color slides, showing beer steins decorated with scenes of Indians, Indian life—anything with Indian or "Wild West" scenes! Also included should be data about the stein: Manufacturer (if known), marks (if any), capacity, unusual features, height and diameter. And the owner's name (if de­sired, but not required).

Jack Heimann Service Award Nominations Nominations for the "Jack Heimann Service Award" are herewith sol ici ted. As Don Forster stated in the March 1981 issue of PROSIT, the qualifications for the award are that (a) the individual must be a mem­ber of S.C.I.; (b) the award will be earned for Continued Leadership and Contribu­tion of Effort to S.C.I.; and (c) the award will be overdue rather than premature.

Nominations must be in writing, and the reasons for qualification must be fully de­scribed. All nominations should be mailed, before March 31 , 1985, to:

Mrs. Johanna Scott Box 458 Barrington, IL 60010

Please remember that this award is not a competition for Master Steinologist, nor is it a popularity contest. Instead it is to ac­knowledge and reward true service to our organizat ion, Stein Collectors Interna­tional.

Please send all photographs to ye olde ed­itor, Jack Lowenstein, SCI, P.O. Box 463, Kingston, NJ 08528.

At the moment we cannot guarantee that any photos will be returned, so please make sure that you retain the negatives or du­plicate prints or slides!

We'll keep you informed on this "wild and wooly" project and, of course, we'll do our very best to get copies of the booklet, when published, for all SCI members. In the meantime, scan your shelves for those steins with American Indian motifs—and haul out the camera and start clicking away. Thank you from us, and "danke schön" from our German Texans.

J.G.L.

A Few Facts About Beer • A journal kept on the Mayflower reveals

that the Pilgrims would have sailed fur­ther south to Virginia, instead of landing at Plymouth Rock, had they not run out of beer.

• Samuel Adams, instigator of the Boston Tea Party, was one of the first large-scale American brewers.

• All beer is sensitive to light, and if ex­posed to direct sunlight turns cloudy and takes on a peculiar odor and flavor clas­sified among barmen as "skunky."

• Beer experts mildly disapprove of drink­ing beer directly from the can or bottle. "Beer is at heart a gassy beverage," they say, "and to come fully alive it must be poured; like a man or an army, it is best with some kind of head." Of course we have known this all along: That's why we prefer our beer from beer steins!

American World War I Regimental Steins by Don Franz Photos by Mike Wald

When we think of Regimental Steins we think of the usual souvenir drinking vessel that the German reservist brought home as a proud remembrance of his military service. But the German soldier was not the only fighting man who observed this custom. While the German Regimental stein gained prominence prior to World War I, the American counterpart became popular as a result of the War.

The Germans entered the War in 1914, but American president Woodrow Wilson tried to remain neutral. It soon became clear, however, that our entry was inevitable. In 1917 we started mobilizing and the Amer­ican Expeditionary Forces, under the com­mand of General John J. Pershing, began landing in France on June 26th. Our total forces then numbered 4,800,000 men, with 1,400,000 soldiers in France. Pershing insisted that they fight as units, thus form­ing the American First Army. These forces took part in 13 major operations in World War I. The St. Mihiel battle of Sept. 1918 was the first distinctively American offen­sive of the war. Many other battles ensued until the armistice was signed on Novem­ber 11, 1918.

This "War To End All Wars" was a very patriotic war and the American fighting sol­dier was very proud of his part in its victory. He was very eager to bring back with him some remembrance of his experiences thousands of miles from home. Needless to say, some enterprising German stein maker took advantage of this market and produced a popular stein body with blank side panels, where personal inscriptions and emblems could be applied. This "Ameri­can Regimental" stein was made of yel­low-ware and featured a relief front panel showing three American soldiers in differ­ent poses of combat dress. Around the base of the stein was a relief panel showing sol­diers in battle, a cannon and buildings. These panels were all brightly colored. The stein featured a hollow base with no mark­ings. It also carried no liter markings, but was 1/2-liter in size.

Three identical bodies were seen recently and two of them are photographed. Two of them carry the same markings on the side panels and are inscribed to "Earl W. Hartwig, 127th Inf. Supply Co. 32 Div." and "Hugh L. Finnegan, Hdq. Co. 127th Inf. 32 Div." Both of these steins carry the names

American regimental stein to wagoneer J. 1917-1919.

F. Connolly, 1st Ammunition Train, Company C,

of battles engaged in by this unit on one side and a large red arrow on the other. The battle inscriptions read; "Alsace sec­tor 18 May-21 July 1918—Aisne-Marne of­fensive 29 July-7 Aug. 1918—Oise-Aisne Offensive 26 Aug.-6 Sept. 1918—Meuse-Argonne offensive 26 Sept.-11 Nov. 1918." Note that the last battle ended on the same day that the war ended.

The third stein is inscribed to "Wag. J. F. Connolly, 1st Amm. Train Comp. C 1917-1919". This was to Wagoneer 1st Ammu­nition Train Battalion Co., which was a horse-driven ammunition wagon unit which brought supplies and ammunition to the front lines. This is the same unit we spoke about earlier, known also as the "Big Red One" or the "Fighting First". This unit also occupied Germany after World War I. The familiar red " 1 " on an olive-drab back­ground within a green wreath is applied to one side of the stein, while the battles fought appear in a red circle on the other side panel. The stein is inscribed, "In action at Sommervillier, Ansauville, Cantigny, Sais-sons, Sazarias, St. Mihiel, Argonne, Meuse, Sedan."

The First Infantry Division is still in exist­ence today, having fought in World War II and Viet Nam. They were also the first unit to hit the beaches at Normandy in World War II.

These three stein bodies are identical ex­cept for the lids. It is quite possible that the American soldier purchased these steins without lids, as lids were unimportant to him. Some are found today with original German lids but new ones are being added by today's stein collector. What we have here, I believe, are the first genuine Amer­ican regimental steins. They make a very interesting and unusual addition to any stein shelf.

(Special thanks to Bill Weinig and Don Daughterly for their help in preparing this article.)

American regimental stein to Earl W. Hartwig, 127th Infantry Supply Co., 32nd Division, 1918.

Dr. Graham and Dr. Beate Dry of Munich

In Style: Jugendstil Yes, Virginia, there is a Graham Dry.

When I visited Munich prior to the Con­vention this past July, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Graham Dry and his charm­ing wife, Dr. Beate Dry-v.Zezschwitz. The former has been my resident expert on the subjects of Jugendstil, art nouveau and art deco for over a year, while the latter is the author of several books well-known to stein collectors ("R. Merkelbach-Grenzhausen and Muenchen, 1905 Pricelist" and "The Stoneware Factory of Rosskopf & Gerz, 1901-1914").

The accompanying photographs introduce Dr. and Dr. Graham and Beate Dry—as well as their outstanding collection of Jugendstil ceramics.

Both have promised to continue publishing books about Westerwald potteries (Graham is the proprietor of a publishing house, Verlag Dry), and since they are a totally bilingual couple, they will author several articles about stoneware, Jugendstil and the Westerwald for the pages of Prosit.

We eagerly look forward to future writing, editing and publishing ventures from this delightful couple—who, of course, are members of SCI.

J.G.L.

Toasting/Wedding Cups— Revisited by Stephen L. Smith

Shown in the accompanying illustration are two contemporary examples of toasting cups, as defined in J. Joseph Hersh's ar­ticle (PROSIT, Volume 66, page 848). There are those of us who would like to see the collecting world call these specific vessels "Wedding Cups." The use of the words "Toasting Cups" implies that these drink­ing vesse ls wou ld or cou ld be used throughout their history to toast with and to drink from, which is probably not the case. While these drinking vessels might have been used for toasting purposes dur­ing the wedding festivities, it is doubtful that they were ever used again for that pur­pose. In fact, the bride and groom probably put this cup away in a safe place imme­diately after the wedding, to be treasured for a long time (we hope).

The wedding cup to the right in the photo is silver plate over brass and is 5% inches tall. Engraved on the lower cup are the words "The Tides Inn, Honeymoon Cup." The 7"/des Inn is a well-known resort, lo­cated on the Chesapeake Bay in Lancas­ter County, Virginia. It is evident that when newlyweds rented the honeymoon suite at this inn, the innkeeper gave the happy couple a cup as a souvenir and good luck piece to remember their stay at his estab­lishment.

Jugendstil ceramics from the Westerwald

The cup shown to the left is very similar to that of Dr. Hersh's, standing 5% inches tall. Its cut-out, center-section hearts are not as pronounced as the ones on his example, obviously a modern reproduction. And so it looks! Marked upside-down on the bot­tom heart are the words, "Eales 1779 Sil-ver-Plated," and in smaller print on the re­verse, "Italy."

Recent ly, at a Gambr inus Stein Club meeting, the lucky winner of our stein quiz received another exact sized example of

this wedding cup. The markings were dif­ferent than indicated above and may imply that these wedding cups are now pro­duced by a newer firm, or (my guess) that these cups are produced in Italy by an un­known manufacturer and are stamped with the retailer's mark or name. This latter cup is marked on one of the "arms" holding the small cup: "Ramond, Silverplate." On an­other arm is the word, " I ta ly . " It is en­graved to "Sandra and Arvil," and is dated October 5,1974. A short-lived piece of his­tory for the couple, but another interesting example in the study of drinking vessels and their uses.

Low-Alcohol Beer First we had "light" beer. Now the brew­eries promise us " L A " , or low-alcohol beer. The "lights" have, on the average, about half of the alcohol content of the standard beers, or about 1.5 to 1.9% alcohol by weight. The "L.A.'s" promise less than 1 %.

What will the real beer drinkers think of all this? Very little, we assume. And that is exactly what every brewer will face: That the general perception is that, accurate or not, the stuff tastes awful.

The first "L.A. 's" on the market are An-heuser-Busch's simply-named "LA." , Mill­er's "Sharp's L.A.", and Heileman's "Blatz LA." , "Old Style LA . " and "Rainier LA . " The market all these brewers are going after, of course, is the younger generation who are "with it" and calorie-conscious. But will they like the taste?

The most positive thing we've heard about these beers so far is that they might keep some people from getting too drunk and that fits in with the national concern about drunken drivers. If this will keep the alco­hol-sodden drivers off the roads, then we'd even accept the taste of the stuff!

The next step is to go all the way: Non­alcoholic beer (shades of Prohibit ion's "near-beer"). There are already a few Swiss and Scandinavian brands on the market— but do they taste like beer?

And what are we going to do? Drink non-beer out of beer steins? And do we then call our favorite drinking vessels "near-beer steins"? Heaven help us!

Beer Stein Nomenclature The article, "Steins, Tankards and Mugs" by Jack Lowenstein, in the last issue of PROSIT (page 1229) elicited two very thoughtful responses, one from Ken Armke (of Opa's Haus in New Braunfels, Texas), the other from Bob Wilson of Los Angeles, California.

Ken Armke writes:

You got my attention with your treatise on "Steins, Tankards and Mugs" (establishing terminology therefore). This is a subject which on several occasions I have been forced to address, study, inquire, and come to some conclusions.

I think your proposal is very close to a good solution, but please allow me to make a case for the definitions shown in the ac­companying box.

It is my contention that these definitions (or something akin) most closely translate from the manufacturers' intention, expressed in catalogs in German, into something that makes good sense in "Americanese". This is particularly true in the break in sizes be­tween steins (Seidel) and tankards (Hum-pen). Almost every stein catalog I have seen—turn-of-the-century or contempo­rary—groups offerings into 1 liter and less and 1Vfe liters and more. Further, many of the old catalogs show serving sets with a 11/2 liter "master stein". In short, a stein (Seidel) is an individual drinking vessel and should not (in any normal usage) be more than one liter in size.

Jugs, I guess, can conceivably be grouped under steins or tankards, depending upon size, etc. Except that they are definitely not really steins, or even tankards.

Re: mugs. I started with your exact defini­tion, but got my hand called on it. You are not going to get anyone to call the HR #437 (pictured on the same page as your article) a mug simply because it may be missing its customary lid. Ditto, of course, many other pieces which deserve always to be called steins, lid or no.

Similarly, Bob Wilson wrote the following:

Regarding the article "Steins, Tankards and Mugs" on page 1229 of the Sept. 1984 is­sue of PROSIT, I would offer an alternative

set of definitions for those items which are now very often referred to only as steins or mugs—see right side of box. I believe you will find that these five definitions fully en­compass the items in question and ade­quately deliniate as to size, function and whether or not there is a lid. I have been using these definitions for quite some time and find that they serve my purposes very well. If something was actually going to be done about the standardization of terms, I would be happy to explain why I suggest these particular words and why I reject others and why I believe the definitions should be as presented.

Readers will note the similarity in defini­tions given by Armke and Wilson, a true indication that we are getting very, very close to usable definitions and standards. Let's "chew on it" for another issue or two, and then present a final version of an ac­ceptable standard. Comments will be ap­preciated in the meanwhile—as always, send them to S . d . , P.O. Box 463, King­ston, NJ 08528. Thank you.

Standard Drinking Vessel Definitions Item Definition proposed by Ken Armke Definition proposed by Bob Wilson

Stein A drinking vesse l of no less than Vie liter and no more than 1 liter capacity, which is equipped with a handle and is either a) equipped with a lid, or b) would normally be seen equipped with a lid. A stein will normally, but not always, be decorated.

A drinking vesse l with a handle and an attached lid having a capacity of one liter or less .

Mug A drinking vesse l of no less than Vie liter and no more than 1 liter capacity, which is equipped with a handle but is neither equipped with a lid nor would normally be seen equipped with a lid. A mug is nor­mally a) not decorated, or b) only simply decorated.

A stein without a lid.

Tankard or

Krug

Tankard: In the meaning that is used for stein col­lecting, a tankard is a vesse l of more than 1 liter in size, but in all other respects fits the description of a stein. A tankard is a vesse l more appropriate to serve from than to drink from.

Krug: A stein with a capacity of more than one liter or a serving vesse l (of any size) with a handle and an attached lid.

J u g or

Pitcher

Jug: A vesse l of any size that fits the description of a stein, mug or tankard, except for the addition of a pouring spout to indicate that it is obviously intended to serve solely as a serving piece.

Pitcher: A serving vesse l (of any size) with a handle and no lid, and which w a s not intended to have a lid. Jug: A krug without a lid.

Miniature Any vesse l which fits the description of a stein or mug, but is less than Vie liter in size.

Here we are in a quandary again! As we write this "editorial" in late October we have no idea who will be our U.S. president and vice-president in the next four years; on the other hand, when you read this in early December, you'll know the answer.

However, we know one thing: At the very best, the United States will have only one woman in that high office. Stein Collectors International is way ahead: We have two terrific ladies at the helm. With Johanna Scott as our chairperson and Therese Thomas as our president not only have we made history (ERA—are you listening?), but we have a great leadership team. Rounding out the team on the distaff side are Lawrence Beckendorff, James DeMars, Urban Boresch and Patrick Clarke. It will be a pleasure working with this crew.

The United Convention is now history. It was a memorable event, enjoyed to the hilt by 460 stein-talking, stein-dreaming, beer-drinking, song-singing, camera-clicking collectors. What was the most wonderful thing about the entire Convention for us was meeting the many German SCI members, who until August had only been names and SCI numbers. Now we were able to greet one another, shake hands, swap tales and in many ways get to know each other—truly united hands across the sea! We greeted each other as ac­quaintances, but we left each other as friends!

I know our American members will forgive us when, just for once, we lapse into German (the language of 10% of our membership) to thank our hosts at Trier, who made the Convention happen: "Freunde, es war eine fabelhafte Convention und Ihr habt uns so viel geboten. Vom ersten Tag zum letzten war Alles wirklich unvergesslich. Wir bedanken uns bei Allen die für die Convention gearbeitet haben: Therese Thomas, Uwe Oswald und alle Mitarbeiter. Wie Viktor vonScheffel vielleicht gedichtet hätte:

'Behüt Euch Gott, Es war so schön gewesen. Behüt Euch Gott— Es konnte nicht schöner se in ! ' "

J . G . L

The A m e r i c a n Con t i ngen t a t the Hoehr-Grenzhausen St. Sebastianus Schuetzenfest

SCI founder, Tom McClelland, being inducted into the St. Sebastianus Schuetzengesellschaft, on the occasion of the latter's 125th anniversary

(PKäJT Page 1264 Dec. 1984

When The Saints Go Marching In by Jack Lowenstein Photos by Mike Wald

Here is brief quiz for all you beer stein fans: What three famous saints are popularly represented on beer steins. Quick now, you have 30 seconds to answer.

Right you are! The three saints are St. Hubertus, St. Florian and St. George.

St. Hubertus is the patron saint of hunt­ers. He was the Bishop of Luettich (d. 727). According to legend, he went hunting on a holiday, but was confronted by a large white stag with a golden cross between its antlers. This confrontation resulted in Hubertus' repentance.

(The legend of St. Hubertus is beautifully told by Major R. F. Hanson on page 124 of Prosit No. 24, June 1971.)

St. Florian is the patron saint of fire fight­ers. He was a Catholic martyr, under the rule of Diokletian (Roman emperor, 284-305).

Better known is St. George, the dragon slayer. He was a Roman knight who was martyred along with 13 others ca. the year 303 during an anti-Christian reign of terror. St. George is known as the protector of England and of warriors.

Mettlach no. 1786 on the right, with a modern stein with similar motif on the left: St. Florian

These three saintly gentlemen show up in the decor of many steins, some of which are illustrated in this article. Villeroy & Boch showed homage to the saints on steins no. 2812 and 2813 (St. Hubertus), 1786 and 2091 (St. Florian), and 2015, St. George. The best-known is probably number 2091, with illustration by Heinrich Schlitt. The others are also very collectible!

St. Hubertus steins usually show either the stag with the golden cross between its ant­lers, or they show just the stag head skel­eton with the cross, or, occasionally, St. Hubertus kneeling in front of the great white stag.

St. Florian steins almost always show St. Florian pouring water over a flaming build­ing or city. In the case of Mettlach no. 2091, St. Florian is "putt ing out the f i re" in a drinker's head. As Heinrich Schlitt poe­tized, "one type of fire colors the sky red, the other type colors just the nose." The drinker, in turn, asked St. Florian not to dilute his beer!

Faience stein showing St. George killing a small dragon

St. George is classically illustrated killing the dragon with his spear. The very fancy Mettlach no. 2015 is a typical example, the scene done beautifully on a 5.6-L serving stein.

Isn't it amazing how much one can learn from steins? History, art, .. . Readers are invited to send in their stories of steins pic­turing saints. Q

St. Huber tus mot i f on a mi l i ta ry s te in , Mettlach no, 2091, St. Florian and the drinker Mettlach no. 2015, St. George killing the dragon commemorating the reunion of a Jaeger battalion

Page 1265 Dec. 1984

JP/1390 TOBY MUGS. Average S'A in. high. 4 beautiful hand painted subjects. (Case - 9 sets

Each {our cho ice) . . . 5.2S Set of 4 . . . 18.8C

JP/1230 "COLONIAL" FIGURE STEINS. Avg. 9Vz in.- tall. Hand painted. Innkeeper, Admiral, rate, Sea-Captain. (Case ~ 4 sets)

Each {our cho ice) . . . 9.5< Set of 4 asst 34.2(

Where Do They Come From? In response to Leonce Miller's whimsical article, "Sirens of The Sea" (PROSIT, no. 76, June 1984, page 1188), Nancy Saada, of the Kovels organization (Shaker Heights, Ohio) wrote to us, stating:

"It was a charming and poetic piece, but some of your readers might want more spe­cifics on the items pictured. We thought you might be interested in the enclosed photo­copies."

Enclosed were copies f rom two cata­logues, picturing the drinking vessels which Leonce had described. The little mermaid at the left of the picture appears in the 1981 catalogue of the A.A. Importing Co., and is priced at $6.75. It also appears in their 1984 catalogue, but the current value is not known.

The toby jug at the right of Leonce's pho­tograph is Royal Doulton's "Old Salt", available in the firm's large and small sizes (Miss Saada sent us a copy of a page from Royal Doulton's 1982 catalogue).

We have no information on the mug in the center of the photo.

1982 Royal Doulton catalogue

Yes , Virginia, there is a 1984 Convent ion s te in !

We have finally been notified by our "Mett­lach Stoneware Collectors" chapter that 1984 Convention steins are available for sale. Your orders must be sent to Therese Thomas in Germany.

The cost per stein is $87.00, which in­cludes postage and insurance.

Mail your check for $87.00 for each stein ordered, made out to "Villeroy & Boch", to:

Dr. Therese Thomas Keramik-Museum Mettlach Schloss Ziegelberg D-6642 Mettlach West Germany

Since the supply of these beautiful V&B steins is limited, hurry up with your order. Prosit!

Fit for an Emperor— But Which Emperor? by Richard Strom

The article "Fit for an Emperor" in the June 1984 Prosit (page 1196) assumes that one of the figures on the stein it discusses de­picts Emperor Franz Josef of Austria.

However, the figure in question bears no resemblance to Emperor Franz Josef. Franz Josef had very prominent "mutton chop" sideburns, but no beard on his chin. The figure on the stein has a full beard (includ­ing the chin), but does not have prominent sideburns. Franz Josef's hair style was very different from that worn by the figure on the stein.

Shown here are a portrait of Franz Josef used on Austrian coins from 1872 to 1892, and a postage stamp issued from 1912 to 1914. They were official issuances of the Austrian government, and they do not re­semble the figure on the stein at all.

The figure which "Fit for an Emperor" as­sumes to be Emperor Franz Josef appears to be wearing a monk's robe. Perhaps the figure is a monk or a "wise man" rather than the Emperor.

Austrian postage stamp honoring the Emperor Late 19th century coin showing a likeness of Emperor Franz Josef

While some chapters are just coasting along, we know one chapter that has its hands full and whose members are working at a feverish pitch: The New York Thirsty Knights. They are getting ready to welcome all of us in July of 1985 for SCI's 19th Annual Meeting and Convention, right in the Big Apple, New York City! We've been talking to some of the committee chairpersons and they all have lined up one terrific convention. Some selected tidbits will be "leaked" into the March Prosit by "unimpeachable sources", while the full program will be published in June. So, while we have your full attention, mark down the dates in your brand-new 1985 calendar: New York City, July 17-21, 1985.

California—you're next!

As to the other active SCI chapters, read on. .. .

The Michisteiners It is with the deepest feeling of sadness that The Michisteiner chapter reports the death of two members: Don Wright, who died in April while visiting Ron Fox in New York, and our president, Gordon Bow­man, who died in August during the post-convention tour in Germany. They were both active in the chapter and will be sorely missed.

Walli's West Restaurant in Flint, Michigan, was the site for the August meeting of the Michisteiners. Report of the SCI Conven­tion was given by Bo Boresch and pictures of the trip were enjoyed by the members. Everyone agreed that the Munich Street Car Party will never be forgotten. We all realized that something had been lacking in our past drinking experiences.

It was decided that Don Limpert would as­sume the duties of president and Shirley Stubbs, secretary, until elections in Janu­ary.

Don Limpert presented a very informative program on "American Brewery Steins and Early Brewery Advertising". He showed samples of mugs and beer bottles from his private collection. He also shared with us two rare Budweiser advertising pictures. It was hard to believe that a case of 12 bot­tles of beer cost only $1.00 prior to Pro­hibition. That is definitely a plus for the good old days.

The next meeting of The Michisteiners will be on November 4 at the home of Mary Lou and Bo Boresch.

Mary Lou Boresch Chapter Reporter

Pacific North-West Chapter Fifteen expectant stein collectors gathered at the Rhinelander Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, on September 15th, to continue efforts to get a North-West chapter off the ground. Although a "nat ional ly known" speaker failed to show up at the last minute, the local organization sparkplug, Bernie Hoffman, filled in admirably with a knowl­edgeable talk on the collecting of several different types of steins. He brought along numerous examples to "illustrate" his talk.

Bernie also narrated a slide show of the Convention in Germany for the benefit of those who were unable to make the trip.

A business session brought out the fact that there are additional people in the area who are interested in the chapter, but who couldn't attend the meeting. A concen­trated effort will be made to get everyone together for the scheduled December 15th meeting. At this meeting we plan to elect officers, find ourselves a name (Nordwest Gruppe?), and hopefully get the ball rolling towards SCI accreditation.

After all that work, the hungry group (Gruppe?) got on with the splendid Ger­man repast that was put in front of us. If there had been a prize for the member who had traveled the furthest to the meeting, but there wasn't, it would have gone, hands down, to the Cashatt's—who trekked all the way over from Spokane, Washington; look that up on your map, folks: that's quite a drive, and proof of true dedication to the art of steinology!

North-westerners, mark down the date: On December 8th (Saturday), Ron Fox, Mas­ter Steinologist, will present a stein lecture on "Antique Glass and Early Stoneware & Faience", at the Fernwood Inn, 2122 S.E. Sparrow Street, Milwaukie, Oregon. Fes­tivities will start at 6:30 P.M. with a no-host cocktail hour, then dinner ($10.00) and the lecture. Ron wil l cover manufactur ing methods, differences in types and styles, and other noteworthy facts about steins. To make reservations to this great event, call Cathy at 242-1012, or Bill at 249-6968. Prospective chapter members, present members, non-members: This is for you!

Bill Bosworth Reporter

Page 1267 Dec. 1984

Sun Steiners The Sun Steiners' fall meeting took a full 24 hours to finish. It started on Friday eve­ning, September 21st, at Bob Bernard's home in Cocoa. We were unable (sigh) to eat and drink everything Bob had prepared for us. When not eating, we fondled the beautiful steins in his collection. The next morning we gathered at Bill Wolfe's home for coffee and rolls, to see Bill's super col­lection of glass and pottery. From there we invaded the Frontenac Flea Market. The dealers never had so many people ask them for beer steins! The Space Center also had some Sun Steiner v is i tors to see the "Challenger" and other exhibits of our space program. Then on to Ralph Hupfer's home

in Rocklege for the formal meeting. Our president, Bill Lewis, gave the long dis­tance award to George and Ann McCreedy from Sunny Hill. The entertainment part of the day was given by Jim DeMars. We viewed movies of the 18th National S.C.I. Convention in Trier, Germany. We then filled any spaces left in our stomachs with bratwurst and trimmings. Quite a few steins found new homes. We welcomed our new­est members, the Russell Alles' from Mel­bourne and Otsenre Matos' from Clear­water.

Our winter meeting is scheduled for De­cember 1st. We will hold it at a restaurant in the Fort Lauderdale area. We also scheduled our first meeting of 1985 in Miami at Jim Blackburn's home for February 16th. If anyone is vacationing in our area during these two times, please call Jim DeMars (305-772-4433) for details. We welcome all our snowbird friends to our meetings. Y'all come!

Jim DeMars Chapter Reporter

The Student Prince Chapter On a lovely sunny day, the July meeting of Die Studenten Prinz Gruppe convened on the lawn of the Frank and Violet Ehlof home overlooking Naragansett Bay at Warwick, Rhode Island. After a reasonable period of libation, stein viewing and swap­ping, the regular business meeting fol­lowed. Treasurer Maria Perrault reported our treasury completely solvent. Discus­sion on speakers and programs for future meetings, Jim Stevenson appointed as Program Chairman. Discussion on Jack Heimann Service Award at 1984 SCI Con­vention. Much talk in anticipation of the coming SCI Convention in Germany—which over a half of our Chapter will be attending. Groaning board followed with many good­ies right out of the salt waters of the Ocean State, little Rhode Island.

The September meeting at the Chapman's on the shores of Casco Bay in Cape Eliz­abeth, Maine, was welcomed by the tail-end of hurricane Diana with high winds and pouring rain—not just what we had or­dered for a lobster-clam-chicken cookout, intended to be eaten on picnic tables on the lawn. The bodies may have been dampened on the outside, but not on the

inside after adequate spirits. As it was, all found ways to eat the shore dinner in vari­ous nooks and crannies, free from the ele­ments. Your president and vice president managed to come to agreeable terms on a couple of even swaps, as did a number of others. Les Whitham, as the past Chair­man of the Board of SCI, reported on the Convention just held in Germany. Jim Ste­venson reported on his new position as Chapter Program Chairman and promised a full line of interesting speakers and pro­grams for our future meetings. Discussion on another visit by the Chapter to the Ger­man Alps Festival at Hunter Mountain, N.Y., with decision to be made at our next busi­ness meeting.

Our next Annual Open Chapter Meeting will be held on November 11th at the Stu­dent Prince Restaurant, Springfield, Mas­sachusetts, the place of our birth on Au­gust 30,1969. We plan to make this a gala affair and Pete Spir i to was appointed Chai rman to effect same in his usual manner.

The Meeting concluded with the appear­ance of a lovely frosted cake made in the form of a large (5-liter) beer stein deco­rated with a red, black and yellow Muen-chner Kindl, prepared by Ginny Chapman, the host's niece.

Art Chapman Der Gruppen Schreiber und Praesident

Jaegerschnitzel from The Lustigen Steinjaeger von Wisconsin The 15th of July, 1984, was the date of our fourfold "housecrawl," starting with Jack Pandl's collection followed by 2 other out­standing collections of rare glass drinking vessels and ending with a lavish feast of solids and liquids at the home of Erwin Fritz. With the help of Nick and Irene Patrinos, our gracious hosts had been slaving since 5 AM to make their 50 guests happy. The Patrinos' had just been celebrating their golden wedding anniversary! Our best wishes go out to this fine couple. After a brief business meet ing the group ad­journed.

About two weeks later a sad event touched us deeply: On July 28 we lost our dearly beloved "Mama" Ratzsch at the age of 86. A person of her outstanding qualities will

not be forgotten. (See Prosit No. 56, June 1979, page 571, Profile: "Mama Ratzsch," and Prosit No. 63, March 1981, page 762, "A Memorable Reunion.") May she rest in peace!

On September 16 our 6th Annual (Okto­berfest) Sale and Show was held at the Bavarian Inn. The stein display was most artfully arranged, painstakingly catego­rized and museumlike identified by explan­atory signs. A larger sign proclaimed that this very special display was put together in memory of "Mama" Ratzsch. It was truly a breathtaking experience, even for sa­tiated connoisseurs. Thank you, Kenneth Treis and helpers for this labor of love! Our visitors numbered 2206. Seventy-five vis­itors brought in 139 steins for evaluation. Due to excellent publicity we saw out­standing examples of beer steins come out of the closets, such as 2 regimentals, Guard Squadron Jaeger zu Pferd, a 16" tall 2-L porcelain Navy stein and—Believe it or Not—2 Mettlach Symphonia 51/2-L steins #2126, which were brought in by 2 differ­ent persons within a half hour of each other. The first one was bought by an SCI mem­ber from Kentucky for $4,000. The second one had to be taken back home by the owner due to a price problem. A descrip­tion of this magnificent stein may be found in Prosit No. 64, June 1981, page 794.

The vendors had come from near and far and offered exquisite steins and related wares in a separate section of the hall. They did a brisk business, thus making the event a great success from every viewpoint. Auf Wiedersehen in 1985!

Kurt Sommerich Berichterstatter

The NJ Buergermeisters ' Due to our tardiness, the May Buerger-meister meeting was not included in Sep­tember's PROSIT. The meeting was hosted by Carmine and Pat Ferrara at their home in New Brunswick, N.J. The food and drink were delicious and Carmine's steins were a joy to behold. His collection included many seen for the first time by our group.

Martin Steenbock treated us to a display of old and unusual clocks. One could only feel sympathy for those members who were unable to attend. We'll hope to have a re­peat one day!

Joe Chesaitis completed our substantial program with a partial display of his music box collection. A few of the animated pieces were positively incredible. His organ grinder

skit had everyone applauding! Joe, come back with the rest of that collection!

Our September 16 meeting was a joint af­fair with the N. Y. Thirsty Knights. Seventy-eight members and their guests attended the luncheon, which was held at Hendrick-son's Restaurant in Bayonne, New Jersey. I'd especially like to thank those members of the New York group and a few from the Maryland chapter who filled the meeting hall tables with hundreds of fascinating steins; it was a genuine treat for all. Don Franz, president of the N.Y. Chapter, will make the definit ive report for both our groups—so, on to the Thirsty Knights, N.Y. "Chapter & Verse."

Bert Duch President

The Thirsty Knights The New York Thirsty Knights and New Jersey Buergermeisters held a very suc­cessful joint meeting on September 16, 1984 at historic Hendrickson's Restaurant in Bayonne, New Jersey. Over 75 mem­bers came and enjoyed meeting other chapter members, and eating the endless supply of food, the best of which were hot, crisp potato pancakes.

Frank Duch welcomed everyone and was delighted to see such a good response to all the detailed planning involved in putting this meeting together. Don Franz greeted the collectors and announced the date of the next New York meeting—December 2nd, at the totally refurbished Ehrings Tav­ern. The third annual stein drawing will take place on that date.

George Misch reported on the SCI Board meeting at the German Convention. SCI membership now totals 1553 members. Herb Jeddy and Dr. Joe Hersh were made lifetime members of SCI. An Ad Hoc Com­mittee will be formed to provide guidelines for future conventions.

Carmine Ferrara gave a little description of his experiences at the convention, and also his impression of the Amsterdam women and dogs!

Apparently, Frank was concerned about the next speaker—a woman! This was a first for the Buergermeisters. However, Frank underestimated N.Y.'s Dixie Trainer. Dixie gave us a very detai led, humorous ac­count of the post-convention tour and the visit to the medieval cities of Nuremberg, Rothenburg-on-the-Tauber and Dinkels-buhl. SCI was very stoutly represented in

all these cities by the ubiquitous, 50-mem-ber Erste Gruppe collectors, clad in their blue-satin jackets, who managed to dom­inate the antique shops and tourist sites. Dixie, you made us feel as if we were there!

Gen Joshpe described the 19th conven­tion stein (for the 1985 Convention), regi­mental in design, which is presently on the drawing board. Steve Smith, Gambrinus chapter's president, talked briefly on his two-handled stein and a hand blown glass stein with art nouveau-inspired overlay of silverplate and pewter. Steve Chiat showed us a Nymphenburg stein with blue and white scrollwork surrounding two oval inserts with portraits of a male and female; the date, 1541, was prominently displayed on the stein. Steve would appreciate any infor­mation on the provenance of this stein.

Frank Duch displayed his four Franklin Mint porcelain steins with hunting scenes de­picting moments from stag, boar, pheasant and chamois hunts. Frank, who had a beautifully-illustrated old book he found in researching these steins, inspired us in the challenge involved in col lecting unique pieces. We all learned about a very rare, interesting sport, and the rituals involved in these hunts. These steins, of excellent quality, represent good modern collecti­bles.

This final speaker concluded the meeting, which was such a success because of the excellent coordination between chapters. Let's do it annualiy!

Loretta A. Franz SecretaryTreasurer

Chicago Meister Steiners The Meister Steiners report a new slate of officers for the coming year. Interested SCI members in the greater Illinois area should contact Paul Kummer, president and chapter contact, at the address or tele­phone number shown below.

PRESIDENT: Paul Kummer Vice President: Robert E. Smith Secretary: Camille Smith Treasurer: Lois Loula Chapter Representative on SCI Board: Martin Jahn Chapter Reporter: AI Hoch Chapter Contact: Paul Kummer Chapter Mailing Address: P.O. Box 595 Medinah, Illinois 60157 Chapter Telephone Number: (312) 529-3613 Geographic Area: Illinois and adjacent states

Buckeye Stein Verein Spring and summer brought two get-to­gethers of the Steinvereiners. In May, Joan and Bill Eicher were hosts at a meeting in Dayton, then Harry and Hazel Haupt en­tertained the club at their home at Berlin Lake, northeast of Alliance, for the annual picnic. In addition to seeing some nicely displayed steins and related items, some special programs were featured.

Bill and Joan have a collection of repro­ducing pianos, player-type instruments which have the added feature of reproduc­ing the actual expression or pedal work. This allows the music to be heard just as it was played by the artist in the presence of his audience. Bill has about a dozen of the all-but-extinct pianos and hundreds of rolls. Also on hand was a German "noise-maker." It bangs out tunes giving not only the piano part but those of the various per­cussion instruments as well. Behind the glass doors of the upright one can see the multitude of hammers, brushes and strings doing their thing.

Among the steins on display throughout the hosue and the special building housing eight or so of the grand pianos, was a stoneware one-litre with a nice pewter lid and logos of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The stein had been especial ly made for the opening of the museum and carries the date 1 Mai 1925.

The picnic at Haupts' was held on four pontoon boats lashed together in such a way that the thirty-seven picnickers could move freely among the others! Before going "up the creek" for the picnic, we saw a very fine exhibition of aerobatics by the Haupts' eldest son, Gary. Gary, who, in­cidentally, has made over 1,800 parachute leaps, gave the exhibition in his 2-winged Pitts stunt plane. The program was nar­rated by the other half of the B & H Air Shows, who explained the maneuvers over a public address system. In all, 23 maneu­vers were on the program, including the WW I Immelmann turn, 4- and 8-point rolls, the Cuban 8, humpety-bump, 1 Vz rolls up and a split-S out.

The next meeting was the Annual Meeting on September 16 at Dr. Pete and Bernie Wagner's spread in Amherst.

Bruce Holderbaum Chapter Reporter

Deadline for next issue is January 5,1985

Wanted: Your 1985 membership dues. Please send in your dues promptly so that your SCI membership will not be inter­rupted. Send your check to: Patrick J. Clarke, P.O. Box 350, Harrison, NJ 07029. Wanted: Mett lach steins i l lustrated by Heinrich Schlitt, in excellent condition; nos. 2134, 0.3-L; 2100, 0.3-L; and 2123, 0.3-L. Have for sale: Mettlach steins #1786, Vfc-L, and 2607, 1VarL cameo. Please write (clearly) to: Dieter Kusber, Beethoven­strasse 8, D-5249 Hamm/Sieg, West Ger­many. Telephone 02682/1517. Postage stamps for steins: Have large accumulation of U.S.—mint and used—as well as world-wide. Heavy on British col­onies. All pre-1950. Would like to ex­change for steins. Details on request. Ed­ward Schreitmueller, 7659 Deerhill Dr., Clarkston, Ml 48016. Or call, (313) 625-0269.

Wanted: Mett lach #2767 , V 2 - L . No re­pairs, nicks or hairlines. Minor wear ac­ceptable. Arthur Chapman, Jr., 482 Con­gress Street, Portland, ME 04101.

Wanted: Character steins. 200 character steins purchased in last couple of years by paying top price. I also buy old German brewery steins. What would you take for yours? Les Paul, 2743 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612. Phone (p.m.) 415-547-2779.

For trade or sale: Mettlach and regimen­tal steins. I am interested in Meissen, fai­ence humpen and early beakers. Gene Carvalho, 390 South 23rd Street, San Jose, CA 95116. Tel. 408-297-6792.

Wanted: Meissen and other porcelain steins—wanted to buy or have some etched 17" Mettlach plaques, 2 each 20" Phanolith plaques (signed "Stahl") for trade. Still have regimental pipes for trade. Also always wanted: Early glass Humpen, Pokals, steins, beakers; also pewter steins with brass inlays. Haehnel, 4739 Guide, Bel-lingham, WA 98226. Phone (206) 398-8232.

Wanted: Etched JWR steins, especially "The Thirsty Knight", "Sophy" junior, senior series, "4F". Also high quality unique glass and pewter over glass. G. Joshpe, 157 W. Main, Stamford, NY 12167. Tel. 607-652-7757.

Thank You—to all collectors who partici­pated in the Collector's Stein Auction. Ken Zeiser.

Second Notice 1985 Dues Yes, it's that time again: The annual membership dues are due. By now we trust you received your annual bill in the mail, have clipped your 1985 membership card and have returned the stub, plus your c h e c k for the dues, to our treasurer, Pat Clarke.

However every year there are a num­ber of stragglers who somehow can't find their bill or their checkbook until sometime during the summer of 1985. So here is your reminder: While you are reading this item, if you haven't already paid your 1985 dues, make out a c h e c k for $20.00 ($24.00 if overseas) to " S . d . , " sign it, add your SCI membership number, and send it to:

Mr. Patrick J. Clarke P.O. Box 350 Harrison, NJ 07029

Do it now! We cannot exist without your dues, and if you wish to enjoy SCI membership privileges, you must be a paid-up member. We must have your dues by January 1,1985, or we will be forced to drop you from our rolls. Don't force us to do that, please!

Please pay your 1985 dues now! Don't become an ex-member: We need your support. Thank you.

This bulletin is the official publicat ion of Stein Collec­tors International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of antique beer steins and other dr inking vessels. Prosit is published quarterly. Dues for SCI and Prosit are $20.00 per calendar year. A l l correspondence relating to SCI membership and Prosit shall be directed to Stein Collectors International, P.O. Box 463, King­ston, N] 08528.

Articles for publication in Prosit are welcomed. Poten­tial contributors should send for the Prosit "Notes to contributors" which contain detailed information on editorial needs, requirements and policies.

Managing Editor Associate Editors

James Gruhl J. Joseph Hersh* Terry Hi l l Irving Johnsen

*in memoriam

Jack G. Lowenstein

Lotti Lopez Leonce Miller Kurt Sommerich Mike Wald

Fox Tops Auction Bid a little, bid a lot On any of these steins I've got. You'll find them in Manusov's book If you care to take a look.

The bodies of these steins are old But not the tops, so I've been told. Like a bagel goes with lox So do the lids made by Fox.

Since every auction has minimum bids, Why not steins with Ron Fox lids? How about four hundred for Mr. Dog And the same for Rabbit in a fog?

Three bills for the Seated Ram, A real favorite of old Sam. The football is a damn big stein So lay five hundred on the line.

Offer plenty for the Jester Owl; Four hundred fifty would not be fowl. Maybe a hundred for the Clown, He isn't the largest one in town.

Let's start the Alligator cheap; Would seventy make a crocodile weep? Send your bids to Northmoor Place, Use 177 just in case.

Columbus, Ohio completes the score. Oh, the zip is 43214. Auction ends two weeks from day This latest PROSIT comes your way.

In case you haven't recognized the author: Sam Brainard

Two New Limited Edition

The "Zillie" Stein #1 Limited Edition of 8000 Pieces Worldwide Heinrich Zille, 1858 to 1929 was the cartoonist and writer of the late last century, and the "roaring 20's" of Berlin. After World War I, during inflation he drafted the drastic, bitter, human and fun side of the big city life of Berlin in a unique and immortal way. Zille was a well-known and well-appreciated artist. During the "Third Reich" his work was suppressed,

Edwin Breiden, the Master in Gerz's design studio, brought Zilie to life on this unique Stein. The front depicts one of Zille's lovely scenes, "The Reader and Advisor." Left and right of the handle on nut-brown glaze, a self portrait of

Heinrich Zille and scenes of Old Berlin. As a handle, Brei­den molded one of Zille's favorite characters: "Minna" the loyal Housekeeper, carrying the family dog. Front and handle are handpainted in lovely soft pastel colors. The flat antiqued pure pewter lid is crowned with a thumblift in art deco style.

This Stein is Stein #1 of a Zilie Series

Price $129.00 (shipping and handling included).

10% discount for SCI Members (note Membership # on order).

Steins by Gerz

The Last Supper Limited Edition of 3000 Pieces Worldwide This Stein was especially created as a tribute to the 350th anniversary of the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1984. Again, Edwin Breiden created this relief decorated Masterpiece Stein, showing the astonishing replica of the famous Leonardo daVinci fresco, depicting The Last Supper of Jesus and his Disciples. The subtle colors closely match those of the fresco. A heavy pure pewter lid closes over the top rim.

Price $134.00 (shipping and handling included).

10% discount for SCI Members (Note Membership # on order).

% j r ^ Still Available 300 Years Germans Limited Edition of 5000 Pieces This Stein, also created by Edwin Breiden, commemorates the landing of the first German Settlers to come to America in 1683. Issued in 1983, this Stein sold really well. The latest information from Gerz Sales Headquar­ters tells about less than 1200 remaining pieces to be sold!

Price $149.00 (shipping and handling included).

10% discount for SCI Members (note Membership # on order).

Stein Auction

Top row, left to right: Min. Bid # 1 . Mettlach No. 2520, College Student

stein mint cond $500.00 # 2 . Mettlach No. 2090, Club stein mint

cond. 400.00 #3 . Mettlach No. 2007, Black Cat mint

cond. 525.00 #4 . Mettlach No. 2001-K, Banker's Book

Stein mint cond. 500.00 #5 . Mettlach No. 2093, Card stein mint

cond. 600.00 #6 . Mettlach No. 2639, Blacksmith &

Cavalier mint cond. 575.00 # 7 . H & R No. 429, Pettery, Cracked &

Handle glued, has a super lid as is 75.00

Second row, left to right: # 1 . Character Munich Child, E.C.S. 373, only

this stein has a twin Munich thumb-lift; 1/2-L super cond. 250.00

#2 . Amber glass, V2-L enameled flowers with a fancy pewter lid. On the front, "Wohl bekomms!" Small rim chips 225.00

#3 . Pottery V2-L composers Stein with busts of 18 different men. Wagner in the mid­dle in the front. Pictured in Prosits No. 74 and 76. A few light scratches, other­wise super 375.00

#4 . Pottery 1/2-L Kater stein, similar to the one listed and pictured in Prosit No. 77, page 1220; no bottom hole. mint

200.00 #5 . Stoneware V2-L salt glaze, pictured in

E.C.S. 419; the Frauenkirche Tower, marked T.W. on bottom mint 200.00

#6 . Pottery V2-L Hops Lady, listed in E.C.S. 289; has a few light scratches, minor

225.00

Third row, left to right: # 1 . Porcelain 3/io-L Munich Child, pictured

in E.C.S. 395, vine handle, radish at the bottom mint 400.00

# 2 . Porcelain V2-L card stein, with Satan head on top. Probably by E. Bohne. Not marked, but a quality stein 450.00

# 3 . Porcelain V2-L Happy Radish, E.C.S. 257, marked "Musterschutz" on the bottom mint 425.00

#4 . Porcelain V2-L Sad Radish, E.C.S. 258, Marked "Musterschutz" on the bottom

mint 375.00 #5 . Porcelain V2-L Munich Maid on a barrel,

E.C.S. 396 , wi th v ine handle . Has chipped handle repair, two radish top leaves chipped 350.00

#6 . Pottery V2-L Monkey handle and skull on insert. Darwin study of man, The Ev­olution stein mint 150.00

Photographs are available for $1.00 plus SASE. All winning bids must allow $5.00 shipping per stein. All bids will be consid­ered if received before December 21, 1984. If any stein has any other defect that may have been overlooked, your shipping and full purchase price will be returned to you right away. Auction results only to those who request results with SASE.

Fourth row left to right: # 1 . Porcelain V2-L 3 Wurtt. Feld. Art. Rgt.

No. 49 4 Batt. Ulm 1907-09, Wurtt. bird thumblift, roster on the back, 4 maneu­ver scenes, cannon finial mint cond.

300.00 # 2 . Porcelain V2-L Grenad. Rgt. Königin

Olga, 1 Wurtt No. 119 Stuttgart 1 Comp. 1910-12, Roster on the back, 4 maneu­ver scenes, soldier helping fallen com­rade finial. mint cond. 325.00

#3 . Porcelain V2-L 1 Esk. 2 Brandenb. Ulan Regt. No. 11 Saarburg i/Fothr. 1906-09, Prussian thumblift, roster on the back, 3 scenes with mounted rider finial.mint

cond. 550.00 #4 . Porcelain V2-L Gardist 5 Comp. Leib­

garde Inftr. Regt. 1 Grokh. Hess. Nr. 115 Darmstadt 1911-13, joster on the back, lion thumblift, 4 maneuver scenes. Seated soldier finial, head on handle.

mind cond. 350.00 # 5 . Porcelain V2-L 9 Kgl. Bayr. Inf. Regt

Wrede Wurzburg 1903-05, roster on the back, seated lion thumblift, 2 Ig. ma­neuver scenes, prism lid top with sol­diers and bar maid, fine cond. 300.00

#6 . Stoneware saltglaze V2-L Kgl. bay. 4 feld. Art. Regt. Konig 6 Batt. Hugsburg 1911-13, roster on the back, lion thumblift, 4 maneuver scenes, Ludwig 2nd. on in­sert; screw top is missing, otherwise mint condition. 225.00

#7. Porcelain V2-L 3 Battr. Grofsh. Art. Corps 1 Grofsh. Heff. Feld. Art. Rgt. No. 25 Darmstadt 1910-12, roster on the back, lion thumblift, mounted rider on fuse, 4 maneuver scenes, mint cond. 375.00

L. L. Johnson 7931 Buckskin Drive Indianapolis, Ind. 46250 317-849-5010

Our Trier auction of 4 Aug. '84 is now past. But we think it was a notable one! A full illustrated catalogue, with colored pages describing 450 steins, priced $4., was surely the best and cheapest souvenir of the conventioneers. This catalogue, with result list, is still available now: The price is $10. and includes air mail shipping. With 450 items in the catalogue and 200 additional items not described in the catalogue, it was one of the largest, perhaps the largest, stein auction ever held.

Some examples of the auction:

G a r d e Ulanen DM1800.

1L Marine screw off lid DM 2000.

1L Marine (Navy) DM 1300.

DM 950.- DM1150.- DM 400. Westerwald s t e i n s , 18th century

G l a s s s t e i n s with fraternal c r e s t DM 280.-/350.-/370.-

Here are some reasons why every stein collec­tor should contact us:

1.

2. 3.

4.

The exchange rate is extremely high and fa­vorable and makes every stein buy in Ger­many a profitable one to you. 1 dollar is worth over 3.-DM. We know most of the German collectors. We are the only specialized auction house in Germany featuring stein auctions. Free auction list with all steins described, but not fully illustrated. Full illustrated auction catalogue, also with colored pages. Price $10., includes air mail shipping and later result list. Upon request we will provide a list of steins for sale. Please send us your special inter­ests and we will send you color photos of our newest purchase.

Your letter will be the best investment of time and money (40 cent airmail stamp), that you can do right now.

Auktionshaus Wolfgang Schmidt Lilienthalstr. 10, D-1000 Berlin 61, West Germany Phone 011 -49-30-6912357

Antiques Trivia (?) Tired of playing "Trivial Pursuit"? Tired of having to memorize 60,000 ridiculous an­swers? Help is on the way, fellow antique buffs.

A trivia game on antiques and collectibles called "Antiquity" has been developed in Canada. The game will be on the market later this year. The author, Terri Heit of St. Albert, Alberta, has limited the first edition to 2,000 games. The games are sold by pre-publication orders and owners of the new game receive a numbered certificate signed by the author.

The love of antiques and collectibles plus an insatiable curiosity to learn everything about collectible porcelain, pottery, glass, toys, furniture, etc., inspired the author to read numerous books over a six-month period of time and to write and design the game while she was unemployed. Having been a course designer and instructor, she was accustomed to reading volumes of material and re-writing it for teaching pur­poses. One thing led to another and even­tually she had collected pages and pages of information on collectibles.

The game consists of over 1,000 antique trivia questions and answers organized into three levels of difficulty for what the author terms: "the casual browser"; "the buff"; and "the advanced collector". The game can be played by groups or for the more stu­dious types, it can be played alone.

To get on the waiting list, send your name and address to "Antiquity", P.O. Box 213, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada T8N 1A8. The game is tentatively priced at $24.95, in­cluding postage. Miss Heit will send you information as to expected shipping dates, final price and other important details as soon as available.

TERRIFIC GIFT IDEAS

Pictured left to right: Mettlach Snow White Plate and Stein; Goebel 1983 Saltglaze Stoneware Stein

Goebel Saltglaze Steins 1980 Owl, First Edition $ 65 1981 Stag 65 1982 Pheasant 65 1983 Rabbit 65

Kaiser Porcelain Lithophane Steins Kaiser Regimental "Cavalry" $125 Kaiser Regimental "Infantry Regiment Nürnberg" 125 Kaiser Regimental "Artillery" 125 Kaiser Regimental "Infantry Regiment München" 125 Kaiser Regimental "Navy" 125 Kaiser Regimental "Pioneers" 125 All Kaiser Regimentals inscriptions in original German language

Mettlach Collectors Society Snow White Plate (previously not available) $ 60 Snow White Stein 180

Mettlach Famous Sea Battles 1981 Battle of Trafalgar Stein, First Edition $ 90 1981 Battle of Trafalgar Plate, First Edition 35 1982 Flamborough Head 1776 Stein 90 1982 Flamborough Head 1776 Plate 35 1983 Lepanto 1571 Stein 90 1983 Lepanto 1571 Plate 35 1984 Spanish Armada Stein 90 1984 Spanish Armada Plate 35

Mettlach Fairy Tale Steins 1981 Peter Pan Stein, First Edition $149 1982 Hansel & Gretel Stein 149 1983 Pied Piper Stein * 149

Mettlach National Heroes 1981 William Tell Stein, First Edition $180 1981 William Tell Plate, First Edition 55 This series has been discontinued by V&B

Mettlach Four Seasons Steins Spring $155 Summer 155 Fall 155 Winter 155

Mettlach Annual Steins 1976 Castle Top Stein, First Edition (and last) $210

Norman Rockwell Museum Steins 1982 For A Good Boy Stein $ 85 1982 The Music Lesson Stein 85

Mettlach Christmas Plate 1977 The Holy Family, First Edition $100 1978 Adoration 100 1979-1982 write

Mettlach Mother's Day Plaques 1978 First Edition $ 45

Please write or call for any additional information. You can receive a color photo just like what we have pictured above for a SASE.

All merchandise shipped insured via UPS. Shipping charges: Steins: $2.50 each; all other items: $2.00 1st item, 75C each additional.

HOWARD BAUER (SCI 1513) 1001 Greenhill Road

Pittsburgh, Penna. 15209 (412) 821-3939

F.T.S.—Something For Everyone

1. 14th Pioneer Regt. Kehl 1910-12

2. 10th Train Batl. Hannover 1906-08

Sample from our December Auction

FOX-TERRY STEINS INC. N.

Ron Fox 416Throop St.

Babylon, NY 11704 (516) 669-7232

Reward yourself • w i t h a s a m p l i n g f r o m o u r c o l l e c t i o n .

Moöterbräu, Bamberg Limited edition brewery stein. Only 450 ever made. Commissioned in 1983 by the Klosterbräu brewery of Bamberg, Bavaria, to commemorate its 450th Anniversary. Genuine Westfalian 1 liter clay stein designed by the Rastal Studios of W. Germany. Hand-made and decorated in the monastic tradition by Kannenbäcker master pot­ters. Hand serialized, and salt glazed. Sold out in Germany, not available in the US. A small quantity left in our inventory for the discriminating collector. With Certificate. While supply lasts. $87.00

Less 15% Anniversary discount jWonasterp of rfjc $oor Jfranciöcan listers, $abaria

Limited edition brewery stein wi th embossed pewter top. Commissioned by the Monastery of the Poor Franciscan Sisters to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the revival of beer brewing at the monastery. Only 150 ever made wi th signatures by both brewmasters. Very limited quantities available. With Certificate, and brew­ery story in both German and English. Volume: 0,5 liter. $250.00

Less 15% Anniversary discount

O R I G I N A L S I N T E R N A T I O N A L Super Anniversary Special! 17th Century Creussen Apostle Stein made by Gerz. 1 liter limited edition (5000 pieces). Lovingly hand crafted and painted by Gerz artists. A true masterpiece, precisely duplicating an original from the year 1687. In sealed wooden display chest. With Certificate. Nationally advertised at $899.00, yours for the incredible price of $489.00. While supply lasts. Installment payment plan available. Write for details.

Send check plus $6.00 for shipping and handling to: ORIGINALS INTERNATIONAL, 29 Chestnut Ridge Road, Mahopac, NY. 10541 Tel. (914) 225-2784 VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club accepted. Enclose card number with expiration date. Ask for free brochure of our entire brewery stein, crystal goblet, and mug collection.

For Sale Mettlach Steins in Perfect

Condition: V&B No. 2394, 1/2-Liter, "Siegfried" V&B No. 1526/1143, 1-Liter, PUG

Please write or call:

Mrs. Edith Nordine 2540-50 Kennedy Boulevard

Apt. 4G Jersey City, N J 07304

Te l . : 1-201-435-9035

THE METTLACH BOOK By Gary Kirsner

America's Leading Stein Dealer! Mettlach history and marks, over 2000 items described,

with accurate prices, over 900 items illustrated. Steins, plaques, beakers, punch bowls and other wares. Price $25.00, plus $1.00 postage

REGIMENTAL STEINS by Major John L. Harre l l , Ret.

Reprinted in Hard Cover. 250 pages, 376 photos. Price $25.00, plus $1.00 postage

Glentiques, Ltd. Box 337 G len fo rd , N.Y. 12433 (914) 657-6261

We are always interested in buying steins, one piece or a collection.

We Will Help You to Get Your Hands

on that Special Stein!

For all of your beer stein needs be sure to get in touch with Don and Barbara: We will fill your "Want" list

Please let us know if you wish to be on our mailing list

We are always interested in buying quality steins, any type, any quantity.

Pewter restoration is our specialty. Please write first or send us a picture.

Barb & Don Daugherty 4106 Dee Jay Drive

Ellicott City, Maryland 21043 Tel: 301-465-6565

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