How do I know if my German beer stein is a real vintage German stein made the old fashion way? It is best to know your product, because the price difference between an authentic vintage German beer stein and one made somewhere else is significant.
The first thing to check and the easiest is the bottom of the German beer stein itself. Today most of the manufacturers of beer steins place the country of origin on the bottom. This is by international law. It was not always that way, but it is a great place to start.
The authentic German beer stein will have the label Made in Germany. The words Gemacht in Deutschland is the same thing only in the German language. Beer steins are also made in Taiwan, China and Brazil. For them to legally exported they must have their country of origin on them and they do in most cases.
Another giveaway is the lid. The authentic German beer stein has a lid that is complimentary to the design on the body of the stein. These are highly decorated and detailed in most cases. If you look at the stein and something appears to be amiss, it probably is a fake. The way the lid is fastened and opens is another clue. Most steins have a thumb lift. When you depress it, the stein’s lid opens. If the thumblift is omitted, then it was not made in Germany.
The inside of the authentic and old German beer steins can also be a great indicator. Most steins are displayed closed. For this reason the inside of the lid and stein are lighter in color than the exterior. The exception to this rule is if the stein is displayed with the lid open. This is rare but has occurred.
Another factor about the interior of the German beer stein is that there is a hand painted raised design on the bottom of the stein. These are present in nearly all of the older steins and are not perfect. Remember this is done by hand with a very long paintbrush. These are also pictures that are generally modest. If you see a woman with no clothes, it is a fake, or very least, it is not German. In most cases the raised design on the bottom is of an angel to give the owner and drinker of the stein luck.
The presence of a bump on the handle means your German beer stein has been made relatively recently. The older ones do not have this bump. If the seller makes the claim that it is old and there is bump, do not believe a word they say.
These are some on how to know if my German beer Stein is a real German beer stein or just a fake. The more you know, the better you are at pricing them. Do your research before paying a great deal of money on one.
