The country of Germany, by the 19th century, had become
a
major world power and it was required that all eligible males spend 2
to 3 years in the military. This happened on April 16th, when Wilhelm
I, the King of Prussia, became the very first kaiser of Germany. During
this time of massive service to thhe military, young men were often
trained in specific areas and in specific groups for their entire
training period. After training was over, they would often stay in that
same group even after they began active duty. When their duty was up,
it was not unusual for them to purchase a souvenir in remembrance of
their service and of their comrades-in-arms. This began the era of
military souvenirs that were made for specific companies and units of
men. Now there are thousands of these collectibles all across the
world, with many of them being extremly rare. Many men in the companies
would have a variety of beer glasses,
but the most popular was the regimental beer stein made of porcelain,
pottery, stoneware or glass. What could be better than a beer stein
decorated in the regimental colors and symbols of the branch of service
that the recruit served in? These steins were painted with the military
unit colors and the town or city they served in along with the name of
the recruit on his own personal stein. Today looking at these steins
one can see a complete story of the recruit's life in the
military. It almost serves as a mini-biography of the soldier's service
and history of his military career. Each stein also includes a
lithophane or picture that can be seen when held up to the light. Many
of these steins are priceless when it comes to the availability of
them. Steins from machine gun companies and detachments usually have
several different finials but the most popular design is the Model 1908
Maxim machine gun. A few rare examples exist in which the machine gun
is accompanied by one or more crew members. Other rare finials exist,
including the striking, but rarely seen, King Neptune finial found on
1-liter naval steins. The god of the sea, Poseidan, is seated in a
large throne with a beer stein in his left hand and a trident in the
right. In most cases, however, the metal trident has long since been
misplaced or lost from the stein.
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Label Stein
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Holiday Stein
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Brew House Stein
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