Erste Gruppe Chapter Bulletin: Issue No. 138 7 May 2010

Stein Zeitung
Erste Gruppe, the Southern California Chapter of Stein Collectors International
Erste Gruppe Chapter Bulletin:
Issue No. 138
From The President’s Desk:
7 May 2010
it has been suggested that 11/19 was to be a viewing date
for auction items and set up for a stein sales room for
participants selling their steins from tables. Within the
1st two days, Ron Fox had intended to have guest
speakers. On 11/20, we believe the auction will occur.
I for one have been watching
the landscape of stein auctions
changing with large and subtle
variations in the last three
years. My context is a 7 year
window; so for our more senior
members, please excuse my not
discussing
more
dramatic
changes for United States stein
auctions from the past.
What we are discussing is preliminary. Jim Riley
will inform in more detail. Also, Ron Fox has been
invited to be a guest speaker at the Poppies‟ party in June.
In addition to his talk, he has requested that Erste Gruppe
members wishing to consign steins for the November
auction bring them to the Poppies‟ party. We should
expect to learn more from Ron about his plans for
November.
From 2004 forward, our landscape included
Andre's and Gary's activity that occurred 6-7 times a year
for each of these auctioneers. We would see a Ron Fox
blip on the auction radar 2-3 times a year. This was the
expected format for auctions until the large consolidation
of Andre's and Gary's business. We continued to see
quality steins coming to auction with a diminishing
number of events. We continue to see the Andre, Gary,
and Ron Fox Auctions promote the SCI organization.
Unfortunately, this may not have translated into
membership growth for our local chapter.
Things for EG members to consider.
1. We really need to get on board to support the efforts of
Jim Riley. Jim will provide his wish list at the Poppies‟
party for our chapter activity at the Ron Fox Auction.
2. Bring your steins that might be considered for
consignment to the Poppies‟ party- BUT!!!! Wouldn't it
be nice if we brought those steins to the party and laid
them out for EG members to have an opportunity to buy
from our chapter members 1st???
Starting in 2009, our other national auctioneer,
Ron Fox began to expand his number of events; and we
began to see an evolution of his auction items- this was
the subtle change. And now we see a further evolution
that could have a dramatic impact for chapter activity!
To my knowledge, this will be an auction event that will
give local SCI chapters a presence to have information
tables or info booths to promote the growth of their
chapter membership. I hope Erste Gruppe members take
this event by the horns, and use it to support Mr. Fox and
use it as an opportunity to meet potential chapter
members and sell our group.
3. From members of DGGZ and PSS and EG interested,
we will try to coordinate a no host event (dinner) on
11/19 or 11/20.
I choose to look at this auction not as a mini
convention, but I look at this auction as the 1st of many
recurring auctions in So Cal that can lead to our chapter's
membership growth. EG members- Let's support Ron,
but also let's help to find our next generation EG
members.
Mark Fieger
Our chapter liaison to the Fox Auction will be
Jim Riley. Jim has already tossed out a positive
hotel/auction site for Ron's review. The auction was
looking for airport accessibility, and the hotel presented
was in El Segundo, Ca. For those coming to the auction,
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Erste Gruppe Chapter News
Inside this issue:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
EG Membership
From the President’s Desk
EG Officers & Chapter Meeting Dates
Erste Gruppe Chapter News.
EG Minutes, 12 Dec 2009.
SCI Update and Convention information
Images from the March 2010 EG Board
Meeting
Mettlach 2082 1/3L, William Tell stein with
Anheuser-Busch Logo - By John Mann
N’Awlins Road Trip – By Mark and Claire
Fieger
Westerwald steinzueg
Erste Gruppe welcomes new members, Paul
Neuman, Donald Smith and Verna from Newport Beach
and Bill & Jacquelyn Gaumer from Fullerton. Thank you
for joining Erste Gruppe, we are looking forward to
personally meeting you n the future.
Doug Armstrong
A big Hi to all of Doug Armstrong's friends:
It has been awhile since I last updated you all on
the status of Doug's health issues as there has been little
change during this period. A couple of weeks ago Bob
and Colette Wilson came down from Springville to visit
us for the weekend and to engage in some serious stein
palaver. Saturday night we made arrangements to meet
Doug and Judy at the Old Vienna restaurant in Ventura.
Arriving at 6:00 P.M. we slid around the Stammtisch and
indulged ourselves with great Germanic eats and beer of
course. The talk was lively and Doug was an enthusiastic
participant in a talkfest that lasted all evening until the
restaurant closed at 11:00. Lots of beer, wine and exotic
coffees before we said our "auf wiedersehens."
Erste Gruppe Officers (2010)
President and Web Master – Mark Fieger
1st VP – Kevin Kaub
2nd VP – Pat Cunningham
Treasurer & chapter contact – Roy Kellogg
(*)
[email protected]
Treasurer (ALT), Recording Secretary,
Correspondence/Recording Secretary,
Sunshine Lady – Sue Kellogg (*)
Historian – Sharon Cooley
Stein Zeitung Assembler – John Mann
Wednesday of this week Claire, Doug, and Judy
made the long pilgrimage to UCLA for Doug's monthly
exam, MRI, consults, and pharmaceutical pickups. This
trip is always an arduous affair and the trip home is tiring
and quiet. However this week spirits were quite different
as the test results revealed that Doug's tumors have
significantly been reduced in size. Dinner on the way
home after the UCLA visit was cheerful and Doug was
very encouraged by this turn of events. It should be
understood that Doug is still in very serious shape but
results like those of this week have made life a lot better
for Doug and Judy. Keep those cards and letters coming
as Doug looks at them regularly and is thankful for all
your thoughts and prayers.
[email protected].
EG Board Members
1st year board member - Chris Gundel
2nd Year board member - Tim Peters
Erste Gruppe Chapter meetings (2010)
May 15, Patel's in Stevenson's Ranch
June 26, Poppies in Monterey Park
Aug. 7, Lua Hooper's and Peter's in Camarillo
Sep. 9 -11, SCI Convention 2010: Myrtle Beach, SC
Oct. 9, Hill's in Ojai
Nov. 19-20, Proposed Combine Meeting, L.A.
Dec. (TBA), Christmas/Holiday party
Terry Hill
EG Meeting Minutes
December 12, 2009 meeting at the Jaegerhaus
Our annual Christmas party at the Jaegerhaus was called
to order by President, Mark Fieger, at 8:30 PM. A big
thank you was given to Pat Cunningham for arranging the
party and selecting the food menu.
Golden Gate Zecher 2 0 1 0 Event Calendar
June 4 Pacific Stein Sammler, Masenheimer
Aug 14 GG Zecher – San Jose
Sept 9 -11 SCI Convention, Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov. 13 GG Zecher – Open
The minutes from the Oct. 10, 2009 party at the Hill‟s.
The minutes were read by Sue Kellogg and approved.
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The treasurer‟s report was given by Roy Kellogg and we
have $13,268.00 in the account.
Vancouver, WA
98663 Email: [email protected].
Jack Heiman Service award nominations to: David Bruha,
1142 Weeping Willow Circle, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
54494, Email: [email protected]
SCI needs a Membership Data Base Manager. The slate
of EG officers were read again and the new schedule for
next year.
Convention Special : Horst Gasthaus German Restaurant
in North Myrtle Beach a short distance from the
convention hotel. Everyone will be able to order off the
menu. Entree items range in price from $13.00to $19.00,
so instead of spending $65 for a dinner and show, one can
spend as little as $13.00 for a meal and a free live show.
New guests and potential members were introduced as
Bill and Jackie Gaumer from Fullerton. They were given
a very warm welcome by the attendees.
Jon Rosenbaum let us know that our former member,
Harvey Goldson has moved to Colorado and is doing
well.
SCI 2009 Convention Updates
Terry Hill told us about the present health condition of
Doug Armstrong. The tumor is shrinking and he seems to
have improved in his walking. The short term memory is
the major problem still. People are encouraged to write
them cards and notes.
2009 SCI Awards:
Master Steinologist - Phil Masenheimer
Jack Lowenstein Prosit Editor's Award - Ron Fox
Jack Heimann Service Award - Steve Steigerwald
Gemütlichkeit Award - George Schamberger SCI
Service Recognition Award - John Mertz
Miss Beerstein - Suzanne Elliott
A white elephant gift exchange took place after a
delicious German Meal served family style.
A big thank you to all who came out on this dark and
stormy night. Happy New Year to all.
Future Conventions:
2010- Sep. 9-11 Myrtle Beach, SC: Hosted by The
Carolina Steiner’s
Sue Kellogg, Secretary
Attention ebay Shoppers:
2011- Portsmouth, NH, was Providence, RI: Hosted by
the New England Steiner’s.
Do you shop for steins and related items on
eBay? The following are a few “Key Words” that may
assist you in your search. Bartmann, Bartmannkrug,
Bellarmine, Steinzeug, Steingut, Stoneware, Beerstein,
Humpen, Krug, Jug, Westerwald, Raeren, Frechen,
Siegburg, Langerwehe, Walzenkrug, Bodemvondst,
Baardman, Baardmankruik, Kruik, Bierpul, Steengoed,
Chope, Gres, Cruche, Salzglasur, Salt Glaze,
Archeologie, Archeology, Fayence, Faience.
Note: If you want to simplify your search, Roy
DeSelms says, “Put in "stein" minus Bud, Budweiser,
avon, Lea, etc. and still come up with about 20,000 hits to
search thru”.
SCI Officers & Committees (2010)
President - Phil Masenheimer
Executive Director - David Bruha
1st VP Conventions - Ralph Joyce
2nd VP Membership - Carolyn Estep
Treasurer - Ravi Patel
Editor of Prosit - Walt Vogdes
Museum/Library Director - Lyn Ayers
Chapter Development - John Kelly
Internet Director - John Piet
Secretary - John Strassberger
SCI Updates:
2011
2010
2010
2011
2010
2011
2011
2010
2010
2010
Announcing this year’s (2010) committee chairsPlease welcome:
SCI Membership Summary as of 4/09/2010: 21 new and
rejoined members, 10 lost members for a net gain of 11
members resulting in a current total membership of 1,141.
Nominations - Joann & Fred Ellis
Parlimentarian - Fred Irtz
Ethics - Keith Kyle
Bylaws - Roy Kellogg
Master Steinologist - Lyn Ayers
Compensation Review - Pat Jahn
2010 Master Steinologist award. Just a friendly
reminder that all nominations for the 2010 Master
Steinologist award and the 2010 Jack Heimann Service
award are due on June 1, 2010. We will accept no
nominations beyond that date. Master Steinologist
nominations are to be sent to: Lyn Ayers, 3814 V Street,
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EG Board Meeting
by EG Historian Sharon Cooley
Our Host: Claire and Mark Fieger
Mary Myers
Pat Cunningham and Claire Hill
New Members: Donald Smith and Verna
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Roy DeSelms and Sharon Cooley
Terry Hill’s
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s
Roy DeSelms, Frank and lee Poppie
Donald Smith, Roy Kellogg and Ravi Patel
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Team Poppie
Pratihba and Ravi Patel
Terri
Sue Kellogg
Claire Hill
Pratihba Patel
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Mettlach 2082 1/3L, William Tell stein with
Anheuser-Busch Logo. by John Mann
Not having any reference or history on this
piece I made a few assumptions: This stein may have
been part of an Anheuser-Busch promotional set of
1/3L steins and may have been accompanied a
master stein.
This stein recently surfaced on eBay and
caught my interest. The Stein appears to have the
exterior dimensions of the 1/2L but the capacity has
been reduced to 1/3L by recessing the bottom of the
stein.
Anheuser-Busch logo, ca 1899
After enlarging and upon closer inspection of
the EBay images of the A-B logo, I concluded that
the A-B logo was not manufactured (etched) into the
piece by Mettlach but was painted on after the stein
was manufactured. I noticed two discrepancies with
the Logo; the gold star above the “A” does not rest
on the apex of the “A” as it does on all A-B logos
since 1872 and the English word “Beverage” is
misspelled as “Beveridge”. This logo may have been
painted on this piece in Germany and possibly
without an example of the actual A-B logo for the
artist to work from. The eBay seller of the stein
indicated the stein body dates from 1897 and I think
the artist interpretation of the logo appears similar to
and closely matches the official A-B logo created in
1899. The 1897 body with the 1899 logo is good
evidence for the later addition of the logo.
Mettlach 2082 1/3L, William Tell
The significant feature that caught my
interest was the addition of an Anheuser – Busch (AB) logo that adorned the space above the archer‟s
head. The A-B logo had my full attention since I also
have an interest in collecting pre-prohibition
breweriana and advertising items like Beer trays and
signs.
The A-B logo has morphed through approximately
six or more evolutionary changes since its original
debut in 1872. These design changes may be used to
determine the approximate date of an item by
observing the logo.
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extends through the “A” while the eagle‟s stands on
the American Union Shield.
The original A-B logo exhibited the capital
letter “A” and the figure of an eagle standing on the
American Union shield…” The original eagle had its
wings folded back into the “A.”
A-B logo ca 1904, Budweiser Girl wall hanging
In 1939, the Union shield of stars and stripes
was replaced with a horizontal striped shield similar
to the current logo.
No record remains of the symbol‟s original
designer or its exact meaning. The “A” is believed to
stand for Eberhard Anheuser, while there are several
interpretations for the eagle. Some see the eagle as a
representation of the unlimited vision of Adolphus
Busch, while others believe it was included as a
mark of respect for the United States, the adopted
country of the brewery‟s founders. Whatever the
original meaning, the A and Eagle has come to
symbolize Anheuser-Busch and is the most widely
recognized Eagle trademark.
Early A-B logo
Around 1880 to the turn of the century, one
or both of the eagle‟s wings were spread forward of
the “A” in an uplifted, flying motion and one leg
extending to the front of the “A” and the other leg
standing on the American Union Shield.
Anheuser-Busch did not corner the
advertising market with the use of the Bald Eagle
logo, the Union Shield or wrapped and draped
American flags. Prior to prohibition nearly every
brewery in the United States was owned and
operated by German immigrants who were proud of
their adopted country and desired to be accepted as
American citizens. These German American brewers
made a concerted effort to include symbols of
America in their advertising. What other symbol is
more American than the bald eagle and the stars and
stripes?
Around the turn of the 20th century the A-B
logo morphed again as the eagles head and one wing
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Many other German-American owned
breweries also use the bald eagle logo and/or flags to
promote their products. The following are a few
examples of such pre-prohibition beer trays. I have
included an estimate of their estimate current retail
value, if found in near mint condition.
Pre-pro ABC Saint Louis, $800.00
Pre-pro Peter Doelger, $1250.00
Pre-pro Anheuser-Busch, $1250.00
Pre-pro West End, $800.00
Pre-pro Jacob Ruppert, $1600.
Pre-pro San Diego Consolidated, $750.00
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In addition to being a trendsetter in the
technical development of the brewing industry,
Adolphus Busch was a master at advertising and
promoting his brands.
One hundred years later Anheuser-Busch‟s
early advertising still has social implications on our
society. The image below is a wall hanging titled
“Modern version of Ganymede” and was intended to
promote the Budweiser brand and symbolize the
“introduction of Budweiser to the Gods”. The
illustration shows Ganymede being taken by an
eagle. This illustration is similar to the painting, „The
Rape of Ganymede‟, by Rubens. In Greek
mythology, Ganymede was a beautiful Trojan prince
who became the cupbearer of the gods. Zeus, the
King of Gods saw Ganymede attending his flock on
Mt. Ida, instantly fell in love with him and either
sending an eagle or turning himself into an eagle,
abducting Ganymede, taking Ganymede to Mt.
Olympus.
Initially, all beer advertising was done either
by word-of-mouth through the company‟s traveling
salesmen or “beer drummers,” or through point-ofsale items, such as wall hangings and beer trays
displayed in local taverns. Early point-of-sale
advertising was an integral part of beer marketing,
and two of the company‟s most popular examples
included The Budweiser Girl series and “Custer‟s
Last Fight (not shown).”
Ganymede
For over a thousand years Ganymede has
been a symbol for the ideally beautiful youth and
also for homosexual love. For the last 40 years or so
this particular piece of advertising has been in
demand by the Gay community and if found in mint
Budweiser Girl, ca 1904, one of a series.
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condition it may command a price comparable to the
purchase of a pair of Mettlach dwarf plaques.
Anheuser--Busch is not about to miss an
opportunity to promote their products to all facets of
their customer base. In 1993 A-B regenerated the
Ganymede product in the form of a beer stein that is
ideal for the modern day beer stein collector.
Ganymede beer stein – CS190, $85.00
Compliment of beer-stein.com.
Other Pre-prohibition American Breweries
such as American Brewing Company (ABC), Saint
Louis, MO., a competitor of Anheuser-Busch, also
commissioned German manufactures to produce
steins. The following images are an example a
Mettlach 2580 marked with an ABC stamp on the
Mettlach 2580, "Hein. Schlitt"
Bibliography:
http://www.anheuser-busch.com/historyAEagle.html
http://www.trayman.net/index.html
http://www.beerstein.com
FACT: According to the German “Reinheitsgebot” (Beer
Purity Regulations), the Anheuser-Busch Budweiser
cannot be considered as beer because rice is used in the
production process. According to the Beer Purity
Regulations, beer can only be brewed from [barley] malt,
hops. (Wheat beers are called “weizens” in German.)
Germany forbade the use of the word “Bud” as trademark
on everyone; the court ruled it was too close to “Bit”
which the domestic Bitburger brewery uses as its
trademark. So there, now you know Bud ain‟t beer!
bottom.
American Brewing Co. (ABC) Logo
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N’Awlins Road Trip –
By Mark and Claire
Over a recent 4 day
period in late April, Claire
and I fulfilled an item on our
wish list. This item had been
simmering since April 2004,
when we made a promise we
would return to a city we both
enjoyed. I had been jaded
due to a prior job that allowed
me to visit suppliers in
Louisiana on seven separate
occasions. But our first and
only trip to New Orleans
together had been in 2004.
Joseph Stephany Jr.
Over a two week period, we
created a loose intent for a
drop by during our visit. But
a family health issue caused
Joe to opt out, and this led us
to a contact and visit to the
home of Al and Carol
Kleindienst. I know one of
our EG members is a fast
friend with Al, but I am not
sure if many of our other
chapter members know Al
So we booked in for an arrival one day prior to
the Jazz and Heritage Festival starting this year. On the
Friday, we traveled to the Fair
Grounds to hear the music
with an intention to listen to
3-4 hours of music before
returning to view more city
sites.
Well it was an
interesting early afternoon,
because Mother Nature forgot
to hang out the "Expect to
Get Wet" sign before we
arrived. We heard music on
two stages for about 45
minutes; we overheard an MC
on one stage that they needed
to rush a transition to the next
act because of what was coming; and then 15 minutes
later, what was coming arrived. And for the next 45
minutes we huddled inside a large concession tent with
150 on our new close friends
as lightning, thunder, and rain
pounded down outside. We
learned later that the deluge
lasted for about 2 hours total,
but we fled the Fair Grounds
earlier for some dry clothes
and a shot of rum.
and his family.
Al Kleindienst is a
native German and a 1st
generation immigrant to the
US in 1946- he had lived
with his parents in the US
before WWII, until his father
was recalled to Germany in
1938.
His father was
involved in counselor service
for the German Government
prior to WWII and set up a
counselor
office
for
Germany in New Orleans in
the early 50's. Our host's
passion is with many things
Bavarian and specifically
Munich steins (Munich maids). But the most impressive
part of his collecting involves military and regimental
items that are not limited to
steins. Not only is he a
prolific collector, but he is
an active guest speaker to
various groups to discuss his
collecting of regimental and
military steins. Besides his
SCI involvement, Al is also
aligned with the American
Breweriana Association. We
felt privileged to see the
family collections which
occupy at least 4 full rooms,
stem to stern. The collecting
also has passed down one
generation to their middle child, Sharon.
Over lunch, we had an opportunity to learn of the
community and their personal trials in the aftermath of
Still, this turned out to
be a minor blip during a great
visit.
And one of the
highlights of the trip was a
house call to a major area
collector who lives in
Metairie. Prior to our trip, I had researched the SCI
chapter down in New Orleans. We proceeded to have an
email link and phone conversation with their President,
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Katrina in August 2005. Their locale in Metairie became
a dry island surrounded by flooding. Without electricity,
with peak summer temperatures, high humidity, and
saturated grounds, my vision was of the sweltering level
of Dante's Inferno for those choosing to stay behind. The
Kleindienst family became the neighborhood watch, for
many of the local residents fled before the hurricane; and
you must assume that their collecting became their anchor
that forced them to stay and ride out the storm. Along
with their friend Herb who joined us over lunch, we have
now met a family that rivals our beloved Frank and Lee
for defining hospitality.
stamped circles and swirled lines more typical for typical
for mid-1700s but used in late 1600s as well.
Much more different was the pewter. The large
hollow balls for the thumb-lifts became widely popular
only in 1700s. Before that a large variety of thumb lifts
was used including
scalloped thumb-lifts,
floral ones, and just
simply plain.
This lid is
nicely shaped pewter
with a floral thumb-lift
on the lid and a
medallion
with
a
portrait of a king. The
inscription is most
likely King Christian V
of Denmark who ruled
Denmark and Norway
from 1670 till 1688. There is a so-called "linen mark" on
the inside of the lid and is due to a special technique of
attaching lid to the tang - this technique was used until
around mid-1800s.
It is also very likely that the stein was made on
order from Denmark - even in those early days there were
very serious trade connections and a lot of German beer
steins were made for export.
SCI Master Steinologist John McGregor has published
articles on “Steinzeug”, the gray stoneware decorated in
blue and sometimes purple for which Westerwald is so
famous. John says, “The purple color manganese was first
used about 1650, allowed a range of purple from lavender
to black”. For further information on Westerwald
steinzueg, see John‟s article on the internet,
http://www.beerstein.net/articles/s9606b.htm
Al Kleindienst, Mark and Claire Fieger
I will pass the gavel at the end of the year; but if I
could suggest someone to discuss his collecting and
entertain EG members as a guest speaker, Al Kleindienst
would be #1 on my list.
Mark Fieger
German beer stein from the
period of late 1600s. Information
gleaned from the Internet (eBay),
contributed by Serguei Artiouchkov an
SCI member, his eBay handle is "beerstein"
Beer vessels made
before 1700 are extremely rare
However,
the
stoneware
bodies were not so much
different from the steins of
1700s. They were mostly more
ornate with applied relief
decorations, but sometimes
more simple bodies like this
one were produced.
This
stein
body
decorations are made in a
The End
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