Original Item: Only One Available. Perhaps no other collectible is so shrouded in myth, misinformation and mistaken identity as German beer steins. These pieces have been steadily reproduced since the 1960s and most experts agree reproductions far outnumber authentic examples. Yet few buyers other than stein specialists know how to identify the fakes.

The majority of authentic German regimental beer steins were produced between about 1890 and 1914. During this time, military service was compulsory in Germany. Most men would take basic training between 17 and 20 and then enter the reserves until age 40. A group of men would enter a unit together, stay in the same unit for training and be discharged as a unit. This sense of togetherness fostered the custom of buying souvenirs with the unit name, insignias and decorations as a keepsake of military service. Many souvenir items were available such as pipes, clocks, flasks and especially steins. Rosters of names from your unit, or regiment, could be added to the steins and these became known to collectors as "regimental steins."

Authentic WWI Era steins were available in pottery, porcelain, glass and metal. Regardless of what the stein was made of, almost all had pewter lids. The most common sizes are half-liter and one-liter. The beginning of WW I effectively ended the production of regimental steins as labor and materials were diverted to the war. However, there were still some produced as commemorative and/or fundraising items during the WWI period or immediately after.

This is a very nice WWI Era ceramic beer stein, made to commemorate Field Marshall and Chief of the General Staff Paul von Hindenburg, who was supreme commander from 1916 through the end of the war and armistice negotiations. He would later become president of the Weimar Republic in 1925, a post he held until 1934, when the NSDAP took over the country. The stein has a very nice portrait of Hindenburg on the side, surrounded with a half laurel half oak leaf sprig leaf, with a German Iron Cross at the top. There are no markings aside from the ½ L. on the side of the top, indicating the capacity.

There is no maker mark on the bottom of the stein, however that is not uncommon. The bottom of the inside has an embossed design that may be a maker's mark. The lid is in great shape, and has no damage. The stein measures approximately 8 3/4 inches in height, and is 3 7/8" across the base. The glaze is in very good condition, showing some cracking and wear in areas.

A very impressive display item from the German Empire, ready to research and display!

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934), usually shortened to Paul von Hindenburg, was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I. He later became president of Germany from 1925 until his death. During his presidency, he played a key role in the NSDAP seizure of power in January 1933 when, under pressure from his advisers, he appointed Adolf H as chancellor of Germany

Hindenburg was born to a family of minor Prussian nobility in Posen. Upon completing his education as a cadet, he enlisted in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards as a second lieutenant. He then saw combat during the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars. In 1873, he was admitted to the prestigious Kriegsakademie in Berlin, where he studied for three years before being appointed to the Army's General Staff Corps. Later in 1885, he was promoted to the rank of major and became a member of the Great General Staff. After a five-year teaching stint at the Kriegsakademie, Hindenburg steadily rose through the army's ranks to become a lieutenant general by 1900. Around the time of his promotion to General of the Infantry in 1905, Count Alfred von Schlieffen recommended that he succeed him as Chief of the Great General Staff but the post ultimately went to Helmuth von Moltke in January 1906. In 1911, Hindenburg announced his retirement from the military.

After World War I started in July 1914, Hindenburg was recalled to military service and quickly achieved fame on the Eastern Front as the victor of Tannenberg. Subsequently, he oversaw a crushing series of victories against the Russians that made him a national hero and the center of a massive personality cult. By 1916, Hindenburg's popularity had risen to the point that he replaced General Erich von Falkenhayn as Chief of the Great General Staff. Thereafter, he and his deputy, General Erich Ludendorff, exploited Emperor Wilhelm II's broad delegation of power to the German Supreme Army Command to establish a de facto military dictatorship. Under their leadership, Germany secured Russia's defeat in the east and achieved advances on the Western Front deeper than any seen since the conflict's outbreak. However, by the end of 1918, all improvements in Germany's fortunes were reversed after the German Army was decisively defeated in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive. Upon his country's armistice with the Allies in November 1918, Hindenburg stepped down as Germany's commander-in-chief and retired once again from military service in 1919.