By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008) Courtesy Collectors Weekly

Frank Loevi discusses collecting beer steins, and the history of stein production in Germany and the U.S. Loevi can be reached through his Beer Stein Library, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Hand-carved ivory stein (Italy, circa 1900) and Mettlach “etched” stein No. 2524

Ive been a beer stein collector for about 25 years. About 10 years ago I sold my business, a specialty database provider. At that point, I had some experience in compiling databases and beer steins were my passion, so with the spare time that had become available to me I tried applying my business skills to the hobby I enjoy and the Beer Stein Library was born.

If theres one thing missing in almost every hobby, its a source of searchable information. When youve found an old beer stein and want to know something about it When was it made? Who made it? How much its worth? where do you go to find answers? There are some books available, but the few that exist cover very little of the territory and quickly become dated, particularly with respect to pricing information. My hope is that the Beer Stein Library will eventually come to be seen by collectors as something of an information warehouse, where they can both find what theyre looking for and contribute to the learning of others by adding information and photographs from their own collections.

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