Gearing up for bicycle riding season? Or how about collecting bicycle-themed antiques?

This beer stein pictures a cyclist on a high wheel bicycle. It was made at the Villeroy and Boch factory in Mettlach, Germany between 1885 and 1920. The design on the 1/2 liter stein is etched. The lid is pewter with ceramic inlay. The stein sold for $288 at a recent Stein Auction Company auction.

Steins were first used in the 14th century, when Germany enacted laws requiring drink containers to be covered for sanitary purposes as a result of the bubonic plague and fly infestations. Steins made by the Villeroy and Boch factory of Mettlach, Germany, are popular with collectors. The company started making steins about 1842, but the most desirable ones were made from about 1885 until about 1912. They are marked with the word Mettlach or a mark that pictures an abbey or castle. Plaques, beakers, beer taps, pitchers, punch bowls, tobacco jars, vases and dinnerware were also made at Mettlach. The company is still in operation.

Find prices of other Mettlach steins here and in Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2011.

Ran on June 1, 2011