Q I inherited a pottery beer stein my mother had when she lived in England. It has a white background and pictures a peasant man and woman in an outdoor setting. The colors are predominately blue and yellow with some green. The pewter lid is engraved ”J.C.W., 1. 7. 89.” There is no maker’s mark on the bottom. Can you tell me more about it and what it’s worth?

A Glazed earthenware steins with decorations picturing peasants were made in Thuringia, Germany, in the late 1700s. Some were made by famous factories and were marked, but most were made by less important German potteries. Steins are still being made in old styles. The engraved letters and numbers on the pewter lid of your stein are the owner’s initials and date. Value of your stein, if old, about $500.

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