b'DEFINITIONS for terms used in this catalogBrowning: See staining.Minor pewter repair: A well-executed repair to a small area, such as a tear on the handle strap. Cameo: A raised decoration that is translucent. Minorpewtertear: Atearthathasnotharmedthestructural Chip: A piece of missing material, usually around .25 to .5 at thestrength of the lid. widest point, with some depth. The size can vary. Minor scratches: Visible scratches, noticeable, but not very dis-Crack: An open line in the body, more serious than a hairline. tracting. Crazing: Very fine lines in the glaze that do not go into the material of the body.Mint: In the same condition as it left the factory, with no more than normal indications of wear and with no seriously distracting factory Dates: Items that do not have a date in the description can beflaws. Steins with pewter inscriptions are considered mint. Normal assumed to be from 1880-1920s. Earlier and later dates will bewear can be expected and will be described if we feel that it is dis-specified in the description. tracting. If you need further clarification about the precise condi-Enamel: Painted decoration, usually on glass.tion of an item, please contact our office.Etched: A decoration that appears to be engraved.Mkd.: Marked.Factory flaw: A visible flaw or defect occurring at the factoryPaint flakes: A flake that penetrates only the paint; see glaze flake. when manufactured; not considered damage. We will mention fac-Pewter lid: Most common type of lid, made primarily from tin. tory flaws when they are visually distracting. Pewter tear: Usually located where the lid attaches to the tang Firing line: A factory flaw, separation of material when fired, gen- (rear of the lid); tears here are very common, frequently they are erally small, tight lines with minimal depth. We will mention firingvisible but not a structural problem. lines when they are visually distracting. Print-over-glaze: A transfer decoration fired over the glaze. Flake: A piece of missing material, usually around .25 at the widest point, with minimal depth.Probe: A mark found on Mettlach wares. A factory proof or sam-ple.Sometimes found on items that were not put into production. Fracture: A horizontal line at the top or bottom rim. The line con- Also found as just the letter P.tinues through to the inside, forming a chip that has not broken away from the body.P.U.G.: Print under glaze, similar to transfer.Gasthaus: A bar or inn that serves food.Rare: Used to describe some Mettlach, Character and Regimental steins. Only a small number are known to exist, generally ten or Glaze flake: A flake that penetrates only the glaze; see flake. less. When used to describe other types of steins, less than five are Glaze line: A tight line that appears only in the glaze; it does notgenerally known to exist. go through the body. See crazing. Relief: A raised decoration. Good condition: Describing items that due to age or material are not generally mint. Includes factory production flaws and imper- Scuffs: Minor scratches or wear on handle or base caused by nor-mal use. Commonly found on glass or glazed surfaces. fections, normal wear, and minor abrasions and roughness. Better than normal condition for similar steins.Shank: The pewter running from the handle to the hinge.Hairline: A very tight line in the body.Staining: Adiscolorationfromuseorover-firing.Oftencalled browning when found on the inside of Mettlach steins. Will be Handpainted:Decorationdonebyhand,usuallywithapaintmentioned in descriptions if we consider it distracting.brush. Strap: The pewter band that wraps around the stein handle. Hinge: A device, usually pewter, that enables the lid to swivel open on a stein.Straprepaired:Thepewterstraparoundthehandlehasbeen repaired by a pewtersmith. This usually occurs because the strap Hingering: Thehingeusuallyhasfiveorthreeringsrotatinghas become loose. Properly done, this type of repair is usually not around the hinge pin. Sometimes one ring is missing, usually thedetectable. If not otherwise described, these repairs can be assumed center ring in five-ring hinges. Generally the hinge ring will stillto be of excellent quality. operate without difficulty. Tang: The pewter running from the hinge to the lid. Incised: A decoration that has been or appears to be engraved. Threading: Thin raised lines that create a scene or design. Inlaidlid:Apewter(ormetal)rimcontainingaceramic, stoneware, pottery, porcelain or glass insert.Transfer: An applied decal type of decoration.Light wear: Wear to the colors caused by use. Visible, but not veryUnusual: An item or style that is not normally found. distracting. Very good condition: Describing items that cannot generally be Lithophane: Transparent porcelain scene in base of many porce- described as mint. This would include early faience and stoneware lain steins.as well as items made from materials that are usually subject to more than slight wear. No serious damage, close to mint. Lithophane lines: Tight lines frequently found in lithophanes, gen-erally not distracting.Veryrare:Veryfewknown.ForMettlach,lessthanfive,for Characters and Regimentals, one or two.Minor paint flakes: Very small flakes, less than 1/16 at the widest point, minimal depth.'