The Beer Stein Library began its existence in late 1997. Its main purpose is to provide a repository of information where interested individuals can learn about the hobby of beer stein collecting.

Founders and Contributors

The Beer Stein Library was the brainchild of Frank Loevi, retired CEO of a company that provides electronic research systems to the federal government. An avid stein collector since the mid-1980s, Frank’s decision to develop the site was based on the conclusion that his background put him in a unique position to spend his retirement years (hopefully at least 20 or 30) marrying computers and the Internet to the hobby he loves.

Since initiating the Library, Frank has been aided and abetted in his efforts by a substantial number of his fellow collectors, including: Dagmar Rives, who is responsible for the majority of the German to English translations that can be found throughout the Library; John Hataloski, Les Paul and the late Les Hopper, whose extensive beer stein collections provided the source for well over a thousand of the photographs that can be found in the Library’s on-line stein catalogs; Andre Ammelounx, of The Stein Auction Company, who contributes photographs from his auction catalogs on an on-going basis; Louis Foster and David Harr, who provided extensive input into the Munich Child Character Stein Catalog and the Merkelbach & Wick Character Stein Catalog, respectively; and many others, too numerous to mention, who have donated their time and expertise to this continually expanding project. Without their help, the Beer Stein Library would not exist.

Goals and Objectives

The overall objective of the Beer Stein Library is to continue to expand the scope of the information that it provides to collectors. Over time, it is our hope that the Library can become a comprehensive source for information on the complete range of topics included within the framework of the beer stein collecting hobby. Efforts are continually underway to develop a number new collector resources for the Library, including both informative articles and beer stein catalogs.

What You Can Do to Help

1. Become a Member — For only $25.00 per year you can help to defray the expenses associated with building and maintaining the Beer Stein Library, including the costs of programming, service providers, telecommunications, equipment, photo processing, etc. — the list goes on and on. And, of course, there’s also a substantial benefit to becoming a member, in that membership brings with it access to the Library’s unparalled collection of beer stein catalogs and price guides, each an invaluable tool for the active collector. To become a member, click here.

2. Make a Contribution to the Content of the Library — Many of our regular visitors have the ability to write an article on their collecting specialty or to help in the compilation of information and/or photographs for an on-line catalog and price guide. The whole point of the Beer Stein Library is the sharing of knowledge and information. If the site is to succeed over the long term, it needs givers as well as takers. How about becoming a giver? Send an e-mail to info@beerstein.net expressing your interest today!