A SHORT HISTORY OF DECANTERS

Ceramic whiskey decanters were brought into prominence in 1955 by the James Beam Distilling Company. Few other companies besides Beam produced these decanters during the next ten years or so; however, other companies did eventually follow suit. At its peak in 1975, at least twenty prominent companies and several on a lesser scale made these decanters.

Unlike years ago, few collectors now collect all types of decanters. Most now specialize. For example, one might collect trains, cars, owls, Indians, clowns, or any number of different things that have been depicted on or as a decanter. Collectors are finding exceptional quality available at reasonable prices, especially when compared with many other types of collectible items.

These decanters come from all over the world. While Jim Beam owned its own china factory in the U.S., some of the others have been imported from Mexico, Taiwan, Japan and elsewhere.

Decanters vary in size from two ounces to gallons. The vast majority of decanters produced are "fifth" size. The term "fifth" refers to one-fifth of a gallon (4/5 quart). When the U.S. went to metric measurements for distilled spirits in 1978, the "fifth" became 750ML size and the two ounce (referred to as "miniature", or "mini") became 50ML.

Beam stopped making decanters in mid-1992. Now only a couple of companies are still producing these collectibles. This is primarily because worldwide demand for bourbon is so heavy that distillers have trouble keeping up with demand. They simply do not have time anymore to design, hand-fill and market decanters.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF STEINS IN AMERICA

A stein is a beer container with a hinged lid and handle. Originating in Germany, steins have been around hundreds of years. The lid was conceived in the sixteenth century as a sanitary measure to keep flies from falling into the brew.

Quality steins are meticulously made by hand out of many materials. The most prominent manufacturer of the early twentieth century was Mettlach, a name greatly respected by collectors of this period. The last twenty to thirty years have been dominated by Ceramarte of Brazil and Gerz of Germany.

American breweries, led by Anheuser-Busch, have been responsible for the increasing popularity of steins in America. Limited-edition issues depicting popular American themes made for Budweiser, Miller, Stroh's, Coors, and Heilemann have become highly collectible. Other large American companies-not beer related-such as Coca-Cola and Harley-Davidson, have also commissioned popular steins.

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