Glass bottomed tankard

[Rapier Half-Wit]

Last year I saw a young lady selling pretzels and she was carrying what looked like the aluminum, glass bottomed tankard from 1978. I seriously doubt that the rubber seal on that tankard could have lasted from 1978 until 2006. (The rubber seals on both of mine have long since cracked and dried up) Does anybody know if MIL produced these tankards after 1978?

[Halfdan]

I am not positive, but I do not believe they make those anymore. I do sill have mine, and the seal and the image is still in near perfect order. I suppose it is probably worth something.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

Yes, depending on the condition of your stein, it definitely could be valuable. Hang on to it, and take good care of it.
What confused me about seeing this young lady drinking from the tankard was that if the seal was old and broken then surely it should have been leaking on her, and if it wasn't leaking then surely it couldn't have been 28/29 years old and it may have been produced recently.

[Halfdan]

I would keep an eye out for this young lady this year, and ask her about the stein. At the very least buy one of those pretzles lol c[[]]

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I hate to say this, but I did ask her about the tankard, and she looked at me like I was a martian with tenticles. My wife and (then infant, now toddler) were with me, so it's not like I was chatting her up or being offensive. But that's neither here nor there. She just refused to answer my question about her tankard and walked away. I'm pretty sure that I phrased the question something along the lines of "Hey, where'd you get the tankard?" Oh well.

[Halfdan]

See, you forgot the I'd like a pretzle part. lol

[Rapier Half-Wit]

Yes, that must be it. I forgot to buy a pretzel and that disqualified me from asking a question about her tankard. I'll have to be more careful about that in the future. :rolleyes: :D
Ok, anybody else know anything about these tankards?

[Sir Martin]

To the best of my knowledge, MIL has never commissioned any glass bottomed tankards.

[Sir Martin]

Oh Yegads, I must need a big cup of coffee! :eek: I just re-read this thread. Sorry about the misunderstanding .. allow me to explain. I think MIL only came into existence in the mid 1980's so they did not commission the glass bottom tankards made in the late 70's. Maybe Paul can help us out with identifying the original manufacturer.

I have the undated (sources tell me it was sold in 1977) and 1978 aluminium glass bottomed tankards and they hold liquid without leaking. They have been kept inside in a climate controlled environment since they were new so that may have helped prevent the seal from being compromised. Since these tankards are used primarily for display purposes, an imperfect seal should not affect the intrinsic value.

Last year's program lists the 1978 aluminum tankard as selling for $70 - $130 (I assume the price variance is due to the condition of the individual tankard). The undated (1977) tankard was listed for $105 in the 2001 collectibles pricing guide. There is also a 1978 aluminum half-tankard with glass bottom that was listed for $65 in 2001.

[Halfdan]

Very cool. Thanks for the detailed information. Good to know how much it is worth. :D

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I would highly doubt that the rubber seal from 1978 would still be in such good condition after the years of variously temperatured liquids were poured into it and also consider the years of washing and what soap would do to the seal as well. That's the basis for my question; did MIL/TRF/someone re-produce that tankard after it's original release?

[Sir Martin]

I don't think I've ever seen an aluminum tankard with the TRF logo other than the official ones from 1977-1980. This is a real mystery. It's always possible that someone could be using the TRF logo without permission. Just as strange is why someone would react that way when being asked an innocent question like "hey, where did you get that tankard"? I always take it as a compliment when someone asks me where I got something.

[Markie]

Was it noisy when you asked about the tankard, RHW? If it was maybe the woman simply misunderstood what you'd said and thought you'd said something obviously way different and that's why she reacted so oddly.

Also, perhaps the woman bought her tankard back when they were originally made and had the seal fixed over the years?

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I don't want to get off onto why the girl (she must have been in her late teens, I would guess) reacted in such a manner, but her age is probably the basis for her reaction; I have a teenaged daughter, I've seen how they can be when an 'old man' speaks to them. And being such a young age, it's not likely that she herself purchased it that many years ago, if indeed it is an original from 1978. If it's from 1978 then someone else must have procured it originally.

[danae]

we at mil have been selling tankards since 1978 and yes we did sell the glass bottom tankard and we still have 1 for sale.

[Halfdan]

I'm not sure what you are saying ??? Your are still selling the same batch made in 1978 and only have one left ? Or You have been making other production runs since 1978 and only have one left ? Thank you for the response, so we know you do still have one available for sale, but is it from the original 1978 production or was there a later production run ? Thanks

[Sir Martin]

I do not work for MIL, so my comments are from the perspective of a long-time collector.

The 1978 tankard that danae is referencing has not been in production since that year, and the original batch was sold long ago. MIL does, however, purchase tankards from TRF patrons on an as-needed basis and resells them. Unless the policy has changed this year, they pay up to 1/2 current market price for tankards in good condition. I'd be willing to bet that 1978 tankard sells on opening weekend. IMHO, the condition of the aluminum and the TRF logo is most important unless you plan on actually using this tankard as a drinking vessel. As RHW mentioned, the seal on some of these have weakened with age, but nobody will ever notice if you are planning on using it for display purposes only.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

we at mil have been selling tankards since 1978 and yes we did sell the glass bottom tankard and we still have 1 for sale.

I don't think that I am getting my point across very well, am I. Sorry, I'll try to do better.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I'm not sure what you are saying ??? Your are still selling the same batch made in 1978 and only have one left ? Or You have been making other production runs since 1978 and only have one left ? Thank you for the response, so we know you do still have one available for sale, but is it from the original 1978 production or was there a later production run ? Thanks

Halfdan, I don't think that I am explaining my question very clearly. Obviously I must have over looked a clearer way of expressing myself.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I do not work for MIL, so my comments are from the perspective of a long-time collector.

The 1978 tankard that danae is referencing has not been in production since that year, and the original batch was sold long ago. MIL does, however, purchase tankards from TRF patrons on an as-needed basis and resells them. Unless the policy has changed this year, they pay up to 1/2 current market price for tankards in good condition. I'd be willing to bet that 1978 tankard sells on opening weekend. IMHO, the condition of the aluminum and the TRF logo is most important unless you plan on actually using this tankard as a drinking vessel. As RHW mentioned, the seal on some of these have weakened with age, but nobody will ever notice if you are planning on using it for display purposes only.

Sir Martin, from your posting I would take it that you don't think that the production on this tankard was re-run at some point in the past, right? So unless the seal was repaired how would you account for the usage of the tankard without it's leaking all over the user?

[Sir Martin]

Sir Martin, from your posting I would take it that you don't think that the production on this tankard was re-run at some point in the past, right? So unless the seal was repaired how would you account for the usage of the tankard without it's leaking all over the user?

I'm pretty sure that this tankard was not produced after the original run because I have never seen it mentioned by MIL in their official tankard guide. It would be unscrupulous to produce a dated tankard after the date emblazoned on it. I suppose an undated aluminum tankard could have been made after 1978, but if it were commissioned by MIL they would have it in their pricing guide with the current market value and repurchase price listed.

I believe Chris previously mentioned that other vendors in the late 70's and early 80's might have sold items with the official TRF logo on them (without permission). Perhaps that was what the lady had. Did you get a good enough look at it to see if it was the official TRF logo? The reason I ask is most of the aluminum tankards from 1977 and 1978 that I have seen have varying degrees of the image and lettering missing due to scratches/flaking. It seems unlikely that one could have survived with any of the image remaining on it after so many years of continuous use, IMHO.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

I'm pretty sure that this tankard was not produced after the original run because I have never seen it mentioned by MIL in their official tankard guide. It would be unscrupulous to produce a dated tankard after the date emblazoned on it. I suppose an undated aluminum tankard could have been made after 1978, but if it were commissioned by MIL they would have it in their pricing guide with the current market value and repurchase price listed.

I believe Chris previously mentioned that other vendors in the late 70's and early 80's might have sold items with the official TRF logo on them (without permission). Perhaps that was what the lady had. Did you get a good enough look at it to see if it was the official TRF logo? The reason I ask is most of the aluminum tankards from 1977 and 1978 that I have seen have varying degrees of the image and lettering missing due to scratches/flaking. It seems unlikely that one could have survived with any of the image remaining on it after so many years of continuous use, IMHO.

I was standing within 6 feet, the logo image appeared to be in very good condition. I was not close enough to confirm that it was indeed an official logo, but it was at very least very very similar to the official logo. None of the glass bottomed tankards that I have seen have ever had a year marked on it, so I don't think that it would be unscrupulous to reproduce this tankard. Also as you have remarked very few of the logos on these tankards have survived very well.
So all in all, it's very much a mystery. What I have descibed so far: a tankard that appears to be the glass bottomed 1977/78 tankard with what appeared to be the TRF logo in very good condition and the tankard was in use, demonstrating that the seal was either intact or at the very least repaired, in use by someone much too young to have purchased this tankard in 1977/78.

[Sir Martin]

I just went to check my glass bottom tankards. The 1978 has the date on it, the one from 1977 does not. Curiously, the official logo is slightly larger on the 1977 one and the tankard itself is about 1/8" shorter than the '78 model. What do they call the process where they emblazon the graphics on the aluminum? It's some kind of decal, not hand painted.

[Rapier Half-Wit]

You made me go look at my tankards and I stand corrected; the 78 does have the year at the bottom of the logo, and they are as you describe. I have no idea what the process would be called off the top of my head. As for the one that I saw last year, I would swear that the logo was in good condition, at least I do not recall seeing any damage to it. But I also do not recall seeing the year under the logo, but again, I was standing some 6 feet away from it.

[Norberto]

So you might say that the official or authentic glass bottomed TRF tankard has a screen printed decal/logo on it?

[Sir Martin]

So you might say that the official or authentic glass bottomed TRF tankard has a screen printed decal/logo on it?

Yes sir, that's what it is. The first couple years of aluminum tankards were very lightweight and the decals could be scratched off easily. The 1979 and 1980 aluminum (horn shaped) tankards are much sturdier and the logo is cast into the design.

[Norberto]

Yes sir, that's what it is. The first couple years of aluminum tankards were very lightweight and the decals could be scratched off easily. The 1979 and 1980 aluminum (horn shaped) tankards are much sturdier and the logo is cast into the design.

So, what would you say if you ran across one that had a glass bottom and screen printed decal, but no year under the logo?

[Sir Martin]

So, what would you say if you ran across one that had a glass bottom and screen printed decal, but no year under the logo?

I'd certainly be curious about it. ;)

[Norberto]

I'd certainly be curious about it. ;)

What if the decal with no apparent year, was on the other side of the stein?;)

[Sir Martin]

What if the decal with no apparent year, was on the other side of the stein?;)

I saw it. My initial impression is that the year was rubbed off. Another very good possibility is that this was produced and sold by someone other than Dragonslayer (that theory is bolstered by the fact that the companion piece was definitely produced and sold by another vendor). I believe it was Chris or Paul who told us that the rights to use the official TRF logo were not strictly enforced until maybe the mid 80's or later.

[Norberto]

I saw it. My initial impression is that the year was rubbed off. Another very good possibility is that this was produced and sold by someone other than Dragonslayer (that theory is bolstered by the fact that the companion piece was definitely produced and sold by another vendor). I believe it was Chris or Paul who told us that the rights to use the official TRF logo were not strictly enforced until maybe the mid 80's or later.

Thanks Sir Martin. That!, is an interesting fact.

[Sir Martin]

Now that I think about it, the one you are referencing is most probably one of the unauthorized versions. The undated aluminum tankards that RHW and I have are identical. I purchased mine at The Dragonslayer so one would hope it was the authentic version. ;)

[Norberto]

Now that I think about it, the one you are referencing is most probably one of the unauthorized versions. The undated aluminum tankards that RHW and I have are identical. I purchased mine at The Dragonslayer so one would hope it was the authentic version. ;)

Sir Martin, I agree! This must be an unauthorized, and unauthentic version.

[Nunyafb]

Now that I think about it, the one you are referencing is most probably one of the unauthorized versions. The undated aluminum tankards that RHW and I have are identical. I purchased mine at The Dragonslayer so one would hope it was the authentic version. ;)


Sir Martin, I agree! This must be an unauthorized, and unauthentic version.

It would be a bummer if someone paid too much money for one of these thinking that they had purchased something of value.:(

[Norberto]

Very true. Let's hope this never happens.

[Sir Martin]

Well ... he purchasing habits of human beings can be confusing. We've all heard how one man's trash is another man's treasure. Our wants and needs determine how much we will pay for something. We just have to do our best to investigate whether the information we use to make our buying decisions is accurate.

[Lord Michael]

If any of you are looking to buy I have spares of all 3...

The story I have is the ones without the date sold well the first year so the second year they dated them

" And sorry to say I dont know whom they are"

The second year with the dates were selling fast they comissioned more, however the tin maker was short of tin so they made 1/2 tankards.......