The tankard with pewter lid is a typical central European drinking vessel. Such cylindrical vessels in ceramics or glass were specially made to be mounted. The lid is attached to the upper part of the handle and can be opened with the thumb of the hand in which the vessel is held. This opaque blue glass vessel is decorated with a wheel-engraved decoration consisting of a mirror monogram 'JVG' with a crown and two palm sprigs, probably referring to the original owner of the glass.
Two figures of miners flank the central arms. Underneath are a star and a hammer and pick, typical miner’s tools which are often found in heraldry in the Erzgebrige which was an important mining area. The same symbols are repeated on the town-mark on the pewter lid which has been attributed to Ehrenfriedersdorf, a major tin-mining town. The blue colour of this glass was caused by the addition of cobalt oxide to the raw materials while the opaque quality was caused by adding tin-oxide. Both cobalt and tin were extensively mined in the Erzgebrige region which makes it very likely that the original owner was a local, involved in this industry.