I would also appreciate any opinions regarding the value.

Here is a link to an episode of Antiques Roadshow where they are talking about German beer steins. It starts about 20 minutes in. I hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Antiques Roadshow

There used to be a huge site on German Steins. I spent 3-4 hrs on it, some were so beautiful. I happened to be looking for a saying on my little 1 that someone on here later told me what it meant. There are a lot of them out there! Good Luck!