The Art and Madeline Slicer Turnvereine Stein Collection consists of 132 items. This includes 106 steins, beakers, glasses, and tankards made of glass, pewter, and various ceramics; it also includes sporting medals, elaborate smoking pipes, framed photographs, and various unique memorabilia. All items were created by, or have the underlying theme of, the German sporting organization the Turnvereine, known in the United States as the Turners. The historical period represented is mid-nineteenth century through 1942, with the bulk of the materials dating between 1880 and 1934. The collection’s donor made a conscious decision not to collect any Turnvereine produced in Germany during Nazi Germany or World War II. (The one item dated 1942 is a pewter lid attached to a stein manufactured earlier in the twentieth century.)

The items in this collection bear many of the symbols and expressions associated with Father Jahn and the Turnvereine in Germany. One predominant theme is the four F’s (“Frisch, Fromm, Froh, and Frei”), which appear on the steins as either words or are arranged as a cross emblazoned on a shield, also known as the 4F shield. A variation on this symbol was a combination of two F's, an S and T, all of which represents "Frish, Frei, Stark, und Treu" ("fresh, free, strong, and true"). This variation indicates the Turners’ criticism of religion in the 1850s; they replaced “fromm” (devout) with “stark” (true), even though the term “devout” signified loyalty to the Turner ideals, rather than religious devoutness. Three decades later, the latter expression became the motto of the German Workers Turner Union (see Hofman's “From Jahn to Lincoln: Transformation of Turner Symbols in a New Cultural Setting”).

Other visual symbols of Turnvater Jahn’s ideas that appear on the steins and in the memorabilia include gymnastic equipment such as barbells, parallel bars, and a pommel horse, underscoring his emphasis on physical fitness. Occasionally steins will display a combination of a torch, sword, and owl, which represent Freethinker symbols, underscoring the Turners' association with Freethinkers’ values of enlightenment (the torch), the political and religious fight for justice and equality (the sword), and wisdom (the owl). Finally, the phrase “Gut Heil!” loosely translated as “To your good Health!” was a frequent expression of the Turners (gymnasts). Nearly every item in this collection bears some combination of the 4F shield, images of Father Jahn, young men engaged in gymnastic exercises or using barbells, and the phrase “Gut Heil!” The steins in this collection also depict 19th and early 20th-century sporting events and competitions (Turnfests) held in Frankfurt, Leipzig, Münich, Nüremberg, and other cities; these steins were used as a means of commemorating these events and fostering national pride.

It was rare for artists to sign their initials or names on steins, but a few steins in this collection do bear artists’ names or initials. Two sets of steins, each commemorating Turnfests in Frankfurt and Leipzig (respectively) bear the initials of artist Franz Ringer, a notable stein artist in late 19th- and early 20th-century Germany. Two additional vessels in this collection, known as pokals, were signed by artist Jean-Baptiste Stahl, noted for his use of cameos on steins (see items #17 and #18 in the collection).

The most common marks on steins, including those in this collection, are manufacturers’ marks, which were nearly always stamped on the bottom of the stein. Within this collection, steins bear marks from manufacturers such as Eckardt & Engler, Simon Peter Gerz, Gebruder Vonficht Ingolstadt, Schellenberg's Kaisermagazin, Reinhold Merkelbach, J.W. Remy, Schierholz & Sohn, Steinzeugwerke, and Villeroy & Bosch. The latter company, Villeroy & Bosch, made steins commonly known as Mettlach steins; “Mettlach” is from the Latin word for mid-lakes, and is a small village where the steins were made. These steins are particularly valued by collectors because of their high-quality etchings, glazes, and cameos. Interestingly, no one knows precisely how these steins were made, because in 1921 a fire destroyed all the molds, production records, and formulas for the production processes and materials.