Early 20th Century, German Stoneware Beer Stein with a Mysterious History

Offered for sale is an intriguing, early 20th Century, stoneware, beer stein. This stein is decorated in sinuous art nouveau style scrolls in rich browns, greens and reds on a wheat coloured, textured ground. It bears a rhyme " The corn with hops makes somebody tipsy" also the legends "drink what's clear, speak what's truth, love what's rare" There is a stamp on the inside of the pewter lid which reads C.K.& Cie, Leipzig, (name unknown), Saxony. Zinngießerei the Pewterer, purchased stein bodies from: Roßkopf und Gerz and Merkelbach & Wick Known dates:1917 and before. Looking at the design and rhymes I would say this is a Merkelbach & Wick rather than Roßkopf und Gerz. The firm of Merkelbach & Wick was founded in 1872 in the town of Grenzhausen in the Westerwald by Friedrich Wilhelm Merkelbach Ii and Georg Peter Wick. They produced beer steins and other ceramic products under that name until 1921 when the heirs of the founders went their separate ways. There is a curious thing about this stein. The lid appears to inscribed with signatures of names that are of German looking origin and what could be a date 25/06,07. Very mysterious indeed....