LUCIAN BERNHARD DAS GOLD DEM VATERLAND! 1916. 55x37 inches. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin. Condition B+: vertical and horizontal folds; creases in margins and image. Two sheets. Japan. A black image of a statue, designed by Hermann Hosaeus, within a gold circle; lettering in black, surrounded by a gold outline. A poster announcing the great "Gold Donation" of 1916, an integral part of the German war effort, in which citizens who couldn't serve in the armed forces (women and elderly men) were called upon to donate their gold to help Germany buy weapons etc. Those who donated gold items were given replacement items in iron. People who donated gold coins received iron medals bearing this image, which on the reverse side read "Gold gab ich zur Wehr / Eisen nahm ich zur Ehr," - "I gave gold for the fight / and received iron with honor."
