print;
game-board
- Museum number
- 2004,1231.15
- Title
- Object: Jagd auf Kohlenklau (Hunt the Coal Thief)
- Description
-
Boardgame for the didactic race game; gameboard, rules, no dice or pieces. 1943-44.
Colour lithograph in red and black
- Production date
- 1943-1944
- Dimensions
-
Height: 296 millimetres
-
Width: 419 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- A Dutch collector, Gejus van Diggele, provided the following information in May 2016 (email):
This game of propaganda was commissioned by the German government to encourage people to save raw materials for the war effort. 'Jagd auf Kohlenklau' is printed by Leptien-Schiffers for Werbeagentur (Advertising Agency) "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Hohnhausen" in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1943-1944, with a print run of 5 million. On the blue squares a boy is saving energy, on the red squares we see 'Kohlenklau' and examples of wasting energy. The game was distributed free as part of a large campaign with the same slogan. A 'Kohlenklau' quartet game was also produced, probably for sale. One of the quartet cards says "Ohne Kohlen kann kein Krieg geführt werden" ('without coal war is impossible'). Unusually for Nazi propaganda, the 'Kohlenklau' character does not have a Jewish appearance; at the time most Germans suffered food shortages, but 'Kohlenklau' clearly is overweight. At this period paper and ink were scarce; but the game is well printed in bright colours on board of reasonable quality. The gameboard was distributed folded, in an envelope, without dice or pieces. The rules are printed on the game. The game is not especially rare; it does not show swastikas or other nazi symbols, so probably many German families kept it to play after the war.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2019, 18 Apr-29 Sep, BM, Gallery 69a, Playing with Money: Currency and Games
- Acquisition date
- 2004
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 2004,1231.15
