A replica of paper Winterhilfe Sammeldose labels designed for marking donation tins used during the Winterhilfswerk (Winter Relief) street collections.
Starting in 1933, this campaign became one of the most prominent features of daily life in the Third Reich. Every year from October to March, thousands of volunteers from the Hitler Youth, NSKK, or even famous actors and high-ranking officials took to the streets with distinctive tins to collect donations from passersby. Although propaganda framed it as a voluntary "socialism of action" and national solidarity, the pressure to contribute was immense, meaning refusal could lead to severe political and legal consequences. The campaign peaked with the National Day of Solidarity, when crowds filled the streets, and the monthly Eintopfsonntag (One-Pot Sunday).
On these days, families prepared a simple, inexpensive meal and handed the saved money directly to activists knocking on their apartment doors. The billions of marks collected originally funded social welfare and coal for the needy, but after the outbreak of war in 1939, resources were increasingly diverted into rearmament and winter gear for soldiers on the Eastern Front. In return for their contribution, donors received a small plastic or wooden badge, or a small paper poster-style sticker, which had to be prominently displayed on their coats or pasted on doors to prove to the public and inspectors that they had already fulfilled their duty.
This replicas includes three visually distinct paper strips printed two universal layouts (for embossed tins and for non-embossed tins) and one specific to the Gau Wien district.
For military history enthusiasts, reenactors, and film productions, these labels are an excellent accessory for authentically reconstructing civilian life, wartime propaganda drives, and historical props.
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