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As most people with an interest in Third Reich history know, Hitler's concept of a Kraft durch Freude (KdF or Strength Through Joy organization) Volkswagen car called for a small, cheap, economical if underpowered car that could be purchased by the masses, "just like the brilliant example of car ownership we see in America" as the Nazi Führer put it in 1936. The little beetle shaped car was designed to hold four people and to be able to attain 100 kilometers per hour (66 mph) on reasonably level paved ground, which also happened to be the operational speed of Hitler's Reichsautobahn.

In order to get consumers to pay for the car in advance of its projected delivery a savings system was adopted in which approved buyers purchased a KdF-WAGEN SPARKARTE from their local Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF or German Labor Front) KdF representative for one Reichsmark (40 US cents). Once the buyer had the KdF-Wagen Sparkarte he or she was obligated to spend at least 5 Reichsmarks ($2.00) each week buying stamps to paste on the KdF-Wagen Sparkarte. KdF cars could not be ordered and paid for in cash by civilians, only companies could pay with cash using the "one easy payment plan" if they elected to do so.

The first KdF savings cards were yellow and the KdF savings stamps red. Late 1941 blue KdF savings cards and green KdF savings stamps came into circulation.

The original blue KdF-Wagen Sparkarte we offer here is number I/4/1978 and was used by the firm Friedrich & Söhne. It contains ten original embossed green KdF-Wagen Sparmarken or savings stamps. The rubber stamp on the front is from the NSDAP Gauleitung Wien. The personal information on the front and back did not need to be filled in as the name of the purchasing company is typed into the blue alteration disclosing pattern just below the Sparer Nr. in the upper part of the front cover (page 1).

Clearly the buyer never bought all the KdF savings stamps and never sent in the KdF-Wagen Sparkarte to the appropriate KdF office as stipulated on the back panel of this rare VW collectible! Very nice condition, exactly as shown.