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A set of 4 numbered matchbooks from a German AIDS-awareness campaign. Matchbook 1 in the series is missing a match and has been struck, matchbooks 2-4 are unstruck. The matches are flat and wooden, rather than paper/cardboard.
The matchbooks were issued by the Gesundheitsbehörde Hamburg (Hamburg Health Authority) as part of the early public-health push promoting condom use during the AIDS crisis in West Germany.The slogan translates roughly to: “A man stays a man. Even with a condom. Stops AIDS.”The inside illustrations are different for each matchbook in the series and the text offers instructions on proper condom use.
A striking piece of late 20th century public health ephemera, ideal for collectors of vintage matchbooks, HIV/AIDS awareness memorabilia, LGBTQ+ history, German graphic design, safer sex campaigns, medical advertising, social history artifacts, European ephemera, and 1980s public health collectibles.
