This is a unique piece created by the Munich master goldsmith Max Olofs, circa 1940. The casket is made of heavy hand-raised and hammered silver with gilded inner edges and border decorations as well as precious amber inlays. The lid is stepped in three levels, with a centerpiece depicting a national eagle with swastika and the initials “K S” (Karl Strölin), composed of various amber plates. The individual amber pieces were cut so that when assembled they form the eagle and the initials. Additionally, in the four corners are four round amber “buttons” in the same technique, where the assembled amber pieces each form a swastika. The four amber “buttons” are also found on the underside of the casket; the eight “buttons” on the front and back serve as feet and to protect the casket when it is opened. On the underside at the right edge of the base plate, hallmarked with the city mark of Munich and the artist's signature of the goldsmith Max Olofs.
The inner lid of the casket is gilded and fastened with screws engraved with swastikas. In the corners are gilded oak leaf decorations.
Inside the casket is an inset certificate of parchment,
with a golden Mercedes star, the emblem of Daimler Benz AG
and dedication text in black and red ink as well as gold lettering (similar to Knight's Cross presentation folders):
To the highly meritorious Lord Mayor of the City
of Germans Abroad and Home of the Automobile
Dr. Karl Strölin on his 50th Birthday
dedicated with the most cordial congratulations.
May you as a loyal fighter and pathfinder
of the Führer be granted many more years of health and
strength to continue working for a long time
on the construction of Greater Germany.
Stuttgart, October 21, 1940.
Management and Workforce of Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft

With the original signatures of the Chairman of the Board Wilhelm Kissel and the Board Member and General Inspector of the Führer for Motor Vehicle Affairs Jakob Werlin. The certificate is signed at the bottom by the artist “Leonhard”.
Weight 6.2 kg. Only slight signs of age, in very good condition. Impressive presentation casket of outstanding silversmith and jeweler quality. One of the very few large-format works by Max Olofs, most of his works are in museum or state collections.
Included are two contemporary photographs of the casket (as reproduction photos) as well as a contemporary report about the artist Max Olofs.

Karl Emil Julius Strölin (born October 21, 1890 in Berlin; died January 21, 1963 in Stuttgart) was a German National Socialist politician and Lord Mayor of Stuttgart from 1933 to 1945.
Karl Strölin was born in 1890. As the son of a later general, he received a place in the Prussian Cadet Corps and entered the officer career path. Promoted to the rank of Hauptmann (captain), he participated in the First World War. In 1923 he joined the NSDAP for the first time and then again in 1931. After the National Socialist “seizure of power,” the Württemberg Reichsstatthalter Wilhelm Murr appointed him on March 16, 1933 as State Commissioner for the administration of the city of Stuttgart. On July 1, 1933, he was appointed by Murr as Lord Mayor of Stuttgart for life. Strölin rose to the Reich leadership of the NSDAP.
Strölin had contact with the former Leipzig Lord Mayor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, who was significantly involved in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944. On behalf of Goerdeler, Strölin transmitted on April 14, 1944 to Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel an inquiry about a meeting between Rommel and the former Reich Foreign Minister Konstantin von Neurath for a discussion about a political overthrow in Germany. Rommel, out of political caution, did not come himself but sent his Chief of Staff, Hans Speidel, to the meeting with Neurath and Strölin on May 27, 1944 in Freudenstadt. Speidel on Strölin's statements at the meeting: “Lord Mayor Dr. Strölin pointed out above all the central problem of the person Adolf Hitler, with whom foreign countries would not make political agreements. Only his elimination would enable a new creative policy.” – “Both men [Neurath and Strölin] asked to transmit, intended for the Field Marshal, the urgent appeal to make himself available for the salvation of the Reich, whether as Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht or as interim Head of State.”

After the attack of July 20, there was also a house search at Strölin's residence, which however produced nothing incriminating against him. Nevertheless, he was dismissed from the NSDAP Reich leadership in 1944 with revocation of his party rank. However, he remained Lord Mayor of Stuttgart.
Shortly before the end of the war:
When French and American troops advanced on Stuttgart in April 1945, the National Socialists declared the city a fortress and demanded that it be defended with all available means.

Strölin therefore secretly made contact with the French Army and offered the peaceful surrender of his hometown. In doing so, he consciously risked his life, as he was defying the express order to hold out from the NS leadership. In fact, the Geheime Staatspolizei learned of Strölin's contacts with the enemy army and obtained an arrest warrant against him. However, the radio operator who received the telegraphically transmitted arrest warrant in Stuttgart made it disappear. Thus he saved not only Strölin from summary execution, but also the city from destruction. On April 21, 1945, French troops were able to occupy the Stuttgart inner city areas largely without combat. One day later, Strölin officially handed over the city to a French general.

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Third Reich: Silver Presentation Casket from Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft to the Lord Mayor of the City of Stuttgart, Dr. Karl Strölin on his 50th Birthday, 1940

Historical Context: Representative Gifts in National Socialism

This silver presentation casket from Daimler-Benz to Lord Mayor Dr. Karl Strölin for his 50th birthday in 1940 represents a characteristic example of the gift culture and political symbolism of the Third Reich. Such elaborate presents served not only for personal honor but also manifested the close entanglement between business, politics, and National Socialist ideology.

The Artist Max Olofs

Max Olofs (1889-1963) was one of the most significant German goldsmiths and silversmiths of the 20th century. Based in Munich, he created artistic unique pieces of extraordinary craftsmanship quality. His works were characterized by combining traditional goldsmith techniques with contemporary design. The use of hand-chased and hammered silver and the elaborate incorporation of amber demonstrate the high artistic level of his workshop. Many of his works are now in museums and state collections, underlining the art-historical significance of his creations.

Daimler-Benz under National Socialism

The Daimler-Benz Corporation played a central role in the National Socialist armaments economy. Under Chairman Wilhelm Kissel (in office 1928-1942), the company developed into an important supplier for the Wehrmacht. Production included trucks, engines for tanks and aircraft, as well as submarine engines. Jakob Werlin, whose signature appears on the certificate, held a key position as board member and Inspector General of the Führer for Motor Vehicles. Werlin maintained personal contacts with Adolf Hitler and functioned as an important link between the automotive industry and the NS leadership.

Stuttgart received the honorary title “City of Germans Abroad” and “Home of the Automobile” under NS propaganda, as mentioned in the dedication. These designations reflected the ideological significance of the city within the National Socialist system.

Karl Strölin: An Ambivalent Personality

Dr. Karl Strölin (1890-1963) embodies the contradictions of many German functionaries of that era. As a convinced National Socialist - he joined the NSDAP as early as 1923 - he was appointed Lord Mayor of Stuttgart in 1933 and rose to the Reich leadership of the NSDAP. Under his administration, Stuttgart was developed into an important National Socialist showcase city.

Simultaneously, Strölin developed increasing critical distance from the regime. His connections to the resistance circle around Carl Friedrich Goerdeler brought him dangerously close to the conspiracy of July 20, 1944. At a meeting on May 27, 1944, in Freudenstadt with Hans Speidel, Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and former Foreign Minister Konstantin von Neurath, Strölin spoke openly about the necessity of eliminating Hitler. After the failed assassination attempt, he narrowly escaped arrest.

The Symbolic Significance of the Casket

The artistic design of the casket is permeated with National Socialist symbolism. The Imperial Eagle with swastika on the lid, the swastikas worked in amber in the four corners, and the engraved swastikas on the screws of the inner lid demonstrate the omnipresent NS iconography. The use of amber - traditionally called “gold of the North” - might allude to the connection to the Baltic regions, which played a special role in NS discourse.

The dedication dated October 21, 1940, Strölin's 50th birthday, fell during a phase of German military successes after the Western campaign. The text reflects characteristic NS rhetoric: the designation of Strölin as “faithful fighter and pioneer of the Führer” and the wish to participate in the “construction of Greater Germany” refer to the expansionist goals of the regime.

Gift Culture in National Socialism

Representative gifts like this casket were an important instrument in the Third Reich for consolidating loyalties and displaying status. They created a system of mutual obligations between business and politics. The extraordinary quality and high material value of such presents - the casket weighs 6.2 kg of silver - demonstrated the importance of the recipient and the appreciation of the donor.

Such custom pieces also document the high craftsmanship of German goldsmiths, which was employed for representative purposes even during the war, while simultaneously the nation's resources flowed into armaments production.

Strölin's Late Turn and the Rescue of Stuttgart

The most dramatic turn in Strölin's biography occurred in April 1945. When Stuttgart was declared a “fortress” and the NS leadership demanded stubborn defense, Strölin secretly contacted the French army. At risk of his life, he negotiated the peaceful surrender of the city, which prevented its extensive destruction. A radio operator made the Gestapo arrest warrant issued against him disappear, thus saving him from summary execution. On April 21 and 22, 1945, Stuttgart was surrendered largely without combat.

This casket thus symbolically represents the complexity of German history between 1933 and 1945: a gift honoring a convinced National Socialist who later joined the resistance and saved his city from destruction. It documents the material and ideological structures of the Third Reich as well as the personal development of a man who transformed from beneficiary to opponent of the system.