"Crowdfunding" in the old days

[+PISA-caching]

Living in Vienna, Austria for my entire life I have known this statue for a long time:

It's a wooden statue that is all covered with (meanwhile rusty) nails. In fact you will hardly see the wood, because there are so many nails driven into that statue and the pedestal.

Who did that and why? Well, the statue was created during WW 1 and in exchange for giving some money one could drive a nail into that statue. There were iron nails for smaller amounts, silver and golden coloured nails for higher amounts. I knew the history about that statue, but today I learned that the idea of raising funds like that spread almost world-wide. And I also found an English Wikipedia entry about it.

I guess, that this specific type of fundraising isn't widespread enough for a separate category, but on the other hand, these objects are very interesting and deserve a waymark. Since they used statues like this, but also Coats of Arms, pillars, crosses etc. the waymarks might end up in different categories, which would be a shame, because the nails and fundraising idea make these objects special.

So, maybe there are other types of historic fundraising out there that would add to such a category? Or does anybody have other ideas? Every feedback is welcome.

PS: Of course, there's also a German Wikipedia entry

 

Edited November 23, 2017 by PISA-caching

[+Manville Possum]

It sure is interesting. I once saw a dead tree covered in pennies hammered into it. As for Waymarking it, I would have no idea where to list it. 

[+Benchmark Blasterz]

There are several monuments and memorials we have come across over the years that were paid for by subscription campaigns of some sort: pennies collected from schoolchildren, brick sales to fund memorials, etc. 

[+PISA-caching]

4 hours ago, Benchmark Blasterz said:

There are several monuments and memorials we have come across over the years that were paid for by subscription campaigns of some sort: pennies collected from schoolchildren, brick sales to fund memorials, etc. 

Sounds interesting. If I understood you correctly, the funds for raised to buy a memorial, right? Well, the so called Nail Men were used to raise money for the Red Cross or people who suffered from war etc. So, in your examples the waymark would be what the money was raised for, while the nail men were just a tool to raise money for something that can't be seen (anymore). Do you think both would fit in a common category?

The bricks can be posted in the Donated Engraved Bricks and Pavers category, right?

 

15 hours ago, Manville Possum said:

It sure is interesting. I once saw a dead tree covered in pennies hammered into it. As for Waymarking it, I would have no idea where to list it. 

Strange things are out there. :-) Do you think it was a fundraising thing or just an "art" project?

Edited November 24, 2017 by PISA-caching

[+Benchmark Blasterz]

Yes the subscription bricks can go into Donated Engraved Brick Pavers. I bought a bench to fund a veterans memorial that can go into Dedicated Benches. Schoolchildren bought a monument that can go into Obelisks. 

When did cross-posting become equivalent to redundance?

 

[+Manville Possum]

9 hours ago, PISA-caching said:

Strange things are out there. :-) Do you think it was a fundraising thing or just an "art" project?

 

I believe it was just a dead fall tree on a hiking trail and people started driving pinnies in it.  

[+PISA-caching]

18 hours ago, Benchmark Blasterz said:

Yes the subscription bricks can go into Donated Engraved Brick Pavers. I bought a bench to fund a veterans memorial that can go into Dedicated Benches. Schoolchildren bought a monument that can go into Obelisks. 

When did cross-posting become equivalent to redundance?

 

I have no problem with cross-posting. What I was trying to say is: If there will be no category for "fundraising objects" (or whatever we call it), you can still post the bricks to the Bricks category. I could also post the Knight statue in my initial posting in the Figurative Public Sculpture category or maybe even more than that.

But my question remains: Can we create a category where objects like the Nail Men (a "tool" to raise money) co-exist with objects (memorials) that were financed by raising money? It's not that easy to express what I'm trying to say, but I hope you understand.

[+fi67]

I have never seen anything like that. I understand the wish to have them in a smaller category than the e.g. Figurative Public Sculptures.

The article mentions a lot of them, maybe hundreds, but almost all of them were in Austria and Germany and, more important, it looks like only a very tiny fraction of them has actually survived until today. The next obvious step is to find a more general and global definition to group them with other objects in a category that is still somewhat exclusive, but does meet the four criteria.

So far we are in accord. I am not very much convinced of the Crowdfunding idea, though.

I think this idea is not easy to clearly define. I fear, there will always be a problematic rest of fuzziness. Can't we find something else?

[+PISA-caching]

I was hoping that beside the Nail Men and the donated Bricks there are other types of visible crowdfunding activities in different parts of the world. I would also be happy, if we could turn the Donated Engraved Bricks and Pavers category in a more general crowdfunding locations category. But of course I know, that this will never happen. So, another idea for the trash can. :-)