Confiscation of Metals (1918) By 1918 the German economic situation had become so desperate that the government confiscated personal items made of metal. The poster below, designed by Louis Oppenheim, reads: “Home Furnishings made of Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, Tin are Confiscated - Deliver Them Now! The Proclamation No. M./1.18 from K[riegs]R[ohstoff]A[bteilung] [War Materials Department] of March 26, 1918, is to be in view at all collection points.” The metals collected in this way were melted down and used for the war effort.