Original Excellent German WWII Cased Iron Cross First Class 1939 by B.H. Mayer’s Art Mint of Pforzheim – EKI Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is an excellent cased example of a WWII Iron Cross First Class 1939, with a Magnetic core, flat design, and tapered pin attachment. It is marked on the back with Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) number 26 on the pin, which represents B.H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt (Art Mint) of Pforzheim.

The medal is in excellent condition. The silver is retained quite well, with most of it still “frosty” and bright. There are just a few areas of tarnish, showing that it is indeed genuine silver. The matte black paint on the central core cross is excellent, with just a bit of crazing and no flaking or other damage. The paint on the raised Swas and 1939 date is still present, with no signs of repainting. We do not get in example this nice often at all! The rear features a functional pin with a barrel hinge, showing just a bit of deformation to the catch.

The award comes complete in its original presentation case, with the Iron Cross emblem on the lid, and a functional catch on the front. The interior velvet and satin lining is very well retained, with minimal wear, though there definitely is some age toning. There is even the faint imprint of the award on the top satin. The exterior is also very nice, with little wear, and no damage to the hinge.

The basic design of the WWII crosses is a central Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border. The obverse of the cross bears the date 1939 under a “mobile” swas. Second class crosses would have a ring at the top where a ring was attached, and had more markings on the back. The first class award, however, was meant to attach directly to the front of the uniform.

Please note the edge seam for authentication, which is not present on reproductions. Iron crosses were commonly constructed from an iron core sandwiched in a surrounding two part silver frame, normally the seam of these two silver parts is visible around the edge of the cross as is seen on this fine example.

A great cased example by a desirable maker, ready to add to your collection!

There is no more iconic German military award than the Iron Cross. The long history of this order began during the Napoleonic Wars. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia instituted the “Eisernes Kreuz” (Iron Cross) in March of 1813. The award criteria changed somewhat with time, but generally speaking, Iron Crosses could be awarded for individual acts of bravery, or for leadership achievements on the battlefield. The design was created by a Karl Friedrich Schinkel, his choice of the black cross with silver outline was derived from the heraldic emblem of the Teutonic Knights.

There were a number of different type and grades of Iron Cross awards throughout its long history, but the basic details of the most widely awarded grades: The Iron Cross 1st Class and Iron Cross 2nd Class- remained the same. The first class award was a breast badge, with fittings on the reverse to allow it to be worn on the uniform. These fittings varied widely over time and from maker to maker, and could be a simple in and catch, a screw post and retaining disc, or more elaborate setups. The second class award was suspended from a ribbon, originally in the Prussian colors of black and white, later in the Reich colors of black, red and white.

On the original versions of these crosses, in 1813, the front of the iron core of each grade was bare, and only the second class award had ornamentation: a crown over the initials “FW” representing the King, a sprig of oak leaves, and the date 1813. The core was redesigned in 1870, when the cross was re-instituted during the Franco-Prussian War. The reverse ornamentation on the Iron Cross 2nd Class remained the same, but the front of the core on both grades now bore another crown, a “W” representing Kaiser Wilhelm, and the date 1870. This pattern repeated again when the cross was reinstituted for WWI- everything stayed the same, only the date 1870 was replaced with 1914.

The final reinstitution of the cross came in 1939. For this version, the front of the core for both grades bore a swas and the date 1939. The oak leaves, crown and royal initials were removed from the reverse, with only the date 1813 remaining as a reminder of the legacy of this award. In WWII, hundreds of thousands of Iron Cross First Class awards were bestowed, and four and a half million Iron Cross Second Class awards. Iron Crosses were made by a large number of authorized manufacturers. Some variants of these awards were mass produced in huge numbers. Others were made in very limited quantities.

The Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, for their actions as pilots during World War II.