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German Black Iron Cross WW1 Silver? Metal Oak Ribbon
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German Black Iron Cross WW1 Silver? Metal Oak Ribbon
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is an interesting find out of an estate. It is brass? with black enamel, a German Knight's Cross or Iron Cross Second Class metal with Oak leaves and it's black and white striped ribbon. I have tried to take good pictures to show the detail which is fine. The metal is 1 1/2 inch across. It has what looks like brass outlines but after a tiny bit of polish, I see it is silver. It has fine detailed edging. The inside is black with raised features. On one side is a crown, a large W and 1914. On the other side is a crown, the initials EW or FW, 3 Oak leaves and 1813. I am not an expert as to whether this is genuine or a reproduction. It was with other genuine antiques. It has tarnish on the brass? on the sides. The ribbon is in tact nicely but the white on the ribbon is dull. Great find for the collector. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sometimes erroneously called the Maltese cross, the Iron Cross (German: das Eiserne Kreuz) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. The Iron Cross is only awarded in wartime. In addition to the Napoleonic Wars, the Iron Cross was awarded during the Franco-Prussian War, and the First and Second World Wars. The Iron Cross has not been awarded since May 1945. It is a military decoration only -- civilians are ineligible. The Iron Cross originally was the symbol of the Teutonic Knights (a heraldic cross pattée) and the cross design (but not the specific decoration) has been the symbol of Germany's armed forces (now the Bundeswehr) since about 1870. Design The Iron Cross (a black four-pointed cross with white trim, with the arms widening towards the ends, similar to a Maltese Cross) was designed by the neoclassical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and reflects the cross borne by the Teutonic Knights in the 14th century, which was also the emblem of Frederick the Great. When the Quadriga of the Goddess of Peace was retrieved from Paris at Napoleon's fall, the Goddess was re-established atop Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. An Iron Cross was inserted into her laurel wreath, making her into a Goddess of Victory. In contrast to many other medals, the Iron Cross has a very simple design, unadorned, and is made from relatively cheap and common materials. It was traditionally cast in iron, although in later years, the decoration was cast in zinc and aluminium. The ribbon for the 1813, 1870, and 1914 Iron Cross (2nd Class) was black with two thin white bands. The noncombatant version of this award had the same medal, but the black and white colors on the ribbon were reversed. Since the Iron Cross was issued over several different periods of German history, the Iron Cross is annotated by a year numeral to indicate the era in which the Iron Cross was issued: so, for example, an Iron Cross from the First World War is annotated with the year numeral "1914", while the same decoration from the Second World War is annotated with the numeral "1939". The reverse of the 1870, 1914, and 1939 series Iron Crosses have the year "1813" annotated on the lower arm, symbolizing the year the award was first created. It was also possible for a holder of the 1914 Iron Cross to be awarded a higher grade of the 1939 Iron Cross. A reward of the first or second class was also possible. In such cases a "1939 Clasp" ("Spange") would be worn on the original 1914 Iron Cross. (A similar award was made in 1914 but was quite rare, since t were few in service who held the 1870 Iron Cross.) Early awards The Iron Cross was founded on 10 March 1813 in Breslau and awarded to soldiers during the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon. The Prussian King Wilhelm I authorized further awards on 19 July 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. Recipients of the 1870 Iron Cross who were still in service in 1895 were authorized to purchase a 25-year clasp consisting of the numerals "25" on three oak leaves. The Iron Cross was reauthorized by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 5 August 1914, at the st...
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