Iron Cross

pballwiz

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Messages
453
Location
NE Ohio
I must say I was pretty surprised when I popped this out of the ground here in Northeast Ohio. No maker's mark. The black part does seem to be magnetic, the silver part is not. Did not test positive for sterling but it might have some silver in the alloy that it is made out of. I don't know, just doesn't seem to be made of cheap pot metal.
I'm guessing it's not the real deal but I'm not 100% sure. Either way it's pretty cool!
Thoughts?
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WW I
is not my theme but I think that
Fake (Fantasy) or mega Rare:cool3:
1914 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
 
Can you post the dimensions in mm please? This is probably a private-purchased mini, it's definitely not an issued Iron Cross 2nd Class. Great find either way though.
 
Can you post the dimensions in mm please? This is probably a private-purchased mini, it's definitely not an issued Iron Cross 2nd Class. Great find either way though.

Some interesting facts that I recently learned about the property I fond it on. The owner of the land I found it on was owned by a Colonel who served in both WW1 and WW2. He lived to be over 100 years old! (died in the 80's). His will called for the land to be donated to the city for use as a park. No other family ever lived there. I found it less than 100 feet from where his estate sits (house is still there). He was also that city's very first mayor!
No other artifacts were found with the exception of a few wheat cents.
The cross is about 1.5" or 38mm.
This website says, "examples range from 28-42mm".

http://www.worldwar1.com/sfgcross.htm

In light of this new information, I feel confident that it's real.
 
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The cross is about 1.5" or 38mm.
This website says, "examples range from 28-42mm".

http://www.worldwar1.com/sfgcross.htm

In light of this new information, I feel confident that it's real.

It's great that the property has the WWI and WWII provenance, that definitely helps.

BUT, the thing that's really throwing me is that it's supposed to be an Iron Cross 2nd Class and yet it's a one-sided example. Both the WWI and WWII examples are made of a three-piece "sandwich" of silver around an iron core. As you can also see, the suspension loop ("öse") at the top is totally different from most originals that you see.

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/iron_cross/2nd_1st_class/manufacturing/manufacturing.htm

It is, sadly to say, badly made. The distinctive crosshatching where the ribbing on the frame meet in the corners is another bad sign. These are old-school old-world European military decorations, made with and worn with great pride.

However, it cannot be ruled out that this is some kind of jeweler copy or replacement EKII that was purchased privately after the original military issued cross was lost or stolen. It could also potentially (but less likely) be some kind of patriotic piece made for civilians.

I don't want to burst your bubble but I have collected these since 2006 and do like to educate people about them; I'm not infallible but I did want to contribute. In any case, it was a cool find and definitely something you don't see everyday! :D
 
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