Posted 12 years ago
jonima
(113 items)
I bought this at a flea market in Germany in 1983. Thought it was a nice piece. I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it, but it wasn't a whole lot. There is a manufacturer's stamp on the small ring, but I can't make it out. I've used a magnifying glass, but my eyes just don't cooperate. Of course it doesn't help that it's a cheap magnifying glass.
Also have one with shorter ribbon than yours. Paid $37 for it around 1998. Have you used the magnet test to verify it's authenticity? Real 1's do have an iron core.
Fake ones have an iron core too. Real ones were made without an iron core, sometimes as one piece even. Iron crosses are a diverse niche on their own, trust me!
Any chance you have a picture of the ring stamp? I can tell you who made it hopefully.
Love the patina on this one!
Dr_, never heard of an orig. without an iron core, Can you give references on that? I'm no expert but this is the 1st time I've heard otherwise.
Just checked. Magnet sticks right to it.
The stamp looks like CNF or GNF. Not quite sure. I'll get a better picture of it tomorrow in the sunlight.
On second thought, the middle letters looks more like a K or an E. I don't know.
I just ck'd on this non-iron thing & found that in "42, there were a small number of crosses made with brass cores but the manufactures were quickly dealt with & the iron core resumed. Those would be very rare & almost impossible to detect.
Besides, yours is WWI which would have to be iron cored.
Sorry Dr_. Mine will be a pain in the r'as to get out of the shadow box to read the maker's initials on the ring & won't bother as nobody cares who made it.
You have yourself an "Fr" cross, which stants for Friedländer, Berlin if I remember correctly. Very nice, I have one "WILM" and one unmarked 1914, and I love them dearly.
Blunderbuss: They actually made many 1914 EKs between wars that were either one piece or made with a brass core (usually die struck one piece), starting in the early 20s all the way to the end. Not common, but not terribly rare either. I found some examples for you from some forum buddies.
EK2:
http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww61/Dr-Rambow/EK_1-piece.png
http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww61/Dr-Rambow/EK_1-pieceb.png
EK1:
http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww61/Dr-Rambow/EK_1-piecec.jpg
I could dredge up a dozen more, but you get the idea. Originality is based on more factors than weather or not the core is iron. That's the only point I'm trying to make. That and these are neat varieties that make collecting more interesting.
Dr, thanks for the info! What is it that tells you it's a Fr cross?
Look at your stamp in the picture you took, now turn it 180 degrees! You should be able to see it. The letters are raised within a box rather than impressed, which is sometimes the cause of confusion.
Ok, now it's obvious. :)
Thanks for the help!
Dr, you stated that there were EK's made without iron cores & gave reference pics without descriptions. Other than the reference I gave about the 1942 exceptions, I can't find anything about other exceptions in the mid war era. You are the expert & I'm the student. I would be a lousy student if I didn't want to know where this info came from so I can research it myself. I've looked extensively & can't find it anywhere. Lead me not into temptation, just point me in the general direction & I'll find it myself.
Forums, good sir, are your friend. I'm particularly fond of the imperial section of Wehrmacht-Awards.com:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9
You will not be able to see attached images until you have an account, though.
Forums, good sir, are your friend. I'm particularly fond of the imperial section of Wehrmacht-Awards.com:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9
You will not be able to see attached images until you have an account, though.
OK Dr, got registered on that site but looks like a lot of searching. Some of the members I noticed had over 5K posts & i have to learn the format. I'm fairly new at pc's.
There is a lot of information to be had on that site, most of the problem in finding it is knowing what to search for. For example, the Iron Cross goes by it's German designation "Eisernes Kreuz", hence my use of EK versus IC. You will find a lot of collector lingo flying around that forum, and it pays to learn as best you can. Pick an area you think is interesting and start reading what strikes your fancy (It's a lot like this site, only more intense)!