Iron cross restoration

[PrussianGarde]

I just bought an iron cross in dilapidated condition and i am going to try to restore it, please let me know what you think.

Edited 15 February , 2019 by PrussianGarde

[derekb]

You most probably already know, but this isn’t a”Iron Cross” medal award, it appears to be some sort of jewellery piece, possibly for a bracelet or watch chain?

Regards,

derekb

[PrussianGarde]

Well is it an original from WW1, because that is what the seller claimed. They said it was a weird version of the normal medal.

Edited 15 February , 2019 by PrussianGarde

[Waddell]

4 minutes ago, PrussianGarde said:

They said it was a weird version of the normal medal.

 

They weren't wrong!

 

Has that figure been soldered to it?

[PrussianGarde]

I believe so.

[Moonraker]

20 minutes ago, PrussianGarde said:

Well is it an original from WW1, because that is what the seller claimed.

Forgive me for butting in, but what a seller claims is not necessarily true. I have come across many inaccurate descriptions on eBay, nearly always due to ignorance.

 

Moonraker

[PrussianGarde]

Possibly, the seller said that it was a relic that a soldier brought back after ww1 and that it’s been in there family for about 100 years

[depaor01]

The loop on the Iron Cross 2nd class award is side on, not facing the viewer as in the photos. Originals also had three piece construction with the outer edge extending beyond the beading. The beading on the pictured example is at the extreme edge and is quite crude. It may be 100 years old and may have been brought back in WWI but it is absolutely not a piece that was awarded. Here is an original:

 

 

[derekb]

1 hour ago, PrussianGarde said:

Well is it an original from WW1, because that is what the seller claimed. They said it was a weird version of the normal medal.

 

PrussianGarde,

 

Here in the UK, what some sellers of military items claim about what they are trying to sell can be ridiculous, showing either a lack of knowledge or dare I say, an intention to deceive the potential buyer.

 

 I have been collecting for 60 years and some of the dealers claims still surprise me, at times you could think that they were joking if the amounts of money involved weren’t so serious.

 

 I myself have been known to buy a “wrong one” on more than one occasion, as many on this forum may well have been.

 

One thing I can say without fear of contradiction is that the contributors on this forum will help and give good advice whenever they can.

 

Regards,

Derek.

 

[Moonraker]

7 minutes ago, derekb said:

Here in the UK, what some sellers of military items claim about what they are trying to sell can be ridiculous, showing either a lack of knowledge or dare I say, an intention to deceive the potential buyer.

 

Most eBay postcard vendors - who can't be expected to know about every subject featured on cards - are happy to accept my views about inaccurate descriptions. What is annoying is when they ignore my stating facts that are obvious if they look at the cards again.

 

Vide passim

 

which is to say that I've ranted about this before.

 

Moonraker

[richards13]

It appears to be the type of Iron Cross trinket sold in Germany 1914-1918 as a fund raiser for the war effort.

[AOK4]

5 minutes ago, richards13 said:

It appears to be the type of Iron Cross trinket sold in Germany 1914-1918 as a fund raiser for the war effort.

 

I doubt that. It looks unrespectful, so I would think of allied propaganda. Although I doubt it is really that old. I think it is a modern thing.

[Jerry B]

I almost commented earlier but was busy, this is not an iron cross, well certainly not the awarded medal, it is a souvenir or trinket as already mentioned and looks (almost) nothing like an actual awarded medal.

 

I find it hard to believe this was bought as an EKII.

[Moonraker]

Would PrussianGarde care to say how much he paid for it? A glance at eBay suggests that £20 to £50 might be about right for the real thing.

 

Moonraker

[PrussianGarde]

I got it in an auction for around 25 usd. She said that it must have been a trinket or something if it wasn’t a medal. She said that was all that she knew about it since she normally sells 1900’s-50’s jewelry

Edited 15 February , 2019 by PrussianGarde

[robins2]

2 hours ago, AOK4 said:

 

I doubt that. It looks unrespectful, so I would think of allied propaganda. Although I doubt it is really that old. I think it is a modern thing.

agree with that, figure on back looks like a person riding on surf board????

[PrussianGarde]

Yeah. I have no clue. They did say that the figure was soldiered to it.

[Marilyne]

Sorry PrussianGarde, it looks like you've been had... I'm not a specialist, but even before reading all the comments, I could tell you that the medal you bought is not a genuine piece. There's a lot of trafic of the sorts going on, also with more modern medals. 

 

M.

[WhiteStarLine]

I agree with the other posters, much more knowledgeable than me.  It looks like trench art.

 

Interesting to see the variation between the one in post #8 and the one my grandfather brought back as a souvenir.  The Australian War Memorial suspects it was liberated from a box of unissued Iron Crosses, captured late in 1918.

 

 

 

Edit:  almost looks like faded initials on the LHS - never noticed this before and I inherited it in the late 1980s ...

Edited 16 February , 2019 by WhiteStarLine
Another image

[PrussianGarde]

You guys are probably right. It was probably trench art or something.

[trajan]

46 minutes ago, WhiteStarLine said:

... I agree with the other posters, much more knowledgeable than me.  It looks like trench art. ... Interesting to see the variation between the one in post #8 and the one my grandfather brought back as a souvenir.  The Australian War Memorial suspects it was liberated from a box of unissued Iron Crosses, captured late in 1918.

 

From my own experience living in Germany in the 1970's there were quite a few WW1 mementoes around that were sold to / used by the people at home during WW1 - the classic one was the iron watch chain to replace the gold and silver one handed in for the war effort. I suspect this is one of those, not 'trench art'

 

White Star Line - there were so many makers of the EK I and II that many variations do exist! I have never quite understood the underlying principle behind the award system for the EK, but I get the impression that unlike GB practice, in which all medals were made by the Royal Mint or a single commercial maker for distribution, the German authorities used a variety of makers. Add to that the fact that officially authorised duplicates could be bought to keep the original safe at home and... I have often wondered how many EK I's AH had, never mind how many of all sorts that H.Goering had in his various homes to wear when needed! 

 

 

[PrussianGarde]

Good to know. So if I could somehow repaint and restore this, I might just resell it just for fun while if finished my Pickelhaube project. How should I sell it and how much should I sell it for?

[depaor01]

3 hours ago, WhiteStarLine said:

I agree with the other posters, much more knowledgeable than me.  It looks like trench art.

 

Interesting to see the variation between the one in post #8 and the one my grandfather brought back as a souvenir.  The Australian War Memorial suspects it was liberated from a box of unissued Iron Crosses, captured late in 1918.

 

 

 

Edit:  almost looks like faded initials on the LHS - never noticed this before and I inherited it in the late 1980s ...

Yours looks like a First Class, the one on my post is second class. Has yours got a pin at the back?

 

[WhiteStarLine]

Thanks depar01, yes it has a long pin, the top of which is just visible under the embossed 1914.  Thanks, Bill

[PrussianGarde]

I finally received the item. It feels old and is very small, is clearly made out of iron or something similar. If this is trench art, it definitely feels like it.