Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind Set. This is a very nice collection of Imperial German WWI Belt buckles with German WWII Insignia & Awards, which was brought back from the European theater by a USGI after the war was concluded. It includes two very interesting belt buckles, a Wehrmacht Long Service award, and more!
This lovely set includes:
- One Imperial German WWII M1895 Copper and Nickel Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß) from the Kingdom of Prussia, showing a crown with GOTT MIT UNS (God [is] With Us) above it it.
- One Imperial German WWI Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class 1914 (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1914) with Ribbon. This fine example is in very good condition, with most of the black paint still present on the central cross on both sides. The ribbon is a bit worn, and definitely looks to be original. There is a marking on the hanging ring, but we cannot make out what it says.
- One Imperial German late 19th Century to WWI Era Medal Bar with a metal interior stiffener, which looks to have the following three awards attached:
- One Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt Campaign Decoration, issued during the years 1840-1866.
- One Prussian 1813-1913 Major Von Lützow Medal.
- One Imperial German WWI Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class 1914 (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1914) with Ribbon. There is a faint maker mark on the ring, which we cannot quite make out.
- Three Imperial German Junior Officer Schulterstücken (Shoulderboards) for the rank of Leutnant (Lieutenant), indicated by the lack of pips. The German Empire era army did not have any standardized corps colors, so unfortunately it is difficult to identify what units these may have come from.
- One Imperial German Bandsman's Red & White Striped Epaulette.
- One small oval picture attached to a card, with no other information.
A lovely set of German WWI & WWII militaria, a great start to any collection!
German WWI Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class with Ribbon:
Established by Frederick William in 1813 for gallantry in action, the decoration was revived several times for later conflicts. The bulk of the issues are divided into 1st and 2nd class versions, but a rare and superior 'Grand Cross' was also awarded for successful field commanders. During WW1 the lower decoration was freely awarded with 5½ million second class types issued. Originally, the Iron Cross was an award of the Kingdom of Prussia, however given Prussia's pre-eminent place in the German Empire formed in 1871, it became an award for all of Germany.
The basic design of the WW1 crosses is a central cross patee struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border. The obverse of the cross bears the date 1914 under a crowned 'W' monogram. Reverse bears an oak leaf cluster with the date of the decoration’s institution, 1813 underneath - the crowned initials of Frederick William are in the top arm above the oak leaf cluster. Suspension for second-class types is by means of a ring, and frequently this ring bears a maker's stamp.
Please examine 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.
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