Original Item. Only One Available. This is an original German WWII 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class, or Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, distinguished by an unusual brass-colored non-ferrous core beneath the black finish. The cross follows the standard 1939 form, with a canted swas. at center and the date 1939 on the lower arm, surrounded by the separately finished silver-colored frame with its characteristic beaded inner border.

The extensive loss of black finish makes the core construction especially easy to examine. Brass-colored metal is exposed across substantial portions of the arms, central emblem, and date numerals, while protected areas retain considerably more of the original dark surface. The reverse is plain and fitted with the conventional vertical pinback arrangement used to secure the 1st Class directly to the uniform, consisting of a broad tapered pin, upper hinge, and lower catch. No manufacturer or numerical maker mark can be found. The brass core should therefore be regarded as a construction characteristic of this example rather than evidence for a particular manufacturer, recipient, branch, or unit.

Condition is good overall with substantial period wear. The principal condition issue is the extensive loss of the black finish from the obverse core, most noticeably on the upper and horizontal arms, exposing large areas of the brass-colored base metal. The silver-colored frame has developed age toning, discoloration, and scattered surface wear. The reverse shows additional tarnish and localized darkening around the hinge and catch, while the complete pinback assembly remains present. Despite the considerable finish loss, the central emblem, 1939 date, frame, and beaded borders remain sharply recognizable.

Historical Context

The Iron Cross was renewed on September 1, 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland and the European phase of WWII began. The governing decree established four grades in ascending order: the Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and Grand Cross. It specified that the decoration was awarded for particular bravery before the enemy or outstanding merit in troop leadership and ordinarily required possession of the preceding class before advancement to the next.

The 1939 institution continued a decoration tradition originating with the Prussian Iron Cross of 1813 but altered the insignia for the contemporary German state. Article 4 of the September 1939 decree directed that the 1st and 2nd Classes generally retain the established size and form while the obverse incorporated the swas. and the date 1939. The visual continuity was deliberate: the familiar flared cross remained immediately recognizable, while the revised central device distinguished the newly instituted wartime version from earlier 1813, 1870, and 1914 forms.

The 1st Class differed fundamentally from the ribbon-suspended 2nd Class in how it was worn. Regulations prescribed the 1st Class without a ribbon on the left side of the breast, accounting for the permanent pin-and-catch arrangement found on the reverse of this example. The award was therefore intended to remain prominently visible on the field or service uniform rather than being represented principally by a ribbon.

The Iron Cross system was sequential rather than simply a set of independently awarded grades. A serviceman normally first received the 2nd Class before subsequently qualifying for the 1st Class. The original decree did not establish a universal numerical formula such as a fixed number of battles or combat actions for advancement; eligibility centered instead on the qualifying acts and military merit recognized through the award process. Surviving German military award records held by the Bundesarchiv include extensive unit-organized lists for both the Iron Cross and War Merit Cross, illustrating the administrative system through which wartime awards were recorded.

From a construction standpoint, the appearance of the present cross is particularly informative. The 1939 founding decree prescribed the appearance and manner of wear of the decoration but did not, in the cited provisions, assign a particular core metal to an identifiable recipient category or branch of service. The exposed brass-colored core on this example consequently should not be interpreted as indicating that it belonged to an officer, a particular service, or a special class of recipient. Likewise, without a surviving maker mark or other documentary provenance, no responsible attribution to a specific manufacturer or original wearer can be made from the cross itself.

The heavy wear provides an unusually clear view of how the decoration was assembled and finished. What would originally have presented primarily as a dark central cross bordered by a contrasting silver-colored frame now exposes substantial areas of the underlying core. This alters its present appearance considerably but also makes the non-ferrous construction readily visible without requiring the attribution of a manufacturer or recipient that the surviving evidence does not support.