Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is fantastic a 100% genuine medal bar of a German soldier who fought during WWI and lived in Weimar Germany during the interwar period. It features an award from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Foremost however is the iconic Iron Cross in the left most position.

The medals and ribbons are attached to a nice backing with red felt padding, with a nice hinged attachment pin. The iron cross no longer has the ring and is attached at the edge seam.

The set of 3 medals consists of the following:

- WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, or EKII)
- WWI Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1914 Military Merit Cross 2nd Class
- Imperial German WWI Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (Hindenburg Cross) Medal

Below is an explanation of each medal in detail:

German WWI Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class with Ribbon: Established by Frederick William in 1813 for gallantry in action, the Eisernes Kreuz (EK) 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 Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) 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.

The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross 1914
The Military Merit Cross (Militärverdienstkreuz) was established by Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on August 5, 1848. Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a grand duchy located in northern Germany, was a member of the German Confederation and later the German Empire.

In several respects, Mecklenburg-Schwerin's Military Merit Cross was patterned after the Prussian Iron Cross. Both came in two classes, a pinback 1st Class and a 2nd Class worn from a ribbon, both were awarded without regard to rank (most other orders and medals of both states were awarded in different classes based on the rank or status of the recipient), and both were awarded for specific campaigns, as indicated by a date on the bottom arm of the cross. However, there were more versions of the Mecklenburg cross than of the Prussian cross (which was only awarded by Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars, the Franco-Prussian War and World War I, and by NSDAP Germany in World War II).

The second class award has the text FÜR AUSZEICHNUNG IM KRIEGE (For Award In War) on the front, and the back has a crown at the top, with an FF for Friedrich Franz II in the middle, and 1914 on the bottom.

Hindenburg Cross with Crossed Swords (for combat): The Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (German: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkriegs 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Republic, by an order dated 13 July 1934, to commemorate the distinguished deeds of the German people during the First World War. This was Germany's first official service medal for soldiers of Imperial Germany who had taken part in the war, and where they had since died it was also awarded to their surviving next-of-kin. Shortly after its issuance, the government of NSDAP Germany declared the award as the only official service decoration of the First World War and further forbid the continued wearing of German Free Corps awards on any military or paramilitary uniform of a state or NSDAP Party organization.