{"product_id":"original-german-wwii-iron-cross-first-class-1939-with-pinback-by-wilhelm-deumer-of-ludensched-eki-2","title":"Original German WWII Iron Cross First Class 1939 with Pinback by Wilhelm Deumer of Lüdensched - EKI","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Items: Only One Available. This a lovely example of a WWII Iron Cross First Class 1939, with a Magnetic core, flat design, and tapered pin attachment. It is maker marked with LDO number \u003cstrong\u003eL\/11\u003c\/strong\u003e on the back under the pin catch, which represents \u003cstrong\u003eWilhelm Deumer of Lüdenscheid\u003c\/strong\u003e. The The LDO, (\u003cem\u003eLeistungs Gemeinschaft der Deutscher Ordenshersteller\u003c\/em\u003e - Administration of German orders Manufacturers), was a self-governing organization formed in 1941 which regulated the manufacturing of all German awards. The firm Wilhelm Deumer was fully licensed in the organization, entry number 11.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe medal is in very good condition, showing a lovely lightly tarnished patina on the silver portions of the obverse, showing that it is real silver. The matte black paint on the cross is in very good shape, showing no flaking, though it has worn through on the raised areas. There is just a bit of crazing on the paint, confirming the great age, but no corrosion issues. The rear has a lovely tarnished patina overall. The pinback attachment is fully functional, and looks great!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic design of the WWII crosses is a central \u003cem\u003eTatzenkreuz\u003c\/em\u003e (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\u003cstrong\u003e 1939\u003c\/strong\u003e under a \"mobile\" swas. Second class crosses would have a ring at the top where a ring was attached, and had more markings on the back. The first class award, however, was meant to attach directly to the front of the uniform.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA very nice example by a desirable maker, ready to add to your WW2 medal collection!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Iron Cross (\u003cem\u003eEisernes Kreuz\u003c\/em\u003e, abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and NSDAP Germany (1933–1945). It was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in March 1813 backdated to the birthday of his late wife Queen Louise on 10 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). Louise was the first person to receive this decoration (posthumous). The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War (EK 1870), World War I (EK 1914), and World War II (EK 1939, re-introduced with a swas added in the center).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, for their actions as pilots during World War II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43387811627077,"sku":"ONJR25APLM131","price":395.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR25APLM131__01.jpg?v=1755112014","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-german-wwii-iron-cross-first-class-1939-with-pinback-by-wilhelm-deumer-of-ludensched-eki-2","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}