Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent original German WWII 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class, or Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1939 (EKII or EK2), complete with its black, white, and red ribbon. Of particular collector interest, the suspension ring is maker marked 4, the Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) manufacturer code assigned to Steinhauer & Lück of Lüdenscheid, Germany.

The cross is a very attractive example, retaining a crisp, well-defined frame with sharp inner beading. The silver-colored frame has developed an appealing light gray patina and scattered age toning while remaining very well preserved overall. The blackened iron core likewise retains an excellent amount of its original dark finish on both sides, with only very minor age and handling wear. The raised details remain especially sharp. The obverse displays the central swas. above the 1939 date, while the reverse retains the traditional 1813 date at the lower arm.

Construction is of the familiar multi-piece pattern associated with wartime Iron Cross manufacture, with a blackened Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) iron center enclosed within the separately assembled outer frame, which has a raised crenulated decorative border. The assembly seam can be seen around the edge of the cross, an expected feature of this traditional construction. Both the larger suspension ring and smaller connecting ring remain securely in place.

The accompanying black, white, and red ribbon remains threaded through the suspension ring. It retains particularly strong coloration and presents very well, with the expected age toning and handling wear. The exposed ends show some fraying and loose threads, particularly along the upper edge, but the ribbon remains intact and displays extremely well with the cross.

The Iron Cross had a considerably longer history than its association with the Second World War. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia first instituted the Eisernes Kreuz in March 1813 during the Wars of Liberation against Napoleonic France. Friedrich Wilhelm III sketched the basic concept, with architect and designer Karl Friedrich Schinkel responsible for refining the form that became so recognizable. The decoration was subsequently renewed for the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and again at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
The Iron Cross was renewed once more on September 1, 1939. Under the 1939 regulations, the order consisted of the Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and Grand Cross. The 2nd and 1st Class decorations retained the traditional basic form, but the 1939 version placed the swas. and dated 1939 on the obverse. The reverse of the 2nd Class retained 1813, directly recalling the original Prussian institution of the award.

The 1939 regulations specified the Iron Cross for particular bravery before the enemy or distinguished achievement in troop leadership, with receipt of a lower grade normally required before advancement to the next. Unlike the pin-back Iron Cross 1st Class, the Iron Cross 2nd Class was a suspended decoration worn from its distinctive black, white, and red ribbon. In ordinary uniform wear, the ribbon itself was frequently displayed through the tunic buttonhole rather than the complete cross.

Steinhauer & Lück had been established in Lüdenscheid in 1889 and became an important manufacturer of German orders, medals, and badges. Maker-marked Iron Crosses are particularly useful to collectors because the code permits the manufacturer to be identified rather than leaving the attribution dependent entirely upon die characteristics.