Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a very nice genuine medal bar, owned by a German soldier who fought during WWI, and also may have served post war under the Weimar republic. They may have also served in WWII, but there are no medals from that era. The colors on the ribbons are a bit faded, and they do show staining, so this is a medal bar that was worn with pride during the post war era. One of the medals is specific to the Kingdom of Württemberg, so it is very likely that the soldier was from that area.

The set of 3 medals offered in good condition is mounted on a metal backing board with pin and lined in gray felt material and consists of the following medals:

- Imperial German WWI Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class Medal
- Württemberg Wilhelm Cross 2nd Class Medal (with swords)
- German WWI Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (Hindenburg Cross) Medal (without swords) for non combatant veterans

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 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.

Kingdom of Württemberg Wilhelm's Cross 2nd Class
Instituted in 1915 by King Wilhelm II of Württemburg and awarded for special meritorious service during the war. It had four classes: 1st Class with crown and swords; 2nd Class with swords; 3rd Class without swords and 4th Class with a plain reverse for public welfare.

A bronze cross pattée convexed, with crossed swords between the arms. Obverse: In the central medallion a gothic 'W' within an oak leaf wreath, a crown on the top arm and 1915 on the lower arm. Reverse: The inscription KRIEGS-VERDIENST (Meritorious War Service) on two lines in the center within an oak leaf wreath. The cross is fitted with a loose ring suspender and a piece of 25 mm yellow ribbon which has 2 mm black side stripes and 1.5 mm black edges.

Hindenburg Cross (for non-combatant veterans):
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.

This example is marked on the back with G & S, which is unfortunately an unknown maker.