German Iron Cross 1st class

J

Jhr98k

Well-known member
Hello, I’m new to German ww2 metals, but I’ve always wanted an Iron Cross for display. A friend of mine sold me one of his, an early screw type in excellent condition, but the silver is tarnished. Should I clean or leave as is?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20240610_214454071.jpeg
    IMG_20240610_214454071.jpeg
    346.8 KB · Views: 79
  • IMG_20240610_214511714.jpeg
    IMG_20240610_214511714.jpeg
    242.8 KB · Views: 79
  • IMG_20240610_214536748.jpeg
    IMG_20240610_214536748.jpeg
    314 KB · Views: 59
  • IMG_20240610_214558578.jpeg
    IMG_20240610_214558578.jpeg
    238 KB · Views: 77
It’s ok to clean it as it is unfortunately a fake/reproduction from about 40-45 years ago. There are a few tells but the extremely low date is always an easy indicator of a Floch cross regardless of the LDO number used and he used several.
 
Here is some information on that:
gmic.co.uk

Floch advice

Hello,I?m hoping some of you can help me out here.I can?t tell the difference between a good cross (1st or 2nd class) and a Floch. What should I or anyone else who can?t spot them look out for? What are the characteristics of a Floch?I only own 1 WWII EKI which is pictured below, most people have...
gmic.co.uk
 
Very good chance that he did not know. This cross is older now than the originals were when I started collecting them. I would recommend that you get a second opinion from someone very well versed in these. There is a chance that I’m wrong but I’m giving you a good starting point. If an experienced collector of EKI tells you this is original you need to ask them to please point out the differences from the L21 Floch screw back fakes which look extremely like this one. My apologies before hand if I’m mistaken.
 
Philip, thanks for your information, my L/21 looks a little different or it’s just me trying convince myself that mine is good.
 
It’s a very involved subject even for collectors experienced in EKs. In this example I would use the thread linked in the posts above and scroll down into the examples of the Floch fakes particularly the L/21 screw back example. The low date is obvious but as pointed out in that thread not 100% unknown on some originals….but real L/21s are not among those originals known with low dates. I would also pay close attention to the style and placement of the numbers within the date to compare with other Flochs. Lastly look at the beading very carefully particularly where the beads corner in the center (4 points to looks at) near the swastika. These cross hatches are basically fingerprints of the die that struck the frames and beading design. Everyone likes to call them things like junk Flochs or bad fakes. I started encountering these around 1978 (no I did not know then they were fake) and I’ve always felt they compare very favorably with originals being better made and better looking than many makes of originals. They fooled many dealers for decades and one or two even made it into the famous “Iron Times” book as original. Badges and awards is an whole different animal to collect. The good news is that excellent information exists to weed out about 99% of the fakes although a few variations in about every category of badge remain non conclusive as to origin of date.
 
Just some side information.
In WW2 it is estimated that the EKI was awarded +/- 300.000 times and during that time +/- 18 million men served in the Wehrmacht.
Thus it is a pretty high value bravery award not awarded lightly.
Now see how many EKI's you find on a militaria show like the SoS or with online dealers. ;)
 
Jhr98k said:
Need a photo of an original EK1 to compare.
Click to expand...
Yes you do, specifically an original L/21 because, of course, every maker and there were many dozens, used different cores and frames. Where it gets more complicated is that some makers purchased cores, frames, pins and catches from other makers, at least for certain production periods and some makers used more than one die so one maker can have different cores, frames and pin set ups.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top