WW1 German Iron Cross 1st Class Marked KAG Original Wartime Issue (3720). German Original WW1 Iron Cross 1ST Class Maker Marked K. A. G. THE K. A. G. MAKERS MARK IS A RECOGNIZED IRON CROSS MAKERS MARK BUT THE NAME OF THE MAKER IS UNKNOWN. IT IS THOUGHT THAT THE G IN THE K. A. G. MARK STANDS FOR ONE OF THE GODET FAMILY OF COURT JEWLERS. FANTASTIC WARTIME ISSUE, FLAT TYPE EK1 IS 3 PART CONSTRUCTION- 2 SILVER FRAMES AND IRON CORE CORE IS OF COURSE MAGNETIC Condition: ORIGINAL WARTIME IRON CROSS 1ST CLASS. THESE ARE GETTING RARE NOW AND ARE ABOUT 20 TIMES AS RARE AS A 2ND CLASS PIN CAN CATCH IN GOOD WORKING ORDER, NO CORE CRACKING OR FRAME SEPERATION, HAS LIGHT RUST ON CORE AND IS A LITTLE DIRTY. Information on the Iron Cross Medal:Emperor Wilhelm II reauthorized the Iron Cross on 5 August 1914, at the start of World War 1. During these three periods, the Iron Cross was an award of the Kingdom of Prussia, although given Prussia’s pre-eminent place in the German Empire formed in 1871 it tended to be treated as a generic German decoration. The 1813, 1870, and 1914 Iron Crosses had three grades:Iron Cross 2nd Class Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, or EKIIIron Cross 1st Class Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, or EKIGrand Cross of the Iron Cross (Gro kreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Gro kreuz)Although the obverse of the medals of each class was identical, the manner in which each was worn differed. The Iron Cross 1st Class employed a pin or screw posts on the back of the medal and was worn on the left side of the recipient’s uniform, like the original 1813 version. The Iron Cross 2nd Class, and the larger Grand Cross, were suspended from different ribbons: the Grand Cross from a neck ribbon, the 2nd Class from a ribbon on the chest. The usual display of the 2nd Class version was as a ribbon through one of the buttonholes in the recipient’s tunic. The Grand Cross was intended for senior generals of the Prussian or (later) the German Army. An even higher decoration, the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (also called the Bl cher Star), was awarded only twice, to General Feldmarchall Gebhard Leberecht Von Blucher in 1813 and to General Feldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg in 1918. A third award was planned for the most successful German general during World War II but was not made after the defeat of Germany in 1945. The Iron Cross 1st Class and the Iron Cross 2nd Class were awarded without regard to rank. One had to possess the 2nd Class already in order to receive the 1st Class. Check out our entire store for more great products and deals! We do however make every possible attempt to accurately describe the inventory we sell and stand behind it. Since 2016, 8TEN Industries has been a leading asset recovery provider supporting national retailers, brands, and manufacturers. Our 60,000 square foot processing and distribution facility located in Cass City, Michigan has allowed us to become industry leader in turning difficult problems for manufacturers into great deals for our customers.
