Gordon Williamson

Reverse. Gilt finish more obvious here.

Close up of Obverse. The gilding is very pale and looks washed out by the glare of the scanner light.

Fourth Class. Same size as the Fifth, but all gilded (apart from the central mirror of couse which is always silver) This grade also has the rosette on the ribbon

Reverse

Close up of Obverse

Fifth Class. Identical basic design to the Sixth, but larger at 46mm. Note the metal parts are gilded except for the outer rays to each arm which are silver

Reverse

On this grade the metal parts are gilded except for the diagonal rays which remain silver.

A rather well worn fifth class.

One of the wonderful "collectors" pieces made towards the end by S&L. Still three piece and with 800 silver frame but what a piece of junk !

Another early piece. ALL S&L Knight's Crosses began life as "dipping eye". The burnishing process smoothed away the bottom of the eye curve usually leaving a straight line. This is an early piece ( note the first pattern centre) but the has a slight dipping eye.

Schickle and Steinhauer together for comparison

Not a Steinhauer this time but a lovely Otto Schickle, marked 835 on the lower edge of the reverse frame and fractionally larger than a Steinhauer.

A very wierd variant. Dipping eye suggests second style frame, so can't be a "prototype". Frame is 935 marked. Not lack of obverse detail

A nice second type with non-marked frame but burnishing marks suggest it is silver, not plate. Dipping eye and second type core. Not by now the loops were non-original style and elongated. Still has frosting though.

A second type, with later core and later frame with "dipped eye". 800 silver. Still some attempt to achieve frosting here.

Another nice early one with 800 silver frame and first type centre.

A "transitional type" with early style well finished 800 silver frame but with second type core with convex oakleaves.

Some more images I've been sorting through while transferring stuff to a new computer. Here are a range of 1957 RK.

First up, a nice early Steinhauer made piece using the original frame tooling , this one has certainly been worn by a vet. 800 silver marked

I prefer these blue boxes

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Yes, but they do look even better with one of these in them

Hi Terry,

No I'm not getting heavily into EKs again, I just kept my favourite example of each type. These are just images I've been sorting through. U-Boats are still my main interest, plus KVKs and I have developed a very strong interest in Japanese awards which I'd have to say are far superior in quality to German stuff.

Another great one Gordon! I remember you selling many EKs (last year ?) so I assumed you were now concentrating on U Boat stuff....(I did purchase a great EK1 from you at the time and it is one of the best pieces I own).  Have you caught the bug again?

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Close up. 800 silver marked cross.

Interior base covering is dark blue velvet.

Very similar case to the 1939 EKs but slightly different proportions. Note the rounded front edge to the lid.

The recess in the interior is an exact match for the standard 1939 EK2 shape, and wouldn't suit the "Schinkel" style form of a 1914 EK2.