Steve campbell

No it's not marked. 11 is the official number Grossman used for thier award pieces. I don't think the firm had an LDO or L/? number. I suspect this is an unmarked early piece. I really don't think any piece can be described as an unmarked L/?. It either has that marking or it doesn't. I know I'm splitting hairs. As for the case you describe, you would have to be 100% sure that the cross and case belonged together or too many assumptions will have to be made. Incidently, the individual who who questioned whever or not it was a Grossman, is under the impression it's a Duemer so this is getting interesting. Thanks for your input.

The research checks out, but a good scammer might do the same to lend legitimacy to the piece. I'm playing devil's advocate here, but that has to be taken into account.

Thanks for your input Greg, you may have the answer there. Either way it's an interesting variant.

These engraved ones are a real minefield aren't they? If it's legit you have a unique piece, albeit one that's going to cost. If not you have a expensive KO, that's not even worth the price of an untouched KO. To me this would be a good area for scammers to get into as you have a good way to triple or better your money on a common piece that often you would have a hard time selling. As for authenticity, I'll leave that to someone else. Where are any of us gaining the knowledge to judge these engravings? I guess you would want to see natural and even aging and patina and know something about engravings from that era. Hopefully you'll get an answer.

Here's the rear. The hardware should provide some clues. I don't really care who made it, as it's a great piece one way or the other.

When I recieved this cross about a year ago I was told on another forum that the maker was Grossman &Co. I've posted it around a few places and now there is speculation it is another maker. Does anyone want to hazard a guess on the maker of this one? The core is not brass as it is magnetic. It's coated with something. Let's solve this mystery.

Ok that very well could be. Would that be magnetic or not?

I just checked it and it is not magnetic.

The photos don't do it justice. In hand it looks even better. Like a said the beading has taken on almost a golden hue to it. I loved it when it tumbled out of the envelope. I went for it for the maker's mark really, but after I got it it was so much more.

Look at the beads on the crown. It looks as if there is brass showing through there. When I get home later tonight I will check it with a magnet.

She's a little rough but I like these interesting variants. Thanks for looking at my collection. It's nice to hear from other collectors. I have my entire 1914 EK2 collection posted here if you haven't already seen it. http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=13872

Thanks again Naoki. This one was a great pick up and the only one of it's type in my collection.

Thanks Naoki. There's something about this one that I really like. It's just a classic Iron Cross really.

I guess it takes awhile to build up such a large collection. It helps to be in Germany where you can still find some items. Flea market finds etc are not easy to come by over here.

How long have you been collecting?

Thanks. Good to meet more EK collectors from around the world. Iron Crosses are my main collecting focus. I'll post some updated photos of my collection soon.

Ok I just saw the full view of the cabinetts. That's awesome!

Sorry, that's the wrong picture above, although it is another type of case I was going to show. This type lies flat as do the metals. This makes them very accessible and rearrangement easy when new pieces show up, which seems to happen to you every 15 minutes. Here is the type that hangs on the wall.

Micha, you could try what I mentioned earlier. Here is a case of some of my EK2's that is hanging on my wall. I added the purple backing. The glare from the glass doesn't do the picture justice. There's 15 crosses there now but it should fit about 18 comfortably. You would need a few cases but it would add a nice contrast to the cabinet display.

Excellent collection. I'm inspired yet again.

And it's not just quantity. After seeing all the crosses you have posted, I know it's quality also.

It looks great. I looked into ordering one of these, but the shipping was more than the cabinet. They seem to be the standard for military displays. Since you have so many EK's, you should also consider some riker type cabinets that you hang on the wall. You can get some nice wooden ones that hold the metals tight against the glass. I will post a picture of some of mine tomorrow when I'm home. I have 15 of my EK2's that don't have ribbons in one and it looks great. Shadow box cabinetts that lay flat are another option. With the amount of items you have, setting them all up like you have with the plastic stands may not be totally realistic. It certainly looks good though.

Beautiful. Are those the Ikea Detlof cabinets?

Yes that does look nice. A lot of nice crosses being posted here lately.

Are these considered to be a hard to find maker? I have one on the way that I'll post when it shows.