Danny70

Hello Alec, We posted at the same time as each other - apologies for breaking up your pictures (btw that's a beautiful Deschler you have there). As far as I am aware, these Schinkel-form one piece screwback crosses didn't have an anti-rotation pin, I imagine the vaulting combined with the screw plate would have held them quite securely. I mentioned Otto Schickle in my previous post as quite a few collectors believe that these crosses were produced by that company, although I don't believe there is any definite proof of this. Regards - Danny

Hello Jan Arne, Interesting.... In my opinion it looks like an (Otto Schickle?) one piece cross that has had it's swastika removed at some stage, and unfortunately someone has tried to 're-nazify' it by applying a home-made swastika to the centre. Regards - Danny

Hello Kvart, It's the 'Truce Commemorative Medal of 1971'. It was issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty, for surviving veterans of the Irish War of Independence who had already received the 1919-1921 medal. Regards - Danny

Resurrecting this old thread back up with some additional information... After a very interesting and informative weekend (for me), I am glad to say that I have finally found some more information about Anthony. I visited another of his (and mine) relations (whom I had not met before) and he filled in a few gaps of Anthony's history for me. During the Irish War of Independence, Anthony was an Intelligence officer in his local branch of the I.R.A. (I haven't yet found out the Battalion or Company) and he spent a good deal of time as a hunted man 'on the run'. This lifestyle combined with a weak chest (probably a form of TB) was his downfall. He suffered with it for the remainder of his short life. His father's shop (where he worked) was a target for the 'Black and Tans' and was ransacked on more than one occasion. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, that that marked the end of the Irish War of Independence, Anthony refused to accept its conditions - an Irish Free State (of which Northern Ireland almost immediately opted out of), a Dominion of the British Empire and an oath of allegiance to the King. He was what would have been considered a 'hard-line' Republican who believed that accepting the Anglo-Irish Treaty was a betrayal of all he and his comrades had fought for during the War of Independence (the 'Tan War'). As to his activities during the subsequent Civil War, I have no further information at this point. The man I met at the weekend now owns Anthony's former house and is in the process of renovating it. He was very helpful and let me see the house as well as the few remaining items in his possession relating to Anthony. He also has a handmade memorial similar to the one I have that I posted above, made by Anthony's IRA comrades who were interned in the Curragh camp in Kildare by the Irish Government during WW2. Had Anthony been fit and healthy, he would more than likely have been jailed there himself. After my visit I returned to my family homeplace and went digging through a huge pile of old family photographs, and was delighted to find among them Anthony's memorial card - I finally have a face to put with the history! As an aside, I was quite shocked to see that he bears an uncanny resemblance to my late father. I know they were closely related, but I just was not expecting to see such a strong similarity. And here is the man himself, Anthony Francis Duignan 1900 - 1942. R.I.P.

Joel, Thank you again for the kind words. I am very happy to have added this one to my collection, and have managed to find a 1914 EK2 with a core design based on this B-type. I'm eagerly looking forward to it's arrival. Regards - Danny

And my small 1870 group as it stands at the moment: 'A type' with non-combatant ribbon 'B type' with combatant ribbon and Jubiläumsspange & Wiederholungsspange 'A type' with combatant ribbon and Jubiläumsspange 'A type' with combatant ribbon

Hello All, It is with thanks to a fellow forum member who responded to one of my "Wanted" posts that I am delighted to show off my latest purchase - I've been looking for one of these for quite a while. It's a 'B-type' 1870 EK2 with 25 year Jubiläumsspange. It also has attached to the ribbon a Wiederholungsspange (1914 Bar), this (the bar) is more than likely a fake, and I purchased it as such. However, it is of fantastic quality so I have kept it on the ribbon as a display piece. Hope you all like it as much as I do! Regards - Dan (Apologies for the bad photos)

Absolutely nothing wrong with that one. It a textbook example with a great patina. Congratulations. Regards - Danny

... Prosper, don't forget Beck, Hassinger & Co., Strassburg (MM '123')!!

Hello Dan, Yes, it's a good original, and as Windu has pointed out, it's not a maker you see everyday. Straight on photos would help, but I can see it has the typical 'rounded' inner corners of this maker. I assume it also has a small 'hump' where the jump ring is attached to the cross. Regards - Danny

Thank you, it's very much appreciated. Regards - Danny

I've managed to land another one, my second 1870 type A core EK2! It is a beautiful cross in hand although the black finish is very well worn on the core (It looks to me as if the cross may have been cleaned at some stage and the black finish suffered as a result). I believe this to be considered as an 'award period' cross, it weighs 16.1 grams and measures 41.5mm wide by 41.19mm high. I'm really happy to have landed another 1870, and these have created a shift in my interest from TR EK's towards Imperial crosses. (That and the fact that I can't seem to find any more TR EK2's that I don't already have without going down the LDO road which doesn't really interest me for some reason). I hope this one meets with approval. Regards - Danny And for Kapten, I'm sorry for forgetting to post pictures of the non-com ribbon on the first cross, but here they are now.

Hello Matt, Based on these photographs, I would give this cross is a tentative 'thumbs up', leaving aside the poor repair on the jump ring. It does not seem to have any of the features found on any fakes that I am aware of, but without clearer and brighter photographs showing the beading and core details (especially the inner corners around the swastika), I cannot be absolutely certain. Nevertheless, I am optimistic about it.... Regards - Danny

A good one, and as Gew44 has pointed out, it (the bevelled edge variant) is not seen every day. Regards - Danny

Hello, Sorry, but this one is a well known older fake. The date style is completely unlike any found on period EKs and the overall quality of the piece is far removed from the standard associated with known originals. It looks to be a one piece. This cross can also be found marked L/17 on the pin. Regards - Danny

Hi Dan, There's nothing wrong with that one except a little wear. It's a typical Wächtler & Lange cross. These usually retain their exceptional finish quite well, but there are some areas where the rhodium plating has flaked away (the 'black' looking areas). If the price is good, I would have no hesitation in adding it to my collection. Regards - Danny

Dan, That's a nicely worn looking example - just how I like them. It has a typical of the maker 'wide' frame with a very nice patina. Congratulations on your first EK2.... may it be the first of many! Regards - Danny

Thank you gentlemen for all the kind words. I'm really happy to have added this cross to my collection, and it's great to read all of your positive comments. Thanks again. Regards - Danny Kapten - The next time I have it out, I will take a picture showing all of the ribbon.

Hello All... After deciding to re-arrange some of my collection, I sold a 1939 übergroße EK2 and a few other things and managed to finally purchase myself an 1870 award period EK2. This one came with a piece of non-combatant ribbon (of course, there is no way of confirming if this is original to the cross). It's an 'A' type cross thought to be of the award period. Notice the slight mis-cast on the obverse around the 'W' and the date - I believe these cores were all sand cast. I hadn't realised how small these crosses are compared to their 1914 counterparts - this one measures 40.52 x 40.46mm and weighs 16.2 grams. I'm delighted to have finally added my first 1870. All comments are most welcome. Regards - Danny J

I have had two crosses ruined by jewellers attempting to fix damage like this. However there is an English guy called Jimmy on WAF who is fantastic at repairing all kinds of damage to military awards.... calls himself 'Doctor Love'! It would be worth sending him a PM to see how much it would cost. His WAF name is: wh014d4394

I wasn't aware of that... being relatively new to imperials. Do you know of any accurate lists that i could study up on? Regards - Danny

Here's some links to a site I found very useful... http://www.kaisersbunker.com/stuff/1914_EK1_makers.htm http://www.kaisersbunker.com/stuff/1914_EK2_makers.htm Curse this lack of line breaks, it's really annoying me now.

I know you are looking for other opinions, but in the meantime, here are my two for comparison purposes. (click on the images to enlarge) Regards - Danny