Eric Stahlhut

well, well, well. that day has finally come! here's one with a great deal of character---i really like it, as it screams, "been there" at me. now, i realize that some experts say that these crosses without inscriptions on the arms were never issued or worn, (http://www.hausorden.de/militaer-auszeichn-KVK-steckkreuz.html), but you really can't argue with something like this. also, there do exist period fotos of this smaller version without inscription in wear. i've spent 45 minutes trying to find a specific example posted here on this forum years ago, but i haven't found it yet. what a beauty in my eyes: 40mm vaulted, gilded bronze with a pocket watch casing used as a replacement for a screw disc! the female threaded part which the pocket-watch disc screws into, which was indubitably period done, could have come from an ek1, however this exact type of assembly is also seen on daniel cole's example shown above---whoever did it merely trimmed the circular portion of metal into a cross before resoldering the part back onto the cross

very cool! entirely appropriate for wear at the bierstube or weinkeller, as the ribbons are protected from liquids

ah, thank you. i thought it looked different than the average metal cap eagle

that's a great picture! i'm not really into ww2 stuff, but am curious about the eagle on his cap. what branch of national service does it represent?

all three in great condition, excellent trio representing some of the 1914 ek1's finest makers!

ok, i'll bite. please tell us why!

and here's another blued core example, this with a 930 mark

hi, i'm reluctant to post images of the pertinent pages in KN's book because i do not wish to violate any copyright rules; if he were to give me permission i would be more than happy to oblige. hope you understand, kasle. kind regards

how about a pair of pairs?

here's a first class cross with a blued core that matches konstantin's second class example marked, "HUW" it has a sedlatzek mark

here's konstantin's post from 2010

hi chris, i used the google translate app on my phone (pretty cool--you hold the camera to the page and the app automatically translates text on your camera screen--it's majick!!!). it's not as accurate as i'd like and the process is quite laborious, but the gist is that he has been able to narrow the cross to that maker via marked 2nd class versions, material used in manufacturing, and core matches. he goes into quite a bit of technical detail about construction techniques and materials used. he shows 14 examples of this maker in this chapter. pretty sure he states that these are early war, high quality crosses made by special order, mainly first class and unmarked. i think he wrote that this outfit was a wholesaler who made these in bulk lots via special order for resellers such as sedlatzek. which explains why they are unmarked.

when the topic of iron crosses made in austria arises, most people think of rothe and neffe, and few people are aware of another firm that manufactured and marketed them, perhaps as these crosses were also sold to resellers, such as f. sedlatzek in berlin, who stamped them with their own mark. "Erste Osterreichisch-Ungarische Metallknopfe- und Metallwaren-Fabrik Heinrich Ulbricht's Witwe, Wien" ...sometimes marked, "HUW" or "UW" this obscure maker made high quality crosses in many grades of silver, including 800, 900, 930, 935, "SILBER". interestingly enough, they are often automatically attributed to sedlatzek, as that berlin firm is more widely recognized. they came with many different types of advanced, peculiar, and attractive attachment systems, and are very desirable to advanced collectors these days. according to konstantin nikolaev, who in his magnificent two-volume opus on the iron cross (vol. 1, chapter. 31, pages 445-463), he attributes several styles and variations to this maker, including the unmarked version below.

could i have found the counterpart to this first class? i don't thinks so--the crowns on the cores appear to be different

here's an uncleaned example that appears to have a moon, crown, 800 stamp on the ring. which maker are are these attributed to? i forget!

very cool man cave!

brian, i don't know if "worker's union" is the correct interpretation in this particular instance. given the context, "association" or "council" are probably more applicable in this case, given the very class-conscious prussian officer's mindset. it's a pretty fancy piece that must have cost a bit more than the average worker's union would have been willing to dish out. just my guess, mind you

hi andreas, yes, i saw that when looking up this medal--thank you for posting the link--i was hoping for more precise information about the history of this organization

alternate title for this thread: "in the time of chimpanzees, i was a monkey" i'm super stoked to have this. i consider it comparable in rarity to this other arcane item: anyways, i haven't been able to glean much information on this particular organization. given the times, i'm sure it wasn't too big of an outfit, but it serves as a great example of how it seems imperative that every german group had to have some type of award or medal. it illustrates the german propensity and predilection for medals and bling anyhow, here's the subject. nonmagnetic, finished in chocolate bronze, made by lauer of nurnberg. ribbon is cream and purple, which gives me the idea that there may be some religious affiliation. "the league of non-frontfighters"......anyone have any info on it? sorry about the horizontal images, they are correct on my computer, but when posting them on this forum, they magically go sideways

whenever the "e" in mutige touches the border of the cross arm, be very careful

i looked up the technical translation and i guess the term is a broad one that can be used for several shades, colors and types of finish--and could depend on the type of metal as well http://en.dictindustry.com/german-english/br%C3%BCniert i always thought bruniert meant burnished bronze/brown as well, but recently someone with lots of antique firearm experience told me that definitions and terminology changed over the years, so i looked up the definition and sure enough it was, "blued"

take a look at the 2nd class. i got them for $20 apiece from a coin dealer out of massachusetts looks like it was made yesterday, can't get any newer looking than this, the crescent has a mirror finish

here's one that was listed as a top-quality fake, and priced very fairly. is anyone aware of this version of the se being made as a fake? perhaps someone has gotten ahold of the original dies, because it certainly is a splendid piece it's nonmagnetic, vaulted, 19.7 grams, and blued finish. overall everything checks out, but if indeed a fake, very terrifying to collectors. or is it new old stock? for some reason the pics will only upload sideways-my apologies in advance

here's a bruniert example albeit from a different maker, it's blued