EK 1914 QUESTION ON 'KO' and 'WILM' MARKINGS

[Fariz]

Hello,

I have a qustion on EK1s with these markings: WILM and KO. Does anyone know what companies these markings are for? Thank you.

Fariz

[Tom Y]

KO is either K?nigliches Ordensamt or K?nigliches M?nzamt Orden depending on who you ask. I'd go with the former. Wilm is the name of the maker. I can't recall his first name.

[Bill Garvy]

H.R. Wilm, Berlin. . .

[Mike K]

I don't recall ever seeing an EK1 marked "WILM" - anyone got a picture of one please?

Regards

Mike

[Fariz]

Hello,

Thanks for the feedback. I made a mistake in my first post, the items with KO and Wilm markings are EK 2s not EK 1s.

Guys I dont know much about WW1 EK2s and would really appreciate some help with the following questions:

1. Were WW1 EK 2s made in a similiar way to WW2 EK2s in that both were made of 3 pieces- inner core and 2 silver rims?

2. Has any serious attempts been made to fake WW1 EK 2? The reason I'm asking this is because most WW1 EK 2s for sale dont seem to show any signs of 'wear and tear', unlike most WW2 EK 2s on the market which have missing enamel, scratches, signs of rust, etc. [most WW1 EK 2s sold, even by reputable dealers look fairly new]

Thank you.

[Mike K]

1. Were WW1 EK 2s made in a similiar way to WW2 EK2s in that both were made of 3 pieces- inner core and 2 silver rims?

2. Has any serious attempts been made to fake WW1 EK 2? The reason I'm asking this is because most WW1 EK 2s for sale dont seem to show any signs of 'wear and tear', unlike most WW2 EK 2s on the market which have missing enamel, scratches, signs of rust, etc. [most WW1 EK 2s sold, even by reputable dealers look fairly new]

Hi Fariz,

1914 and 1939 EK2s were generally constructed using a central iron core and two separate frame halves (plus ring and ribbon loops of course). There are exceptions with one-piece examples and brass or zinc cored examples, etc.

There are 1914EK2 fakes, however they are relatively crude and with genuine examples produced in the millions and still fairly cheap, the fakes are not really that common. Many of the earlier 1914EK2s had genuine (unmarked) silver frames and baked enamel cores, so they were good quality to begin with and can retain the blacking on their cores very well. Dealers commonly polish the patina off to make them look even better.

Regards

Mike

[joe campbell]

another aspect concerning the '14 EK is the

wonderful variety of appearances (within a

narrow set of guidelines) amongst them.

some are delicate and fine appearing, others

rather less so.

less "poetic license" with the institution of rules/regs

from the LDO during the TR.

good summary, mike.

joe

Edited November 4, 2008 by joe campbell