EK 1914 HELP IDENTIFY PLEASE

[FOR VALOUR]

Hello,

This belonged to my great grandfather could you help identify from the photos please.

Regards David

[paul wood]

Hello,

This belonged to my great grandfather could you help identify from the photos please.

Regards David

1914 Iron Cross Second Class by H. J. Wilm of Jerusalemstrasse Berlin.

Paul

[FOR VALOUR]

1914 Iron Cross Second Class by H. J. Wilm of Jerusalemstrasse Berlin.

Paul

Hello Paul,

Thank you for your help could you advise best place to sell or even is it worth the bother to sell as i have no interest in it .

David

[paul wood]

Hello Paul,

Thank you for your help could you advise best place to sell or even is it worth the bother to sell as i have no interest in it .

David

Not hugely valuable I would have thought no more than £40-50 , although some of the Iron Cross buffs here can give you chapter and verse.

All the best

Paul

[FOR VALOUR]

Not hugely valuable I would have thought no more than £40-50 , although some of the Iron Cross buffs here can give you chapter and verse.

All the best

Paul

Hello Paul,

My thanks again at least it might get me a modern gsm or something, hope i may return the kindness in the future.

David.

[Claudius]

Not hugely valuable I would have thought no more than £40-50 , although some of the Iron Cross buffs here can give you chapter and verse.

All the best

Paul

All true...but I would add that you could increase the value/interest in the piece if you could also provide;

1) The accompaning award document to the Iron Cross 2nd class.

2) Other medals/documents that belonged to your grandfather.

3) Photo(s) of your great grandfather. In or not in uniform.

(if he was a pilot, or served in the colonial forces, you can look no further as I'll buy it from you! )

[FOR VALOUR]

All true...but I would add that you could increase the value/interest in the piece if you could also provide;

1) The accompaning award document to the Iron Cross 2nd class.

2) Other medals/documents that belonged to your grandfather.

3) Photo(s) of your great grandfather. In or not in uniform.

(if he was a pilot, or served in the colonial forces, you can look no further as I'll buy it from you! )

Hello,

My great grandfather was a british soldier who was given the cross by a german soldier he played the game of football with at chrismas, my apolagies for not making this clear.He acquired various items during his service all of which came through eventually to my father who collected and then on to me which formed part of my 40 years collecting medals, i am going through boxes which hav enot been touched for over 30 years.

david

[ekhunter]

Hello,

My great grandfather was a british soldier who was given the cross by a german soldier he played the game of football with at chrismas, my apolagies for not making this clear.He acquired various items during his service all of which came through eventually to my father who collected and then on to me which formed part of my 40 years collecting medals, i am going through boxes which hav enot been touched for over 30 years.

david

Sounds like the Christmas Truce. The Christmas Truce was a famous incident that the higher ups didn't like. I believe that the Officers (from both sides) threatened afterwards to shoot anyone for consorting with the enemy if it happened again. :violent:

Edited July 9, 2010 by ekhunter

[Hauptmann]

I'd suggest you write up this info and include a copy of a picture of your grandfather especially if in uniform during the period of the war or thereabouts. Definitely good to keep such history with the item. I assume you're not selling any of his medals, etc., but if you are considering that you might want to keep the IC as part of that grouping... again with the specific history written down. Otherwise this will just become one more anonymous Iron Cross with no specific history.

The Christmas Truce is definitely a fascinating story. I've seen several documentaries on the subject and read about it in several histories of the war. In many ways it's a shame it just didn't spread and end up stopping the war in it's tracks. Imagine that... soldiers fighting a war that most of them probably did not want just deciding to stop, be friends with the enemy and go on from there. Methinks quite often that the world would be much better off without politicians and governments who tend to be the ones who start the wars... but you don't often see them fighting in them.

http://aroundtheedges.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/the-christmas-truce/

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2010/post-873-127870585766.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2010/post-873-127870587564.jpg

[Hauptmann]

Picture above (from wikipedia) of a cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. The text reads "1914, The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce, 1999, 85 Years, Lest We Forget".

Dan

[FOR VALOUR]

Picture above (from wikipedia) of a cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. The text reads "1914, The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce, 1999, 85 Years, Lest We Forget".

DanEvening All,

Sorry not replied earlier been unwell, my great grand father served with the RWF and i do have his medals and a photo somewhere will post when i find it. I have attached a photo of a german soldier found in the same box i have no idea wether connected or not i'm sure someone will know more about this german soldier.

David

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello David,

An interesting story indeed. You stated, if I have read this correctly, that you have been collecting for 40 years, so what I am going to say should not come as much of a shock to you. I don't wish to sound sceptical but the story of a German soldier in 1914 giving up his Iron Cross to another soldier as a Christmas gift is...well...pretty amazing. I also noticed that the condition of the EK is less than mint. Since this truce took place five months after the outbreak of hosilities I would expect it would have been in better condition. Perhaps I'm being too critical on this point and there may have been extenuating circumstances that lead to the damage, or the damage even happened sometime between the "gift exchange" and being placed away in storage. I'm not saying that the story is not true, only that if this is forming part of the history of this EK and that will become one of the deciding factors in the EK2s value then I would say it is not really going to do much for the price you will realize from its sale. It is still a single EK that has no provable history other than an unsubstantiated family legend.

Please don't take offence by this, however, you are talking values with the intention of selling and that brings anything into a whole new light and under greater scrutiny. Family treasures and their associated stories are nice but when you are talking cold hard cash then the family stories need more proof; more proof than random photos of your Great Grandfather either in uniform or not.

As you say, you've been collecting for 40 years so this is something you probably already know.

Any idea how the photo of the German soldier from WWII came into the collection?

Regards

Brian

[FOR VALOUR]

Good Morning Brian,

Thank you for your reply, as you willl know the RWF were present at the football match and my g/grandfather was an honourable honest chap but i do understand your point of view. The cross as had a varied life living in everything from shed's to loft's and even my grandma's bunker in the garden during ww2, the story was posted purely for interest and in no way to enhance the value of the cross. As you will see by my earlier reply to the valuation i would be more than happy with £40/50 as it would probably buy me a gsm re/ra, the ww2 photo was amoung others in the same box but that's all i can say. My family have a serving tradition as far back as waterloo and although we may not have reached great hieghts in rank i am very proud of them all, even to date my youngest is serving RAF so we have served Queen/King/Queen. I am not offended in anyway at all the members here have been most helpfull to me i have a number of box's to yet open and hope i may be able to call on your help in the future.

Regards David

[FOR VALOUR]

Edited July 18, 2010 by FOR VALOUR

[Brian Wolfe]

Good Morning Brian,

Thank you for your reply, as you willl know the RWF were present at the football match and my g/grandfather was an honourable honest chap but i do understand your point of view. The cross as had a varied life living in everything from shed's to loft's and even my grandma's bunker in the garden during ww2, the story was posted purely for interest and in no way to enhance the value of the cross. As you will see by my earlier reply to the valuation i would be more than happy with £40/50 as it would probably buy me a gsm re/ra, the ww2 photo was amoung others in the same box but that's all i can say. My family have a serving tradition as far back as waterloo and although we may not have reached great hieghts in rank i am very proud of them all, even to date my youngest is serving RAF so we have served Queen/King/Queen. I am not offended in anyway at all the members here have been most helpfull to me i have a number of box's to yet open and hope i may be able to call on your help in the future.

Regards David

Good Moring David,

I was worried and hesitant to reply to your post in case I offended you. Even as I was pressing the "Add Reply" I was wishing I had not done so. When it comes to values and what the market will accept it quickly becomes a vicious and unforgiving atmosphere.

There is a family here in Canada whose Great Grandfather was gifted an Iron Cross by an officer when he stopped their execution by other Canadian soldiers. The story was greatly doubted even after they found the Iron Cross in their Great Grandfather's effects. There was a telvision show here called Ancestors in the Attic and they were able to prove the story. It seemed incredible yet it was proven to be true. Even the Christmas truce seems hard to believe all by itself.

Regards and relieved,

Brian

[FOR VALOUR]

Hello Brian,

It has been a pleasure to exchange views with you and i am glad your at ease, I know the story to be true but i cannot prove it so i hope at least it has been worth members reading. I have found members on this forum most helpful in an earlier post a member was able to identify another cross i had from the same box which turned out to be worth exactly what they valued it at, again it was of no interest to me but was bought by a very nice chap called Mr Stephen Wheeler i believe a respected dealer. I will post the iron cross for sale and see how things go after all if it does not sell it can live in the box it has spent nearly all it's life in, my next post will be a ww2 ambulance drivers first aid kit complete in it's bag and his tin helmet.

All the very best to you

David

Good Moring David,

I was worried and hesitant to reply to your post in case I offended you. Even as I was pressing the "Add Reply" I was wishing I had not done so. When it comes to values and what the market will accept it quickly becomes a vicious and unforgiving atmosphere.

There is a family here in Canada whose Great Grandfather was gifted an Iron Cross by an officer when he stopped their execution by other Canadian soldiers. The story was greatly doubted even after they found the Iron Cross in their Great Grandfather's effects. There was a telvision show here called Ancestors in the Attic and they were able to prove the story. It seemed incredible yet it was proven to be true. Even the Christmas truce seems hard to believe all by itself.

Regards and relieved,

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi David,

If you're interested in selling it send me an email at brian.wolfe@bell.net and we can talk.

You're not set up to use the Personal Messaging function here at GMIC yet.

Regards

Brian