Inquiry About the Authenticity of (Cased) Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse

[palmoil]

Hello all, 

 

I am new to this forum, and collecting as a whole. For one of my first pieces I am seeking to pick up, I have always loved the look of the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1st Class, and the War Merit Cross series as a whole. Though I am fairly certain of the authenticity of the award based on how much information has been divulged by the seller and the lack of particular rarity of the award, I was still wondering if I could get any "seasoned" opinions on the matter. Maker marked "50," and the Maker is listed as Godet. 

(Apologies for low quality on captures of the case, could not get HQ versions to fit into the 2.44 MB size.)

 

Cheers!

[ChrisKelly]

On the surface, it looks genuine.  The reverse has a strange surface texture, which should be smooth. The pin hinge and clasp are obvious details, as they are typical of reproduced pieces. The pin looks brazed to the center hinge cylinder, and the pin should be one solid piece. The hinge construction should look "cleaner", "tighter" - more precisely made. I also can't remember seeing a hallmark "upside-down" on one of these pins. The "5" looks like an "S".  Again, very un-German/un-RZM/un-LDO lack of precision, which was the order of the day in the "NS-Time". Godet made high- quality, post-war reproductions, and I think this specimen is one of them. Likely the case is a high- quality reproduction as well.

 

A few original examples from:

 

https://www.militariasales.com/page/2/?s=War+merit+cross&post_type=product&dgwt_wcas=1

 

Edited 6 hours ago by ChrisKelly