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Marked 26, made by B. H. Mayer’s Kunst-prageanstalt de Pforzheim.
Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, EK I), one of the most recognizable German military decorations of the Second World War. Originally instituted in Prussia in 1813, the Iron Cross was reintroduced during successive conflicts and reinstated on 1 September 1939 by Adolf Hitler, coinciding with the beginning of the German invasion of Poland.
The decoration was awarded for acts of bravery and distinguished military merit in combat. It ranked above the Iron Cross 2nd Class, which was generally a prerequisite for receiving the higher class.
This example features the characteristic three-piece construction, consisting of a silver-coloured outer frame and a black-finished magnetic iron core. The design retains the traditional cross pattée shape, with raised and defined borders.
The centre of the obverse displays a raised swastika, while the lower arm bears the date “1939”, indicating the year in which the decoration was reinstated during the Third Reich.
Unlike the Iron Cross 2nd Class, which was suspended from a ribbon, the Iron Cross 1st Class was worn directly on the left breast of the uniform, secured by a rear fastening mechanism, usually a vertical pin and catch.
Iron Cross 1st Class, 1939 pattern (Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse), three-piece construction with silver-coloured frame and black magnetic iron core. Germany, Third Reich, Second World War.
