Cased German Cross in Gold by Godet

Description: Here’s a beautiful Cased German Cross in Gold by Godet! This is one of those sets that many medal collectors want. There’s just something about these Godet made crosses that sets them apart from the others. This the heavy earlier model of Godet weighing in at hefty 69.4 grams. The swastika enamel is near perfect and the white frosted background disc still has that amazing glow the original designer of these crosses intended to highlight the award. The starburst retains nearly all of its original darkening. All six rivets are firmly intact on the tombak back-plate. The hardware is without any repairs and is directly soldered to the back-plate, which is typical of earlier constructed German Crosses. The underside of the pin is marked with Godet’s “PKZ” number “21”.

The case is the larger version, and is also in excellent condition. The hardware of the case is fully functional. The leatherette covering on the exterior is in great shape with no major scuffs or cracks. The interior plush base is also nearly all there with the exception of a few minor scuffs near the pin cutout from the cross rubbing on it over the last 70 years. The white lining is also virtually strain free except for the outline of the cross itself being housed in the box for many decades.

This is an excellent set from one of THE premier manufacturers of German Military Awards!

Historical Background: The German Cross in Gold was instituted on September 28th, 1941. The German High Command saw it necessary to create an award which would bridge the gap between the Iron Cross First Class and the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. Once instituted, the German Cross became Germany’s second highest military decoration, second only to the Knights Cross and its subsequent grades. The German Cross was similar to the Knights Cross in regards that the award was not based off of any previous awards in German history. It was a unique creation which also ended with the war. There were approximately 26,000 recipients of the German Cross in Gold. This number, however, does not reflect the total amount of German Crosses produced.

The German Cross was actually not a cross at all, it took on the form of an eight-point star resembling some of the former breast awards of the Imperial era. The award came in two forms, a metal version and a cloth version. The metal version being the most complex of the two, it consisted of five separate pieces being fitted and held together using four to twelve rivets depending on who the manufacturer was. The cloth version follows the exact same design as the metal produced version except the entire cross is cloth with the exception of the laurel wreath still being metal.

Known Manufacturers:
Deschler & Sohn, Munchen
C.E. Juncker, Berlin
C.F. Zimmermann, Pforzheim
Gebruder Godet, Berlin
Otto Klein, Hanau

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