Cased German Cross in Silver by Zimmermann

Product Description: This Cased German Cross in Silver by Zimmermann is in great condition! The maker of the cross is Zimmermann, and is stamped “20” under the pin for the companies PKZ number. The cross features the 11 o’clock die flaw on the starburst as well as the flaw in the numeral “9” in the date. The hardware of the cross is intact and has no repairs at all. The white disc behind the swastika has patina’d very nicely over the years. The enamel is completely undamaged.

The exterior of the case is in good condition with only minor scuffs. The rear of the case is the only area which has an issue, and that is the break near the rear corners of the case. The case still operates as normal and latches closed, but will sit just slightly misaligned from the lower half of the case. The hinge on the reverse is comprised of the typical 13 individual segments for this type of case The interior black flocking has some slight wear to it from a cross that was once housed in it. The upper lids interior white satin lining is in great condition with only minor indentation from it resting against the former cross is housed. The fine silver line running the perimeter of the upper lid is easily identifiable, without a loupe even, as a silver grade. This is a great display piece to complete an existing German Cross in Silver set.

Historical Background: The German Cross in Silver was instituted on September 28th, 1941. The German High Command saw it necessary to create an award which would bridge the gap between the War Merit Cross First Class and the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross. Once instituted, the German Cross became one of Germany’s highest military decorations. 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 2,500 recipients of the German Cross in Silver. 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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