Condition: Near Mint
Maker: Deschler
Base Material: Tombak
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Product Description: This Fantastic Cased Deschler Six Rivet German Cross in Gold Set gets high marks in every category: rarity, desirability, eye appeal, and condition. The cross is an unbelievably nice and very early made German Cross by the prestigious maker of Deschler in Munich. These early six-rivet German Crosses with the short pins are among the first examples of this award, produced after its institution in 1941. This cross is very substantial, as is always the case with this type, weighing in at a hefty 67 grams. The obverse has a very appealing look. The glossy black enamel of the swastika is perfect, with no scratches or chips of any kind. The silver finished disk background has taken on a very pleasant patina throughout, with nice toning as is normally seen on these early high quality German Crosses by Deschler to do. The dark burnished sunburst area is nearly perfect as well, with no scratching of any kind, and just a light age patina. The main rear back plate is made of Tombak, and retains all of the original silver finish, with beautiful age toning. While most of these early Deschler six-rivet crosses are missing at least one of their individual rivet caps, this cross retains all six! The hardware in soldered directly to the back plate, and is functional and all-original, with no repairs of any kind. This wonderful Deschler Six Rivet German Cross is complete with an outstanding and virtually perfect original case. The case is the correct (and rare) early small box, made specifically for these early six-rivet crosses. The exterior leatherette is near mint, with all of the glossy original surface, deep black color, and a bright gold strip running around the edge of the lid, denoting the gold grade of this award. The cross rests on a black velvet insert, and the lid is lined with white silk, which shows only very light age toning. This a fantastic set, which is nearly impossible to find in this condition on the market. It’s a really choice piece.
Historical Description: 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-pointed 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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