Social Welfare 1st Class Neck Order – Godet & Co

Product Description: A scarce and highly attractive example of the Social Welfare 1st Class Neck Order, executed in tombak, gold fire-gilded and finely enameled. The cross measures approximately 52.7 mm in width by 57.0 mm in height and represents manufacture of very fine quality.

The enamels remain fully intact with no visible chipping, showing only light, honest wear consistent with age and period use. The decoration is accompanied by a long length of original period neck ribbon, as worn by the recipient.

Although unmarked, the construction, finish, and overall characteristics are entirely consistent with known textbook production by Godet, Berlin, one of the premier makers of high-grade Third Reich decorations.

An excellent, high-quality, and increasingly difficult-to-find example of this prestigious Social Welfare neck order, presented in extremely excellent++ condition.

Historical Description: On May 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler introduced a new series of social welfare awards to reward contributions to the German civil population. The official introduction of this series of awards stated that they were to be awarded for achievements in the areas of social welfare, the winter relief organization, care of sick and wounded in wartime and in peace, rescue work, care of the German people and of ethnic Germans in other countries. These awards replaced an early series of Red Cross award. The lowest grade of the new series of awards was called the “Medaille der deutschen Volkspflege,” often referred to as the Social Welfare Medal. The medal was made of bronze or zinc with a silver fuinish, and bore a German national eagle and swastika on the front, superimposed on a cross. The rear bore the inscription “Medaille für deutsche Volkspflege.” The higher grades of the award were designed by Prof. Richard Klein in the form of a cross and called the “Ehrenzeichen der deutschen Volkspflege.” The cross was a white enameled cross, on which was affixed a black and white enameled German eagle and swastika. There were four grades of the cross. The highest level, the I. Stufe (first class), was a large breast star that had the cross affixed to 1 4-pointed star. The II. Stufe of the cross was worn around the neck on a broad ribbon. The III. Stufe was a pin-back cross, and the IV. Stufe was a medal suspended from a ribbon. These Social Welfare decorations were classified as National Socialist awards after the war and were not permitted to be worn after 1945.

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