Original Item: Only One Available. Established by Frederick William in 1813 for gallantry in action, the decoration was revived several times for later conflicts. The bulk of the issues are divided into 1st and 2nd class versions, but a rare and superior 'Grand Cross' was also awarded for successful field commanders. During WW1 the lower decoration was freely awarded with 5½ million second class types issued. Originally, the Iron Cross was an award of the Kingdom of Prussia, however given Prussia's pre-eminent place in the German Empire formed in 1871, it became an award for all of Germany.

The basic design of the WWI crosses is a central cross patee struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border. The obverse of the cross bears the date 1914 under a crowned W monogram. The reverse bears an oak leaf cluster in the center, with the date of the decoration’s institution 1813 underneath, and the crowned FW initials of Frederick William on the top arm above the oak leaf cluster. Suspension for second-class (EK II) types is by means of a ring, and frequently this ring bears a maker's stamp. There is a mark on the ring, but we cannot tell if it is just a scratch, or a maker marking. This example still has the original black and white ribbon, which is somewhat faded and frayed due to age.

Please note the edge seam for authentication, which is not present on reproductions. Iron crosses were commonly constructed from an iron core sandwiched in a surrounding two part silver frame, normally the seam of these two silver parts is visible around the edge of the cross as is seen on this fine example. This example is a "flat' style Iron Cross. as all 2nd class awards were. The silver has a great aged patina, and the painted central area is still clear.

This is a fantastic chance to own a solid period example of the most iconic of all Imperial German awards.