Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse with "lazy pin"

[Rock Rey]

Hey all,

Here is another piece recently acquired. I have included two pictures that make me scratch my head a bit. One of which shows the pin in it's resting position, which is loose or "lazy", meaning that it can slide a few degrees to the right of the catch and basically flop around there.

Another reference site that seems quite comprehensive states that the pin should be retained and resist being pulled away from the catch. I figured it could just be 70+ years of wear, but it could also be an example of bad craftsmanship.

The other shows the inside of the pin, where a marking of some kind is visible. It is very small, and hard to make out, so I have included a picture here. Since I can't make out what it says, I can't reference it to the maker's list published on that same reference site.

The back of the cross has some significant scratches as well.

With between 300k to 575k of these awarded, I see a much greater possibility of these being widely faked.



Any thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated!

[Combat Boots]

It appears that the fabricated catch has been soldered on after the original was broken off. Bob

[Rock Rey]

What do you make of the mark on the pin (if anything)?

[Combat Boots]

It looks to me like maker 100 which would be Rudolf Wachtler und Lange. But wait for other opinions. Bob

[rbminis]

It appears that the fabricated catch has been soldered on after the original was broken off. Bob

Whether it is the original catch or a replacement is sometimes difficult to tell. It has been repaired though. This plus a few years of wear and 70+ years of sitting around or being played with will no doubt make the pin a little loose. Usually the ones that were worn are a little loose.
It appears to be marked 100 to me as well.
Ralph.

[Rock Rey]

Ok, so we'll put this one into the "Legitimate, slightly salty and partially repaired" category.

[MAP]

I am an EXTREME novice on EK1's but do have my handy reference book . Yes, it appears to be a W&L based on the obverse as well as the PKZ mark which is 100. It should weigh around 17.5 grams. The PKZ variant has an iron core frame (magnetic) which can be seen with the chip on the Swaztika.

On the obverse, the most obvious W&L identifier, is in the date. The bottom of the "39" is just ever so much lower that the "19". And the tops of "1" and last "9" are just slightly lower than the middle "93". Furthermore (although the pictures are not super crisp), the beading does appear to be high on the inside and outside of the frame.

Finally, the catch appears to be a replacement. It should be thick flat wire and not round wire.

But being a novice and getting this straight from a book and not my own knowledge, I will defer to others...

Michael

[Rock Rey]

I am an EXTREME novice on EK1's but do have my handy reference book . Yes, it appears to be a W&L based on the obverse as well as the PKZ mark which is 100. It should weigh around 17.5 grams. The PKZ variant has an iron core frame (magnetic) which can be seen with the chip on the Swaztika.

On the obverse, the most obvious W&L identifier, is in the date. The bottom of the "39" is just ever so much lower that the "19". And the tops of "1" and last "9" are just slightly lower than the middle "93". Furthermore (although the pictures are not super crisp), the beading does appear to be high on the inside and outside of the frame.

Finally, the catch appears to be a replacement. It should be thick flat wire and not round wire.

But being a novice and getting this straight from a book and not my own knowledge, I will defer to others...

Michael

Looking closely at it, I concur with the height variances in the 1939. I'll post a clear picture of it shortly.