Help please - EK2 - original or fake??

[gustav0606]

Hello everybody!!
Please help me about this EK2 - is it original or fake??.
He has no mark of manufacturer, and in the middle is magnetic.

[Adrian]

Hi Gustav, welcome to the forum.

It's a Souval cross but I'm not sure it was made before May 1945.

Souval, being an Austrian company, continued to make awards after the end of the war and right up until the 1970/80's and I have a feeling the cross you have is one of their post war pieces.

The reason being is the seams between the two halves of the frame are very poorly joined. You can see gaps, poor soldering and unfinished edges. During the war, this would be quality controlled. The other thing that concerns me is the particular die flaw found on Souval crosses is not there, in fact the flaw appears to run along the beading on the top edge of the 12 o'clock arm showing the die had worn, the flaws are bigger and a good indication it was a more recent product.

You can see the die flaw highlighted below, #4 on an image I made up a while ago showing the differences between a wartime and another postwar Souval product.

[Eisernes Kreuz 2]

Hi Gustav, welcome to the forum ! IMO this is cross good
I think it's a war under production

[gustav0606]

Thanks for welcom And thanks for help. Adrian you broke my day, but Eisernes Kreuz 2 was back to normal! little joke
Adrian I was read your topic about Souval EK2 before I post this, but I can not find my way in all of this. I just want to have two originals in my collections - one with markers, another without markers of manucacture. This piece is confused me beacuse I see unfinished edges, and open beetwen. I have, another one, without markers and 10 cm long ribbon - I post photos when I picturing on day light.

[harryamb2]

imo a very late war cross.saving resources hence the finish.

[gustav0606]

thank you harry!