are there variants of the Karl Troop cross?

[medalman90]

i know that there is no Bronze silver or gold classes of the cross, but is there a way to tell between later and earlier issues of the medal. for example the materials made and things of that nature. also is there a way to tell by looking at them witch is witch? any info is always appreciated. here are my two examples

[medalman90]

Anyone?

[drmessimer]

Medalman90: I'm not an expert, but as I understand it, this Austro-Hungarian cross was made of zinc, which appears to be the case with the two you posted. To me, the only difference between the two is appearance; one in relatively good shape and one that appears to have deteriorated comsiderably. It looks like it might have been exposed for a long while to acidic ground, possibly buried. To some degree the award is comparable to the US Army's Combat Infantry Badge in that in order to be awarded this cross a soldier had to serve in a combat unit for at least 12 weeks at the front. No Remf's considered. The award was not instituted until 13 December 1916, which did not leave much time for changes to be made until the war ended. My guess is that what you see is what you get, and they are all the same. You will probably find out more about the award in this book; Johann Stolzer and Christian Steeb, Österreichs Orden vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt Graz, undated. Dwight

[medalman90]

Hey drmessimer, sorry for the delayed response. thank you for your input about this medal. i thought i read somewhere that there were two variants made but i cant find where i supposedly read that and it was driving me bonkers. and yea it is kinda similar to the army CBI isnt it? also thank you for the boom reference!

[DUJAILAH]

Hi Medalman90, mainly they are in zinc. You get a rarer version in aluminium (there's one on eBay now). Also, I bet some high ranking officers would have had private purchase versions in silver! Check the edges of yours as most have maker marks & some have dates on them, cheers, Richard.

[medalman90]

Hello Rich, sorry for my delayed response. Thank you for your insite about the cross. I checked both of the crosses. One has what looks like a mint mark and the other doesn't. Would that make it a post war copy?

[DUJAILAH]

Hi, I think both are original. But don't forget it was a late war issue medal, so there would have been some demand postwar for medals, cheers, Rich.