1870 ekii

[ObKrieger]

Hi guys,

What do you all think of this 1870 Iron Cross? I can get it cheap and I am a fan of pre-WWI German stuff.

My gut and limited EK knowledge tells me that it's good but as always, second opinions are vital.

Thanks,
Mo

[Chopperman]

Sorry to say but your gut is wrong this time.

This is the notorious "9th bead fake"
Easy to spot because of the overly large 9th bead in the sweatband of
the crown and the over/under style "8" in the date. In the example posted
above, the 9th bead is easy to spot because the paint wears off it ater than the ones
around it. making it glow like a neon sign.

Here is a closeup detail of another 9th bead fake.
Note the large #9 bead and the small, out of place #5 bead.

[Chopperman]

These crosses fooled a lot of people over the years.

Here are a couple more examples.
One shows how the 9th bead tends to "Glow" and the other shows
the large 9th bead and the over/under 8.

[Walkwolf]

Easy to see how it could fool a lot of folk - Though not in
the market for one, I would have been.........!

[ObKrieger]

Sorry to say but your gut is wrong this time.

This is the notorious "9th bead fake"
Easy to spot because of the overly large 9th bead in the sweatband of
the crown and the over/under style "8" in the date. In the example posted
above, the 9th bead is easy to spot because the paint wears off it ater than the ones
around it. making it glow like a neon sign.

Here is a closeup detail of another 9th bead fake.
Note the large #9 bead and the small, out of place #5 bead.

Wow Greg, thank you very much for the in-depth description of this type of fake. It certainly would have fooled me.

One day I will find a good one.

[Chopperman]

I am always happy to help where I can.
Original 1870s are not all that hard to come by but the fakes are very
convincing. You can always email me pics if you need an opinion.

[ObKrieger]

I am always happy to help where I can.
Original 1870s are not all that hard to come by but the fakes are very
convincing. You can always email me pics if you need an opinion.

I will take you up on that offer!

I was curious, but I can't seem to find an answer. Do you know about how many 1870 EKII's were awarded?

[Chopperman]

The number I have is 43,242

[ObKrieger]

The number I have is 43,242

If you've got numbers...

Do you know how many were awarded in WWI, and also in WWII? It would be cool to know for future reference.

Thanks for your help with this by the way!

[Walkwolf]

Approximately 4 million EKII's, and 145,000 EKI's were awarded in WWI.
and approx. 4.5 million EKII's, and 300,000 EKI's awarded in WWII.

I know this may not be that accurate, and I have more
precise figures around somewhere.........!