Early Issue Kriegsverdienstkreuz, 2nd Klasse mit Schwerten...Opinions?

[Javelin4life]

Hello everyone,

I'm relatively new to the world of TR collecting, and I last posted about a Frozen Meat Order Medal that I obtained. My newest addition to the collection is this Early Issue War Merit Cross Combatant (?), 2nd Class. It appears to look like an original authentic piece, but as I've seen these medals go for decent prices, I thought that $25 was a nice low price. So my questions to the more experienced hands are is it authentic, is it actually an original period item, and was the price I paid fair? Thank you all for your help

Alex

[Glenn66]

Looks OK but the photos aren't the best. You can try shooting in 'macro' mode.

[Woolgar]

Looks a good one

Nick

[Adrian]

Hi Alex,
A good original piece for a reasonable price. Out of interest, what makes you say it is an early issue?

[Javelin4life]

I was told by a vendor who I regularly do business with and who is also a TR collector that the medal appears to be made out of a bronze or brass like material, which he says is an indicator that it is an early war period item. He explained that because supplies were abundant, the Germans were able to put a good amount of quality into their decorations...Is what he said accurate?

[Stewy S]

Tombak was used by some makers in the early years,but not in later years. But some makers used zinc from the start of their franchise whether it was early or not. Stewy

[KENT1965]

"I was told by a vendor who I regularly do business with and who is also a TR collector that the medal appears to be made out of a bronze or brass like material, which he says is an indicator that it is an early war period item. He explained that because supplies were abundant, the Germans were able to put a good amount of quality into their decorations...Is what he said accurate?"

The dealer's statement, and Stewy S's info, are correct. Tombak can resemble a cross between bronze and brass, and it was used as the base metal of badges and insignia in the pre-war years and in the early years of the war by some - but not all - manufacturers. From a collecting point of view, tombak has the advantage that it holds metals that it was plated with very well. That means that silver or nickel plating won't be absorbed or peel off. As the war progressed, and 'good' metal became scarcer, quite a few manufacturers switched to using zinc as the base metal of their badges. Unfortunately, zinc is not 'friendly' to any metals that were put on top of it. In some cases, it seems to absorb its coating, so that you can find war merit crosses like yours in a dull dark grey colour, which means the zinc has absorbed the bronze-coloured coating it once had. On East Medals (the famous 'frozen meat' medal you also have), zinc can cause the black and silver coating to 'bubble', producing an effect like randomly scattered blisters. The good news is that you can help prevent these effects by preventing badges and medals being exposed to extremes of temperature, dampness, etc. Anyway, you have nothing to worry about if your KVK is tombak! Hope this is helpful.

Mark

[Walkwolf]

Tombac medals such as the KVK and West Wall etc, have a bronze
coloured finish applied. The above KVK is a nice original
which usually sells for $45.........

[Adrian]

I was told by a vendor who I regularly do business with and who is also a TR collector that the medal appears to be made out of a bronze or brass like material, which he says is an indicator that it is an early war period item. He explained that because supplies were abundant, the Germans were able to put a good amount of quality into their decorations...Is what he said accurate?

Yes, tombac or brass were used in the early war but as supplies of these materials were needed elsewhere for the war effort, many latter war badges and medals were made from zinc. I would like to see better photos of this medal before I could decide personally if it is a dull tombac award or a well preserved zinc one.

[Glenn66]

I would lean towards dull tombak, the zincers seem to show alot of grey IMO but you're right, better photos are needed for sure.