Kriegsverdientskreuz 2. klasse mit schwertern

[kalibreNOR]

Recently acquired this Kriegsverdientskreuz 2. klasse mit schwertern allegedly from the Deschler hoard. The ring is stamped with '1'.
What worries me is the quality of the ribbon, and the envelope is a different shade from my other 'Deschler und Sohn' kreuz. Anyone care to weigh in?

[AIF]

Hi mate, The medal, ribbon and packet all look fine to me, it is normal to see variations in the packets used by the same makers due to different printing runs and paper quality etc... Nice score

[jamie7d7]

Hi

What exactly worries you about the quality of the ribbon?

To me it looks like a perfectly acceptable set. As with almost every piece of militaria we collect has been kept in a number of different environments. Personally I wouldn't have an issue with any of the items that you show.

[kalibreNOR]

Thank you so much for your replies!

I am worried because I would count myself as a novice when it comes to collection, seeing as I recently purchased my first two german orders, both 2. class KvK's, one with and one without swords. What worries me was the general lack of wear on both the packaging and the ribbon, but seeing as they are from an un-distributed hoarde the wear could be considered acceptable?

[jamie7d7]

Yes 100% In your every increasingly expensive search for items you'll discover that some items can be in amazing condition despite their age.

Some medals / awards look awesome with the attributed patina/ageing whereas others look better in tip top condition.

If you have 2 early KVK2 they will be brass/tombac made and keep their bronzey colour well if looked after.

Have a look for late-war versions of the same award and you will see a big difference, even if they have been kept in their packets. Usually they have been made with zinc, a cheap and nasty material which absorbs the colour from every award it is made of. The end result is a horrid and bland grey colour.

Good luck with your collecting

Jamie

[FPerseghetti]

My KVK Ohne schwertern also looks very preserved (ribbon and medal), which very commom for these two kinds of awards because many of them were still in the warehouses and have never been granted.