Prinzen 1.klasse

[Chopperman]

Very nice Greg! Congratulations. What’s the dark area on the back of cross? Age patina?

I’m finding the Iron Cross more interesting having followed many of the posts in this section more recently. If you were to recommend the ultimate reference work in WW1 Eisernen Kreuzes what would it be?

Thanks,
Andy

Andy, Two books come to mind.
The first is "The Iron Time" by Stephen Thomas Previtera.
It is not as much a reference as it is a history of the iron cross.
It talks about each family of crosses, 1813,1870 ect along with the ribbon,
cases and spange attachments. It is a beautiful coffee table book with great
pictures and early history. The 2nd edition is slightly better than the first but
both are great. -- If you are looking for specific makers and marks, this is
NOT the book for you.

The other is "The Iron Cross 1813-1870-1914: The History and Significance of a Medal
by Dr. Frank Wernitz" The set of books goes into the specifics of makers and maker marks.

As with any publication, the information in them is not 100% accurate. Authors can and
do make mistakes.
IMO, the best resource is the forums. There's a lot of information out there but as we
all know, sometimes you have to weave between all of the opinions and BS to find the truth.

[AndyM35]

Andy, Two books come to mind.
The first is "The Iron Time" by Stephen Thomas Previtera.
It is not as much a reference as it is a history of the iron cross.
It talks about each family of crosses, 1813,1870 ect along with the ribbon,
cases and spange attachments. It is a beautiful coffee table book with great
pictures and early history. The 2nd edition is slightly better than the first but
both are great. -- If you are looking for specific makers and marks, this is
NOT the book for you.

The other is "The Iron Cross 1813-1870-1914: The History and Significance of a Medal
by Dr. Frank Wernitz" The set of books goes into the specifics of makers and maker marks.

As with any publication, the information in them is not 100% accurate. Authors can and
do make mistakes.
IMO, the best resource is the forums. There's a lot of information out there but as we
all know, sometimes you have to weave between all of the opinions and BS to find the truth.

Thanks for the reply and references Greg! Very much appreciated. And you’re right, the forums are a great reference - especially this one. I think the first books sounds very interesting though, and will keep my eyes out for it.

Thanks,
Andy

[MAP]

Beautiful cross Greg. Deserves to be in your collection.

Congratulations

[Chopperman]

Thanks Michael.

[Chopperman]

For anyone interested in the books mentioned above, here is a link to
our Forum reference library.

Check out posts #13, #14, and #36.
Imperial Germany and Austro-Hungary