Unusual Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter Dritte Stufe

[thecyclist64]

Hi everybody. Just got this German Mother cross in bronze from a relative in Germany whose grandmother had been awarded it, so no qualms about provenance or authenticity.

What does intrigue me however, is that fact that for a bronze award, it seems to have unusual gilding, making it look almost like the gold version. I have never seen a bronze award looking so shiney and was wondering if anybody could shed some light on the matter.

I have photographed it alongside my existing bronze and gold crosses for comparrison.

[alex gross]

Hi!
I think it’s either a faded gold grade or a manufacturer’s characteristic (Deumer's golds are not very shiny).
Bronze grade too bright for me.

[thecyclist64]

It does throw up some interesting questions as to how the recipient, who only had four children, came to be awarded this particular cross. I agree with you Alex, that it does look more like a gold cross than a bronze example.

[rbminis]

IMO, it looks more like gold to me as well.
Ralph.

[schoenwurf]

Looks also like a gold mother cross to me.
Many reasons could explain why the grandmother of your relatives - who apparently was awarded the bronze class - has actually been in possession of the gold class : This one could have been attributed to another member of her family, it could have been a replacement cross, etc.
Some vets lost their medals and acquired new medals even after the war....
I have also seen a Urkunde for the attribution of a Mutterkreuz dated from the end of May ! Everything is possible especially after 75 years

[schoenwurf]

End of May 1945 of course ...