BK on ribbon

[Johnny R]

I picked this up recently. Can I ask for opinions on it please? It is one piece and most of the other ones I have seen have rivets. Thank you!

[TPK]

Not 100% sure but I think the ribbonn for the Baltic Cross 2nd class is yellow and white. TPK

[Johnny R]

No, those are the colors for the Silesian Eagle award. This is the correct ribbon for the BK.

[Brian L.]

They were made in one piece. But, in the case of this one, I think it is post-1945.

[TPK]

Ok thanks for the info and correction and always learning something new. TPK

[Johnny R]

I do not like the pitting on the back in the medal. I have not seen that before. The ribbon has a "flaw" in the weave as well.

[Brian L.]

Stylistically, this is the type that is often referred to in Germany as a "57er" meaning it was made after 1957 as a vet private purchase replacement. Many collectors don't view them as legitimate, even if intended as private purchase replacements. Better pictures of the front and especially the back would help, so the pitting can be seen in detail. The ribbon is definitely modern.

I own 3 BKs on ribbon that are all pre-WWII. Even if a true 57er, yours is not one I would have in my collection.

[Johnny R]

Thanks, I will return it. It was sold as an original award from the 1920s etc.

[reichenberg]

It could be a 57er, try posting it in the 1957 awards section just out of interest, even if you don't want to keep it. That finish on the reverse does look a bit odd.

[Johnny R]

Here are some better images of the details-

[Johnny R]

And the front details of finish etc.

[speedytop]

Hi,

reichenberg:

It could be a 57er ...

No! Never!

Uwe

[Brian L.]

Hi,

reichenberg:


No! Never!

Uwe

Explain why.

[reichenberg]

Explain why.

He's correct of course. The Baltic Cross can never be a true 57er as it never featured a
swastika and so was never produced in the New Form. We must refer to it as 'post 1945'.

[Brian L.]

He's correct of course. The Baltic Cross can never be a true 57er as it never featured a
swastika and so was never produced in the New Form. We must refer to it as 'post 1945'.

Yes, that's technically correct. But, in colloquial collector terms, along with official 57er Third Reich awards, Imperial German, Freikorps and Weimar era awards produced after 1945 are referred to as 57er pieces as well, although not officially sanctioned as such.

In the case of this particular style of Baltic Cross, the larger trefoil on the cross-end that curves down parallel to its base is only seen on post-1945 crosses, most of which were actually produced in the early 1960s.