IRON CROSS MAKER INFO PLEASE

[travis]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP. I HAVE AN EK 2ND CLASS HALLMARKED W&S FOR WAGNER AND SOHN. CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME INFO ON THE FIRM? AND OR THE RARITY OF THIS HALLMARK? THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP. TRAVIS

[eric]

Johann Wagner & Sohn was an illustrious
EK maker from Berlin that made EKs from 1870 through 1918. They also made other Prussian orders--usually of the highest degree of quality. While a W-S marked EK1 or EK2 is not uncommon, it usually is very finely made with the utmost attention to detail and only the best materials were used in the production process.
One curious aspect of 1914 Wagner EK1's
is that they often hallmarked them in an unusual spot on the reverse. I have several examples that have the W-S stamped onto the lower arm of the cross to the right of the catch. Most EK1's that were hallmarked had the makers' mark
or silver content placed above or below the catch, or directly in the center of the reverse of the badge. Some EK's had the maker's name or initials on the pin, such as 'G', 'H.B.G. (my favorite)', or a 'Y'. Some had only the numerical silver content or the words 'silber' on the pin or reverse as well. Hope this helps....

p.s. As far as 1914 EK2's are concerned: there are a myriad of makers! That is why collecting 1914 EK2's is so fun: just when you thought you had'em all, another variant pops up! I guess that is what collecting is all about--the thrill of acquisition as well as learning something new...

[ 02 October 2001: Message edited by: eric ]

[travis]

THANKS ERIC, FOR YOUR HELP. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THE FIRM LASTED?

[eric]

To the best of my knowledge the firm of Wagner & Sohn did not make 3rd Reich items. Perhaps the more informed Forum members can elaborate on this topic, which by the way is a very interesting one! What happened to this firm? It was one of the premier manufacturers of Imperial items which did not follow suite like other firms. Did the family firm close up shop and emigrate? I feel that this may be entirely possible--jewelers are sometimes nomadic by nature.

[travis]

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE INFO.
TRAVIS

[Rick Research]

Wagner was the sole manufacturer of Luftwaffe Honor Goblets--the Ehrenpokal--during the Third Reich.

[Stijn David]

Hello ,


Rick is right about the honour goblet, and by my knowledge the firm off Wagner and Sohn also did produce the Luftwaffe Honour Salver !!!

So during WWII they still must have been in existence or someone was allowed to use there Firm name, etc..

FRiendly Greetings,

[eric]

Goblets and Salvers are high awards! Is it possible that this firm limited itself to producing flatware and similar silver items dring the 3rd Reich? If so, why? Everybody and their mother who had the capability to churn out awards jumped on the bandwagon and cranked'em out like no tomorrow. Why would such a highly regarded firm lack the business acumen to
take advantage of this opportunity? I vaguely recall a story (perhaps distorted by time) that this firm fell out of favor
because of a particular genealogical flaw (in the eyes of the fascist gov't) and was subsequentially sold to another outfit that retained the name and used it in a limited fashion due to the notoriety
at the time of the previous owners. Can anyone elaborate or correct me?