Iron Cross - rusty old relic or rusty piece of junk?

[Wad_ware]

Hi all,
I would like some opinions on this if you would. I just picked up this iron cross and am trying to figure out if it is authentic or just a rusty piece of junk.
The front side is obviously in pretty bad shape but is distinguisable as to what this is. The rear side has the pin and there also is a makers mark. That appears to me to be either RC or KC??? The area with the makers mark was really black and grungy like the rest of the back. I cleaned that up a little bit just to see if I could find the mark. That is why that looks so much cleaner and shinier in the pic.
Being the shape this is in, being so rusty, IF it is authentic is it really worth anything? I only paid .50 cents for it at a flea market. So if it is a cheap rusty replica I am out almost nothing at all. The dealer had no idea what it was, where it came from, or anything about it at all. He had no idea it was even a military item of any kind what-so-ever.

Plus, IF again it might be authentic, is there any safe way at all to try to clean up the front to get some of the rust off of it and at least partially restore it?

Thanks for looking and your help,
Wayne

[Don D.]

It is an original EK1st class, maker marked KO in relic condition.

[AUSGANG]

Hi Wayne, nice cross. I collect Third Reich Iron Crosses with an emphasis on denazified and relic examples so I dig (pardon the pun) your Imperial EK1. The maker KC is known but no more information is available; go to this website http://www.kaisersbunker.com/stuff/1914_EK2_makers.htm and you will find a list of all Imperial EK manufacturers. Worth? Well, to purist collectors its worth nothing while to bottom dwellers like myself its desireable. I would pay up to 50 dollars for it but that's me. Someone who needs a KC manufacturer would pay more than you paid but who really knows the ups and downs of supply and demand. I wouldn't clean it; leave it as it is. if you remove the rust you are going to have a pitted, dull core that in no way is as aesthetically pleasing as the state it is in now. I like it, congrats on a great find! Ausgang

[AUSGANG]

Sorry, it is indeed a KO

[regular122]

Now there is a challenge for Dr. Love to bring back from the dead! The frame is still in very good shape. Definitely worth the 50 cents. Steve

[Wad_ware]

Thanks so much for your help guys.
I am thrilled to death that it is authentic.
I have never had that kind of luck before and I feel like a kid in a candy store and a million bucks to spend !!
I was just curious as to if it was still worth anything in the rusty shape it is in. At this time, and for a LONG, time, once this goes in to my collection it is staying there and have no intention of wanting to make any money off of it.
It is fantastic to know that I made a nice investment with my fifty cents.
I will take your advice and leave it as is. I would prefer it in this shape than to really mess it up by trying to clean it.

Thanks again everyone,
Wayne

[Steve Campbell]

Leave it as it is. It's an interesting example to have in your collection. I can't believe people would sell anything for 50 cents anymore, let alone this item, as encrustulated as it is.

[Rolf D.]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this cross wasn't buried at all. I assume it was stored in a really damp environment for a long time and that over time, it became more and more oxidized and then finally a sheet of rust attacked it and finished it off. Hence the nice patina of the silvered frame and all. I would expect to see pitting from the rust if it were in a less than controlled environment i.e. in the ground.