EK fans check this out.... Part 2

[Dez H]

Due to my appalling posting abilities the other thread has slowed down to a wet week. Here are a few close-ups of the 1914 KO marked Iron Cross first class pictured in the last post. It is hard to see, the KO marking is at the bottom of the cross, just below the loop where the pin fits in place. Front of the medal is well worn, surprisingly the catch still opens and closes nicely. No case and no silver content marking. Has anyone ever seen a KO silver marked? I have never, it is usually the more upper class makers and private purchase items that are hallmarked like G, FW and SW, just to name a few.

[Dez H]

[eric]

Good point, Dez!

These were issue pieces from the royal or state mint, so they probably figured that 'KO' was good enough.

Come to think of it I have never seen an original KO marked piece that did NOT have silver frames or an iron core. There are repro KO pieces out there with nickel frames, but these are easily identifiable by the 30's style hinge assembly which is similar to the types found on 3rd reich Luftwaffe war badges.

Can anyone come up with a plated or nonsilver framed example marked 'KO' with a nonmagnetic core?