Producers "Then and now"

[CSForrester]

About the periods of production:
It is impossible to find out conret dates when the producers changed the material or style of decorations, catches, hinges or pins. Steinhauer produced until the early 1980 years, and i have not seen any Iron Cross from Steinhauer from this production in bad quality or with non-magnetic core. Otherwise the tools were also used for short periods by Deumer, Assmann and may be Overhoff. Have you ever been to Luedenscheid ? It will take 15 minutes to visit all the former manufacturers ! Deumer and Assmann for example had their production in the same street, Deumer housenumber 5-9, Assmann 11-15 !!!
Without any help from the "Quiet Valley" around Luedenscheid, they dont say anything until today, i have tried it several times, we wont find concret dates.
Here a very rare Assmann EK 1 , non-magnetic core, hinge by folded metal, equal in all parts to Steinhauer bit with an other "silver-finish".
Have a nice day
Markus

[CSForrester]

and the reverse:

Note: most of the "bad quality" pieces are from the current production (Steinhauer is still producing the general awards like Iron Crosses and War Merit Crosses) and not from the 1980 years. This Iron Cross by Assman was made in mid 1960, then they stopped the production and distributet pieces from Steinhauer.

[CSForrester]

To give you an impression, look at this picture, taken two weeks ago in April 2007. Gartenstrasse in Luedenscheid, the white buildings with funne are the former Wilhelm Deumer KG, the gate and the red brickstone-building was F.W. Assmann !

[CSForrester]

The family Deumer lived on the same ground, you have to go up the Gartenstrasse and then 30 meters to the right:

[CSForrester]

...and his neighbour.......

[Indy]

hi Markus

That's so cool . Can you find GWL? I think they might be close.

KR
Indy

[DavidM]

Hello

Markus, many thanks for the photos, and for that amazing Assman EK1. I have never a marked 57 Assman EK1 anywhere before. It certainly makes a refreshing change from the S&L and Deumer pieces.

I agree totally that it is virtually impossible to say with any certainty who made what and in what time frame with what pin, hinge, catch etc, but we can surmise on timescales based around anedoctal evidence and other observations.

Your comments on the EKs all being magnetic up to the early 1980s is very interesting as nearly all accounts of the manufacturing of 57 items - ok, there I know there aren't many of them - and the opinions I have seen voiced here and in other places tend to agree that from the mid / late 1970s until production ceased in the 1980s the quality of all the 57 pieces declined very noticeably, and that the RKs, EKs and so forth didn't have magnetic cores. I am aware that up until around 2003 S&L still produced the EK1 for sale, (I'm don't know if this is case for the RKs and EK2s), to collectors, but I'm led to believe that production of their other 57 range ceased completly in the early 1980s.

Either way, it would really great if the companies that made these 57 pieces could at least confirm when they ceased making them, (most believe that the reunification of Germany brought about the end of production). Then at least some of the speculation around these items could be turned into fact.

Again, thanks for the information - very useful indeed.

Best regards
David

[CSForrester]

@Indy, we have just made a first trip to make photos in Luedenscheid two weeks ago, we will make further trips. I think we can also show some pictures of GWL-buildings, wait and see. For the moment - a short view on FB&L , Funke and Brueninghaus at Kronprinzenstrasse 3

@David, i have written a lot of respectfull letters and many persons before have tried to get any information from the former producers, but at the moment, it is impossible. It is hard for me to explain it in my pigeon-english, but in 1939 happend something mystic, two or three persons, lets give them names like Preuss, Tornow, Doehle, decided to move the capital of manufacturing decorations from Berlin to Luedenscheid. The LDO was situated in Hagen, 20km far from Luedenscheid, not in Berlin, Munich or.... and the producers in Luedenscheid, with "the brain" Steinhauer, started to ignore any law or regulation. Does not matter if Praesidialkanzlei, Allied High Command, Federal German Gouvernment, they were always on the sunny side of the street. And always the same persons: Mr. Preuss catched the official contract to make the tools for Iron Crosses in 1939 and Mr. Preuss catched the official contract to produce the new Federal Merit Order in 1951 !
So you will find nobody in Luedenscheid who will give you any intern information. We have to wait until the still living generation of managers is gone, then we have a new chance.

And here FB&L, here the nice CCC were produced !
Regards and a good night
CSForrester

[George L]

Markus, thanks for the photos!

Please keep us posted on what you find on these companies.

PS your English is pretty good.

[Indy]

thanks Markus

I really like to know their stories and see those pictures. Oh...GWL....I can't wait.

KR
Indy

[Edgar Estrada]

Thank you Markus, nice piece of history.

Edgar

[SurvivingPanzer]

I visited Ludensheid (my German sucks) last summer. I have a close friend from college that lives in nearby Altena. It was interesting, my friends family owns a factory in Altena and I beleive we went to a fare in Ludensheid it was quite a view into everyday German life, as it is not a tourist attraction.