1957 Knights Cross of the Iron Cross

[U-Boot Kapitan]

Can anyone hazard a guess at the date of manufacture of this RK please:
(It's a non-ferrous core).
Regards,
Jason

[Matthieu]

I believe this to be a fairly modern KC ... poor paint job on the core ... loop is wrong .... 1980-1990 ( my best guess ).

[Mike Yokum]

Hi Jason,

Thank you for posting.

Non-magnetic core, non-burnished frames, poor paint job, I'm in agreement on the date, with Mathijs who is our resident RK expert.

Is the cross yours?

[U-Boot Kapitan]

Hi Mike and Mathijs,

Many thanks for your replies.
Yes, it's mine. I've had it for about 3 years now.

Would the period of manufacture mean that the pieces were still intended for veterans' use, or for collectors (or indeed both)?

Regards,
Jason

[Mike Yokum]

Hi again Jason,

While we have seen a few vet groupings with provenance that had some later pieces, as a general rule, a piece manufactured in the period of your cross would not likely have been in the hands of a vet. It's not impossible, but nor is it likely.

It's still a nice cross for display though and it is made by S&L, so it is not a "fake."

It appears to be resting in a case. Is that correct? You may want to get Mathijs take on the case. I have seen a few later pieces in cases that were actually worth more than the piece they housed.

[Nigel N]

It certainly looks like a later RK, there is black paint on the inside of the beading, meaning that the core was painted after the cross was assembled, something they only did with much later pieces!!
Althoughits hard to tell because of the lighting, but the frames look like they have the sandblasted finish, like a modern piece, but i think someone has tried to age the frame by rubbing down the silvered finish, i've never seen a modern RK with that kind of wear!! The frame does'nt appear to show any of the flaws associated with even early 70's RK's, this looks like the so-called "D" frame??
As already mentioned, the loop is wrong too, having a double loop at each end, instead of one single and one double!!
I'd also agree its probably an 80's cross??
-Nigel

[Matthieu]

The early pieces were ( IMO ) mainly purchased by veterans who continued their career into the Bundeswehr.
Then you had other soldiers, who just wanted to wear their 1957 awards during meetings, funerals, etc.

I assumed that - in the early days - one had to prove that such medal had been awarded as to purchase and wear it.

Again, I'm no expert on this particular law, neither did I live in that era .

As to your piece ... while I don't like the KC, I do have good hope on the ribbon.
If you can post pix of the etui, will be able to judge on the complete set.

Grtz
Mathijs