Warning: session_start(): open(/var/cpanel/php/sessions/ea-php74/sess_2ac28293b9447cfa7458e89038fb1eae11b4b605c6c00fc8, O_RDWR) failed: No space left on device (28) in /home/devwehrmacht/public_html/forums/includes/vb5/frontend/controller/page.php on line 71 Warning: session_start(): Failed to read session data: files (path: /var/cpanel/php/sessions/ea-php74) in /home/devwehrmacht/public_html/forums/includes/vb5/frontend/controller/page.php on line 71 Souval Blank Core Cross - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums
Ratisbons

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Souval Blank Core Cross

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Souval Blank Core Cross

    Hey everyone,

    today I was browsing through the 57er section of my collection and came across one of my very favorite pieces. It's a Souval made blank core Knights Cross.

    The overall quality is very good - as to be expected for an early postwar cross. Beautiful polished frame with nice frosting. The soldering of the frames is spot on and better than on many St&L crosses I have seen.
    This cross has none of the typical frame flaws that were common on later swastika cored pieces. These early made RKs also don't have the dipping ring that can be seen on later pieces.
    Unlike the very first postwar made crosses that Souval made - which feature a non-magnetic core - this blank variant has a magnetic core.

    As this cross is an attributed piece coming from a grouping of an Austrian Oberst, the reverse part of the core featuring the 1813 shows minor signs of wear from jacket buttons. It's very interesting to note, that the Oberst bought two Rk's from Souval at the time. This blank core for wear and also a swastika cored variant for remembrance that resides in the original case of the wartime cross.
    It's wonderful seeing these two postwar made variants side by side. One being made for wear and the other one for remembrance - made as awarded. I think this is really fantastic, since it covers the entire idea that stood behind the post war production of awards.

    This unique cross stands out amongst other postwar crosses from St&L and Deumer. The simplicity of the blank core design makes this one a true beauty.
    It's the only one I have seen in all my years of collecting postwar items so far and could very well be the rarest of all RK's produced in the 57er era.

    Best regards,
    Alex
    Attached Files

    #2
    1
    Attached Files

    Comment


      #3
      2
      Attached Files

      Comment


        #4
        3
        Attached Files

        Comment


          #5
          Nice Alex, unusual as said but great to see, I've never seen a blank core RK!
          Thanks for showing it 😉

          Comment


            #6
            4
            Attached Files

            Comment


              #7
              5
              Attached Files

              Comment


                #8
                6
                Attached Files

                Comment


                  #9
                  Hi Alex!!!
                  Great piece, the vets attribution makes it special, as it is not a cross made for the collectors market!!
                  I guess this is the RK that Nick used to own???
                  I remember you won the other pieces from the group, including his other RK with Swastika... one to wear and one to keep!!!
                  Has this frame been seen on any other RK's, Souval or otherwise???
                  The textured paint on the core looks typical for Souval blank cores, and the whole piece is well made and well finished!
                  Do you think the core is two piece, and they have simply replaced the Swastika side with a blank, as they did with the Schinkel B variants??? Does the 1813 date style match that of other Souval RK's??
                  Sorry for a lot of questions, but I think its an extremely interesting and possibly unique piece!!!
                  Also, all Nick's photo's from his original thread have disappeared!!!
                  -Nigel
                  sigpic 57ers...."The Devil Is In The Detail"

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Nigel N View Post
                    Hi Alex!!!
                    Great piece, the vets attribution makes it special, as it is not a cross made for the collectors market!!
                    I guess this is the RK that Nick used to own???
                    I remember you won the other pieces from the group, including his other RK with Swastika... one to wear and one to keep!!!
                    Has this frame been seen on any other RK's, Souval or otherwise???
                    The textured paint on the core looks typical for Souval blank cores, and the whole piece is well made and well finished!
                    Do you think the core is two piece, and they have simply replaced the Swastika side with a blank, as they did with the Schinkel B variants??? Does the 1813 date style match that of other Souval RK's??
                    Sorry for a lot of questions, but I think its an extremely interesting and possibly unique piece!!!
                    Also, all Nick's photo's from his original thread have disappeared!!!
                    -Nigel
                    Hi Nigel,

                    thanks for the compliments. Nick just posted the auction pics back then. I won the auctions (RK and DKiG) and then got the chance to buy the swastika cored Souval RK in the wartime case on top of that.
                    As for the early frame, this was in fact the standard frame Souval used in the early production. I have a few swastika crosses that have the same early features -
                    No dipping ring, no frame flaws, frosting and perfect soldering. It would be nice to have a subforum in order to be able to show and compare such pieces.
                    I have not seen such an early cross apart, but I believe the core to be made of one piece. The first swastika cores were non-magnetic, made one piece most likely from zinc. These early zinc cores date back to the late 1940's by the way. With around 15-20 RK's in my collection, I'm now able to almost do a timeline on these RK's.
                    Anyway, I believe this magnetic blank core is a one piece core as well.
                    I will compare the 1813 date and let you know. It will be very interesting to find out.

                    Best regards,
                    Alex

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Thanks for your reply Alex!!
                      I agree it would be ideal to have a Souval sub-forum, but when I mentioned it in the admin section it got a big......
                      Isn't there a similar sub-forum over at the HWMF????
                      I guess the other question is...... Is this a unique made to order piece, or did Souval make a small number of them???
                      Maybe we will never know!!!
                      -Nigel
                      sigpic 57ers...."The Devil Is In The Detail"

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Indeed an early frame - I've handled a few of these ( with swastika ) as well - love this one !

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Like my new early RK with non-dipping loop. What a fine and interesting cross. I wonder why they never went for the 57er core? Was this a planned alternative or was it simply a custom job for the Vet?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Tony T-S View Post
                            Like my new early RK with non-dipping loop. What a fine and interesting cross. I wonder why they never went for the 57er core? Was this a planned alternative or was it simply a custom job for the Vet?
                            Tony, this blank core RK is pre-dating the 57er core RKs. Souval offered the blank core design as a denazified variant - years before the 1957 crosses were introduced.
                            It gave veterans a chance to wear their crosses without displaying the swastika symbol.

                            Regards,
                            Alex

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Tony T-S View Post
                              Like my new early RK with non-dipping loop. What a fine and interesting cross. I wonder why they never went for the 57er core? Was this a planned alternative or was it simply a custom job for the Vet?
                              Souval did make an 1957 Knight Cross, very rare and only one in my collection.

                              Comment

                              Users Viewing this Thread

                              Collapse

                              There is currently 0 user online. 0 members and 0 guests.

                              Most users ever online was 10,032 at 08:13 PM on 09-28-2024.

                              Working...
                              X