Rattling Iron Cross????

[Eric K.]

I have an old iron cross thats in pretty good shape the only thing is when you shake it therse something rattling inside, ive talked to somebody awile ago and they said that it might be some kind of magnet inside???? sounds pretty strange to me, if you guys can help id appreciate it.Thanks

[Sebastian Bianchi]

I have an old iron cross thats in pretty good shape the only thing is when you shake it therse something rattling inside, ive talked to somebody awile ago and they said that it might be some kind of magnet inside???? sounds pretty strange to me, if you guys can help id appreciate it.Thanks

The center is just a little lose. This is normal in some crosses, nothing to be concerned about.

[TerryG]

Iron Cross

I think you must be refering to the black part in the centre of the cross. These can move about a bit, but nothing to worry about.

[Vadim K]

On some crosses, it is perfectly normal for an iron core to be a little loose, thats probably what rattles. Try gently moving the core with two fingers, see if its loose.

[Eric K.]

Its kind of hard to explain but it really sounds like something rolling around inside,but ill take a look and see if theres any loose parts to it Thanks for the quick response!!

[Mike Kenny]

Hi Flieger,

Most genuine EK2s are constructed from 3 parts - a central blackened iron core and 2 silver coloured frame halves. The "magnet" you made reference to is probably something you've misheard. The core are iron, therefore they attract a magnet. If you look on the edges of the cross, you should see a very fine seam where the two halves of the silver frames are joined. Normally, the frames hold the iron core/centre in place but as already stated it's not uncommon for the cores to work loose. When you shake it, make sure you are holding onto the ring at the top (I am assuming your cross is a second class, with 1939 on the front and 1813 on the reverse), otherwise this will rattle too! A better way to check for movement is to hold the edges of the frame and, with a blunt toothpick (or something that won't scratch the black), try pushing the swastika in different directions - you'll probably see your movement much more easily.

Regards
Mike K