War Merit Cross 2nd Class?

[stevo4361]

Hey,
new to collecting, but just bought a few pieces at a local gunshow in South Dakota, and was wondering if it is original or not. Sorry I don't have any pictures yet, dont have a digital camera or scanner. I think it is a war merit cross with swords, has 1939 in lettering that looks correct on the backside. Anyways, it looks ok, no maker marks though that I can see, but the thing that I question is the overall appearence and color on it, I would describe it as a gray, with a lot of white "residue." The dealer I got it from said it was a veteran bringback. I am under the impression that it should be a bronze color?? Would really appreciate any information from you guys on this forum, I learn something new everytime I read it.

Sincerely
Stevo

[Gerd Becker]

Hello Stevo,

first let me welcome you to this fantastic forum.

I assume, you a refering to the Zink-version of the War-merit-cross. The late war production of medals and badges used Zink instead of other more expensive or not anymore available materials. If Zink is coated with gold or silver, it disappears or is absorbes from the zink after a few decades.

best regards,
Gerd

[MH184]

It's okay for them to be a grey colour it's just lost it's finish, which is common on the zinc badges of the 2nd class (and 1st too, and all zincers) but you are correct it would have had a bronze/goldie wash originaly. Although there is some speculation to as whether sometimes these awards were all finished in there bronze washes etc at the closing stages of the war.

Not all of these were maker marked, in fact more often than not they are found without a maker mark, so don't concern yourself there.

The white residue is I believe zinc pest, a common formation of zinc erosin, this can be treated to a degree with Vaseline (petroleum Jelly) but it's best the guy's have a look at the medal first when you get some pic's.

The description of the medal sounds to be okay, but for a 101% determination the guy's will need pic's of course.

And a very big welcome to the forum.


Kind regards,

Marcus

[George Stimson]

Here are two KVK 2s. One is bronze, one is gray. Both are perfectly good.

[Gerd Becker]

Was the right one never bronzed, George?`

[stevo4361]

Thank you for clearing that up for me, feel pretty sure now that it's original, and really appreciate your help. Would you recomend at all cleaning or washing it with anything to remove the white residue?

Stevo

[Tom Yanacek]

I have used WD40 oil on some zinc pieces with much success. Just spray it on and lightly scrub it with a soft toothbrush. Areas of white zinc pest can be cleaned up quite nicely. I once cleaned up an ugly looking zinc 10-Year NSDAP Service Cross in this manner. The WD40 virtually eliminated the zinc pest, and actually seemed to bring out some of the original bronze coloring that had long since been absorbed into the piece. While some say that you should never clean medals, I would say that in some cases it can actually help save a piece from deteriorating further. Best regards! Tom Yanacek