The Holy Grail of EK1 early Otto Schickle One Piece Clamshell ;-)

[5tefan]

Hello

Today, I like to share very nice pictures of an EK1, with all features what makes a EK1 very rare!

- One piece
- Magnetic but silver plated
- vaulted
- Schinkel form
- early design
- Clamshell
- wanted maker like Otto Schickle
- mint
- premium edition
- last but not least, original

Let me call it "The Holy Grail of EK1"

According my information, this EK1 was never been painted.
Could it be a trail out of silver plating?

This is again a good argument that this EK1 made by Otto Schickle, because the same Srew Back was used for 3 part Otto Schickle! Now I have seen 3 different types of Screw Back which was used by Otto Schickle ;-)

I have never seen this type silver plated - see comparison!

Hope you can life with my description "The Holy Grail of EK1"

If not show me your Holy Grail of EK1

[Woolgar]

The cross that has everything The Holy Grail indeed Stefan

Nick

[wvdparis2]

really top EK1

Is it me or the screw plate & maybe reverse show patina and obverse is mint/shiny ?

Michael

[5tefan]

really top EK1

Is it me or the screw plate & maybe reverse show patina and obverse is mint/shiny ?

Michael

Hi Michael,

the screw disc is not silver plated

[streptile]

Hi Stefan,

Very nice Schinkel by Otto Schickle, and in my opinion quite rare. I think the paint has been cleaned off this example.

Congrats

[5tefan]

Hi Stefan,

Very nice Schinkel by Otto Schickle, and in my opinion quite rare. I think the paint has been cleaned off this example.

Congrats

Did you see one black painted EK1 which was silver plated?
Did you already see a silver plated EK1 of this type???

I was told that this silver plated type is ULTRA RARE and have not ever been painted!

Trevor,

if you think that the colour was removed, please show me a silver plated EK1 with black core paint! All other are speculation

[streptile]

if you think that the colour was removed, please show me a silver plated EK1 with black core paint! All other are speculation

Yes, that's true -- it is speculation But I can't imagine a need for an EK1 without a black core. I would be happy to be wrong -- it would be an interesting variation. But what would it be used for?

[5tefan]

... But what would it be used for?

Hi Trevor,

sorry I can not answer this.

Let us look for a silver plated EK1 of this type.

Maybe we see more unpainted EK1

[kriztof]

I tend to agree with Trevor on this, that is possibly the paint has been removed. As is the case with some of these one piecers the paint doesn't adhere well. Maybe the core was silver plated after the fact?
There were rules/guidelines for the construction, display and Black core was one of them.

Still, a nice cross.


Chris

[Dietrich Maerz]

The cross is very nice but I seriously doubt that is was produced like that during the Third Reich.

Think it over! For sure such a cross would not have been send to the PKZ for awarding! No way that Doehle would have accepted it and send out for awarding.

So that leaves only (if "ex works") a production for private sales. Now imagine somebody in the very early time frame coming to a retail shop to buy a second cross for the one he just got awarded (at a time when this order was still very rare). Would he buy a cross like that? Never ever! He could not wear it on the uniform, it would cause a lot of trouble. There was no tradition like that, neither in 1813, 1870 or 1914. The Third Reich, with Hitler having a nice black and silver EK1 of 1914, was for sure not the time to create funky looking EKs! Hitler even rejected a black core with golden frame - he would have gone bananas with this one!

I think that somebody (most likely after the war) made it like this to enhance the value, or to create a "one of a kind" or just to have his awarded cross in that style as a souvenir.

At any rate, it is a Schickle, but IMHO it has been altered considerably and that alteration is not "typical Third Reich" at all. Surely not the "Holy Grail" unless one accepts the one made of plastic which can be bought in Lourdes.

The condition of the screwback has no impact on the cross - it could have been switched one hundred times already.

Dietrich

[Tiger 1]

I was told that this silver plated type is ULTRA RARE and have not ever been painted!

Back in the early days of EK collecting the gold plated one was even rarer!

Tony

[ben bijker]

Did you see one black painted EK1 which was silver plated?
Did you already see a silver plated EK1 of this type???

I was told that this silver plated type is ULTRA RARE and have not ever been painted!

Trevor,

if you think that the colour was removed, please show me a silver plated EK1 with black core paint! All other are speculation

Stefan, all these magnetic one-piece schinkels are silver plated, and then painted.
Your Schinkel was never painted or someone stripped off the paint, but it wasn't awarded like that.

Ben

[Dietrich Maerz]

Ben,

I don't think it was done to have a better base for the paint (as has been suggested) but rather to have the beading silvered already before the cross was painted (since this is a one piece). It would have been a lot more difficult to silver the frame after painting.

This cross is magnetic and paint sticks very well to iron.

That would make this cross one which either wasn't painted at all or stripped of the paint after the war. Since the owner insists that the screwback is original to the cross and shows patina, the cross seems to have been altered after the war. Just as Tony said: to enhance the desirability and rarity for the buyer.

[George Stimson]

How difficult is is to silver plate something?

[Nordmark]

How difficult is is to silver plate something?

You need access to your local home improvement store and 15$ cash in you pocket.




Daniel