Considering buying my first Iron Cross

[jjsmith]

Dear friends,

I am considering buying my first Iron Cross second class from 1939. After reading multiple websites and forum threads I am a bit scared that I will end up buying a high quality reproduction or one of those feared flocks. If anybody could give me his opinion on two crosses that I have pre-selected it would be VERY much appreciated. Both crosses are offered by (I think, at first sight, and for a newbie) serious dealers:

The first cross costs 85 Pounds and it is described by the dealer as:

"An Iron Cross 2nd Class for 1939 being good overall condition with only minor wear and tear to it. The cross is nicely soldered up with no splitting or cracking to the frame. The ribbon loop on this example is marked No 25."

Picture in: http://www.thirdreichmedals.com/pictures/m1449.jpg

The second cross I am considering costs 130 € and it is described by the dealer as:

"Standard issue cross, 3-piece construction with magnetic center. The cross is makermarked "113" in the ring for "Hermann Aurich, Dresden." Has virtually all of its silvering left, shows no age darkening to the frame. No paintloss or rust. Comes with a piece of original ribbon."

Picture in http://www.military-antiques-stockho...roducts_id=800

I would like the cross to be marked and has magnetic core, and that is why I have pre-selected those.

Could anybody please give me some pointers/indications regarding these crosses? Could you guys confirm that they are authentic WWII items. Your help would be very much appreciated.

Have a good evening,
James.

[Snni]

Hello.

Both crosses are original crosses.
My advise to you are to become a member inhere (money well spend) and keep an eye out on the estand.
There you will find nice original crosses to (most times) fair prices.

[Stepdale]

I would second the opinion above. Your best bet (at least initially until you gain in knowledge)is to purchase items off the e-stand, where you can usually find items at much better prices than dealer sites and where members regularly review items to ensure no fakes are sold.
Dale

[Tom B]

Hello James, May I suggest contacting John at German War Booty in Ny. I sold him 4 MINT beautiful EK2's at the SOS. All 4 are marked 100. IMO the best company that produced them during the war. He has not listed them for sale yet, but they will not last long as John has always priced his EK's fairly. Tom

[Chet Sowersby]

Jamesm
First off, welcome to the forum! May your stay here be enjoyable but more so educational. I would watch the e-stand as EK2's come up all the time. I would avoid dealers unless it is the one thing you cannot find anywhere else. When it comes to EK2's, the damn things are everwhere!

Chet

[streptile]

Hello James, May I suggest contacting John at German War Booty in Ny.

Good advice; also, he's in the USA so postage won't be much. Here's the site.

[jjsmith]

Dear friends,

First of all thank you all for your fast reply. I think I need to explain my situation a bit better. I am from Georgia, the country just between western Asia and eastern Europe. Therefore buying from the states is VERY expensive for me, I would need to pay considerable taxes (it has happened to me before). That is why I am considering European dealers. Second, I collect mostly soviet union medals and badges because it is available in my country and it is what I can afford. I just wanted to add an Iron Cross to my collection because I like the medal very much. Since I will not continue collecting German awards I am not considering joining the community (but thanks all for the suggestion).

Could you guys give me your opinion on the medals I mentioned before? I particularly like the one that costs 130€ (second one http://www.military-antiques-stockho...roducts_id=800) because its conservation state and global appearance. However I am concern about its authenticity. My main concern is that the upper left corner of the swastika is very close to the frame. I have seen that the swastika is a little bit more separated in other crosses. If anybody could please clarify this to me and explain me why it is original it would be very educational and appreciated.

I am sorry if I am disturbing the community since I am not a paying member. I will try to contribute in other ways (submitting pictures of my medals for example).

Thanks again for your responses.

Best regards,
James.

[Snni]

It's 100% original.. But expensive..
I will send you a private message.

[Chet Sowersby]

Hehe, and here I thought you were here in the US forgetting that Georgia is a country as opposed to one of our states here. My bad.....

Chet

[Stepdale]

Ah hah, that Georgia. I spent three days working in Tblisi back in 2003 and didn't get to see much, but enjoyed the food and the folks were very friendly. I did manage to buy a Soviet red star with booklet when I was there for a good price, so understand what you're talking about.
Dale