DK question

[Dez H]

Hello all

Has anyone ever seen a German Cross that was a ’57 version converted back to a 1939 version? I know this sounds strange, but today I was looking at one and the reverse appeared to be of ’57 nature while the front had a swastika. Thoughts and comments are most welcome.


Regards

Dez

[Rich G]

Dez

I don't have the book near me at the moment but I think there's one in the Iron Time.

Rich

[Gordon Williamson]

Dez,

The early 57 pieces made by Steinhauer & Lück used left over stocks of components from the wartime period, and so they will look almost identical, apart from the EK rather than swastika centre, to the original wartime ones.
I am not convinced that any 57 DKs were retro converted into wartime style, simply because there was no need - S&L actually remade them after the war, coimplete with swastika.
Here is a postwar S&L.






There are several minor inconsistencies with the wartime piece.
1. The hollow rivets holding the wreath on appear to be copper on the postwar piece, and were silvered on the wartime ones.
2. The wreath itself does have the correct matt gilding, its way too glittery.
3. The silver disc backing to the swastika is too shiny, doesn't have the matt silver effect.
4. The inner sunburst has been finished is a chemically blued colour which is unlike any used on the real DK

On the reverse however the exact pin configuration is exactly right as for wartime pieces though these postwar pieces also came , like the 57s, with the later, cheap looking rounded pins, like the piece illustrated in The Iron Time.

Original S&L DKs are one of the rarer makers ( maker marked ones at least) but the danger is not so much from reworked 57 pieces, but from straight postwar resstrikes on the original tooling, like the S&L Knights Cross. Fortunately, the quality of finishing lets the postwar DKs down, so they are nowhere near as dangerous as some fake DKs.

Gordon

[Dez H]

Hello Gordon, Rich

Yes Gordon the piece I was looking at is exactly as you describe except the rivets were domed (bubbled. Slightly raised from the surface) it was also very glittery and mint looking. What I was trying to say before was that would it be possible for a faker to pull apart a 57 DK and replace the Iron Cross disc with a swastika one, because another DK I have looked at had the very thin rounded pin, commonly seen on 57 pieces.


Regards

Dez

[Gordon Williamson]

Dez,

Yes, it would be possible, but hardly necessary, when you could buy them from S&L exactly like that, with Swastika. I have never seen a 57 DK with domed rivets however, S&L only ever used hollow, so if it has domed rivets I don't think its a converted 57, more likely an out and out fake.
Of course on the other hand someone could have removed the hollow rivetted wreath from a 57 when disassembling, and substituted a solid rivetted version when reassembling after adding the swas.

Gordon

[Dez H]

Hello Gordon

Thank you for your help, you have confirmed with me my “gutt feelings” that unless you are 100% happy with a piece and it checks out 100% on the characteristics, move on until you find the “right one.”


Regards

Dez

[martin]

Silver versus gold DK

Hi. Could anybody tell me why silver DK's (of which I have two, a third one nearly paid for) sell for what seems like a marginal markup from the gold DK, which was awarded many more times. I have seen Zimmerman golds going for just under the price of a Klein silver. Do you think the silver DK is just biding it's time?Personally I am content to stick with the silver DK as they are rarer but I would really like a mint Deschler in gold.

[Gordon Williamson]

Bottom line is that rarity doesn't always equate with desirability. Its like the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross, infinitely rarer than the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross but sells for about a thirtd of the price.