Manufacturers of the Grand Cross

[Flemming]

Only one GC were ever awarded, but certenly more was produced.
As with the RK, there were many more produced then awarded.

/Flemming

[AlikN]

Here is some more that I didn't have time to write on my lunch break.....



I am not trying to say that Juncker is not an official supplier of GCs to PKZ (...but I am still not sure if an award type is 800 marked crosses or simply unmarked ones and the assumption of 800 marked Junckers was just a misidentified cross from S&L, if anyone has a picture of 800 marked Juncker I would love to see it.), it's just a statement that Juncker is the only authorized maker of GCs sounds incorrect to me, I think more accurate would be Juncker is the maker of an award type GC and 800 L/12 marked replacement copies and also before the sales of high end awards was prohibited other companies made replacement pieces GCs and some proudly showed them in their store fronts and if they did so I'm sure they must had an authorization for it.


The thing that none of those L/12s or GCs from other makers ever got to the recipients not a big minus for this type award, to me it represents that time and under what government it was made ....and it's a 1939 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, I am sure companies who made those GCs were very proud to present such a prestigious award. Btw there are a lot of awards in our collections that were never in hands of any recipients, specially those mint ones from one horde or the other horde and still those pieces special it their own ways, letting us see how beautiful it looked at the time of awarding and again representing that time and the purpose that they were made for. The same with those GCs it was made to represent the Grand Cross of the Iron cross and I think those period made GCs should have a little more respect, not just if it's not an official Juncker that it's a junk.

[vonStubben]

I have been following this with interest as in recent months I have found a GC made by R. Souval which has had me quite stumped. I have discussed it with Dietrich but have not yet sent it to him for examination.

What interests me the most about this example is that it is frosted and burnished EXACTLY like that of a war time KC and very well assembled. In my 45 years of doing this I have never seen another example like it. It is totally void of any markings but has all of Souvals tells.

The ribbon also seems to be of wartime manufacture but could be left over stock.

Here are some pictures.

Chuck

[vonStubben]

more

[U-Boot Kapitan]

Hi Charles,

That's a nice looking Souval GK

Is it known if these are of wartime, or post-war manufacture (or indeed both)?

Regards,
Jay

[Leroy]

Souval never received a contract from the PKZ to make any of the higher grades of the Iron Cross. There was some "hint" from Herr Umlauf, its director, that it may have made display copies of the Grand Cross, but that has not been confirmed for sure. The original W.C. Stump (not the person who uses his name now on the internet) claimed to have had a display GC from Souval that his Uncle brought back from the war, and that GC is shown in Gordon Williamson's book.

[Alex W.]

I would like to hear your opinion on whether this Grand Cross reverse side matches any of the known Rudof Souval copies of the Grand Cross.
The front side looks exactly like the other known Souval Grand Crosses. The reverse side though, especially the “1813” looks different somehow. The “1” looks more raised than the other figures.

I know there are rumors about pre 1945 Souval display copies. Could this be one of them ? <O</O



Thanks,
Roc