Number of KC still around...

[mwl]

Friends,
Is there an estimate of how many of the around 7.500 Knights Crosses handed out, that still exist? And also where in the world?
Wonder,
Mats

[WRanG]

I have no idea how many of the awarded KC's is still around.
But there also must be some still around that was never awarded.

[RamJet]

Friends,
Is there an estimate of how many of the around 7.500 Knights Crosses handed out, that still exist? And also where in the world?
Wonder,
Mats

If You count every KC which rests in a collection and is regarded as genuine by its owner, it must be estimated 25.000 ...

[109]

If You count every KC which rests in a collection and is regarded as genuine by its owner, it must be estimated 25.000 ...

Why must the estimate be put at that number? Seems arbitrary.

[Erickn]

For starters, count here.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=628692

[mwl]

For starters, count here.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=628692

Yes, approximatly 5 unique crosses on each page and 200 pages give 1 000 crosses....
That’s it...

[Leroy]

I believe it would all be speculative.

Assume, as a start, a figure of approximately 8000 awarded. Some of those were actually destroyed in combat and are gone forever. Some recipients lost in combat their pieces, but obtained replacements. (How many of the "lost" were later "found" by someone?) Some recipients were able to retain their pieces after surrender and others were not. The bulk of pieces taken by captors are most likely still around somewhere, whether in collections or still gathering dust "in the woodwork". Some are in the bottom of landfills, tossed out as rubbish in the years since the war. There are others which were kept "in stock" for future award, but never used, but find their way to dealer sites pretty frequently.

No one can truly "quantify who has what". I personally know 3 serious and respected collectors who own, between them, approximately 150 "for sure real" crosses (roughly 2% of the total awarded). I'm quite sure, just from conversations over the years, that there are other "hoarders" whose collections would astound.

My personal "feel" is that there are several thousand crosses "out there". Whether they will all ever enter (or re-enter) the market place is totally unknown. Also, my feeling is that crosses are over-priced. Most are anonymous and many of the attributed ones are tenuous at best.

[Dietrich Maerz]

2756!

[Leroy]

No, No, Dietrich!

3897!

[mwl]

Haha... Leroy and Dietrich
Then I figure, just between your Numbers... 3326,5
I would love to see that ”half cross”
Regards,
Mats

[Ludwig]

IMO impossible to estimate.

[mwl]

IMO impossible to estimate.

Yes, I agree Ludwig... probably many crosses still in Germany that will never(?) reach the collectors marker..

[hkusp40]

Probably a couple of thousand left in my opinion. Mine is the only one that I've seen in person in my collecting circles and it was literally found in a can in the attic of a vet's widow. Who knows how many more attics contain treasures such as RK's. -Ger