Militaria Price Guide
How can I see prices?
Welcome to the ratisbon's MILITARIA PRICE GUIDE!
To access all prices, pictures, and descriptions please subscribe to our MILITARIA PRICE GUIDE at www.ratisbons.com/militaria-price-guide. Save 25% when subscribing for one year! Get full access for just 75€!
We are buying single items and entire collections! Call +49 8541 9053699
MEDALNET APPRAISAL SERVICES
This item was examined and validated in cooperation with MEDALNET APPRAISAL SERVICES. Our team’s knowledge base received the most competent boost for orders and decorations for imperial orders and decorations with the help of Bernd Kruse and Andreas M. Schulze Ising. Andreas and Bernd are held in high regard with collectors around the world. With more than 50 years of experience in the field of order decorations and medals, they are seen as competent and independent experts.
As usual, we offer a full right of return for originality within the withdrawal period for items that are offered in cooperation with MEDALNET APPRAISAL SERVICES.
HOW CAN I PAY FOR MY ORDER?
You will receive an e-mail confirming your successful bids the day after the auction has ended. In your personal my ratisbon's you will be able to inform us about your most convenient payment method for this order or tell us about an alternative shipping address.
If we don’t hear from you within 24 hours, we will send an invoice choosing the payment and shipping options which we think are the most comfortable ones to you. If you decide to change your shipping or payment method after receiving your invoice, just drop us a line or visit my ratisbon's/ORDERS for any more details.
Choose your payment method when ordering and submit your order. Once your order has been received we will send an invoice including your shipping costs and your payment instructions.
After receiving the invoice, the order must be paid within 7 days.
Please contact us to discuss layaway options.
To learn more about paying at ratisbon's, please see your FAQ pages.
HOW DO YOU SHIP MY NEW TREASURES?
We usually send out orders within 1-3 working days after your payment has been received. In most cases, we are faster than this! We will inform you when your goods are being dispatched and provide a tracking number, In addition, you can always check your order status at my ratisbon's/ORDERS. Delivery times will vary depending upon the delivery destination and type of shipping service you have chosen.
If you prefer to have your order shipped to your work address or a friend during your absence, we will happy to arrange this for you. Send us an email letting us know about your new shipping address and we will be happy to send an updated invoice to you.
OUR GUARANTEE!
We only offer collectables which to the best of our specialists knowledge are authentic. About 15% of all consignments are returned to the consignor after extensive research due to authenticity issues.
Unlike traditional auction houses we do offer a full right of return. If you are not satisfied with what you won or bought, you may return it within 14 days. Please inform us and we will instruct you on how to return the goods. For more information, please visit FAQ pages.
Important note: Cancelling bids after an auction may disappoint the consignor, who like you is a collector. This situation is easy to avoid. We encourage you not to bid on any collectable if you are unsure if it fits into your collection. Ask us to cancel your bid 24 hours prior to the end of an auction to avoid this situation.
King Friedrich Wilhelm III. of Prussia founded the Iron Cross on March 10, 1813, in three classes, the Grand Cross, the 1st and 2nd class. The Grand Cross and the 2nd class were made from cast and blackened iron in a silver frame each suspended from a black ribbon with white stripes. The 1st class was initially to be made from the black and white ribbon only. Only on June 16, 1813, the idea to create a 1st class equal in material to the other two classes came about.
The iron core of the initial batch cracked quite easily as they did not have the silver plate to support the fragile cast iron core. The construction of those was done like the 2nd class, by holding the iron core in place with another open frame plate. Recipients must have used textiles to repair those crosses due to that fact, but also as the supply of the Iron Cross 1st class was very slow.
Few of those crosses are known. Two of those are part of the Zeughaus collection in Berlin, Germany, and are recorded as samples ordered by the Orders Commission on August 15, 1813. One has the textile material incorporated within an open frame with one loop per cross arm, the other shows a needle holding the velvet and cardboard in place with 2 loops per cross arm. An additional cross stemming from the Zeughaus collection and acquired by Max Aurich completes the picture. This cross pictured in Frank Wernitz's book on "The Iron Cross" on page 57 is variant to the above mentioned and was privately sourced due to the lack of crosses in 1813-15. This cross depicts a hybrid between all three known examples.
Here a mint example of a velvet cross. The Cross is made of a silver frame holding a cardboard backed piece of black velvet in place. The cross can be sewn to a uniform via 4 silver loops that are afixed to the reverse of each of the cross arms.
This cross is part of a grouping that came straight from from a family estate in northern Germany.
Besides this sensational conditioned cross few other pieces will be offered along with it:
b) Iron Cross 1st Class, 1914, in case of issue. Silver frame with iron core by Sy & Wagner with the appropriate mark “S – W” on its needle. Typical case with crimson velvet inlay from WWI in appropriate condition.
c) Iron Cross 1st Class, 1914, slightly vaulted, silvered frame with iron core in almost mint condition. 1939 re-issue with makers mark L/11 for Wilhelm Deumer.
d) Iron Cross 2nd Class, 1914, Silver frame with iron core and tailored ribbon for a medal bar.
e) so called Hindenburg Cross with makers mark “P.&C.L.”
f) Prussia, House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight’s Cross with Swords in gilded silver and enamel. Marked “938 Godet” for silver content and maker. Minor surface chip at 6 o’clock in the avers center just below the eagle.
g) Bavaria, Military Merit Order 4th Class with swords in silver, gold, and enamel. Makers and content mark “G.H. 950” for the Brothers Hemmerle in Munich on swords and Cross.
h) Lippe, War Merit Cross 1st Class, gilded bronze, in case of issue
i) Lippe, War Merit Cross 2nd Class, gilded bronze
j) Oldenburg, Friedrich August Cross 1st Class in black painted iron.
k) German Reich, Wound Badge in silver, steel with matt silver finish.
l) Lippe, Boutonniere of the 1st Class of the House Order in gold and enamel. Lippe-Detmold awarded a total of 62 from October 25, 1869, to September 24, 1889. 10 were awarded in unison with Schaumburg-Lippe. An estimate for the awards afterwards can not be given, but the files of Lippe show a list of 32 crosses awarded by Lippe-Detmold in 1872 and 42 by Schaumburg-Lippe.
m) Austria, Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration in case of issue by Rothe in Vienna. Showing the appropriate Austrian markings on the ring loop.
n) Austria, Franz Josef Cross with Crown. In silver and enamel on trifold ribbon.
o) Austria, Red Cross Medal 3rd class in silver and enamel, with original trifold ribbon.
p) Remnants of a medal bar for positions d), g), i), e), possible one missing and m).
q) patch for the emperor’s yacht club
r) an enameled coat of arms pin.
s) a case of issue for a Prussian Red Eagle Order 4th class
t) Two miniature chains in contemporary case by Joh. Fried. Bock in Berlin. First chain consists of the Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class, 1870, with oak leaf cluster, Red Eagle Order 4th Class, 1870/71 Commemorative Medal for Combatant with 5 combat bars and centennial medal, followed by Lippe, House Order 2nd Class with swords and Romania, Order of the Crown of Romania, Officer Cross.
The Lippe House Order 2nd class with swords was only awarded 5 times from April 20, 1871, to Jun 8, 1871. Furthermore 5 crosses with swords were awarded by Lippe until December 1972 and 6 by Schaumburg-Lippe totaling 16.
The second chain consists of the Prussian St. John Order, Knight’s of Justice, Iron Cross 2nd class, 1914, House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight’s Cross with Swords, Bavaria, Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords, Lippe, War Merit Cross 2nd Class, Hindenburg Cross, Wound Badge in Silver and Austria, Military Merit Cross.
u) a blue enameled pin with the north Frisian coat of arms.
v) Various pins and ribbons through time.
A historical group with some major highlights. Besides the velvet version of the Iron Cross 1813, the Lippe House Order with swords completes this grouping. Some research should unveil the name of this family.
König Friedrich Wilhelm III. von Preußen stiftete das Eiserne Kreuz am 17. März 1813 während der Napoleonischen Kriege als militärische Auszeichnung. Das Eiserne Kreuz wurde auch während des Deutsch-Französischen Krieges (1870), des Ersten Weltkriegs (1914) und des Zweiten Weltkriegs (1939) verliehen.
Das Eiserne Kreuz war in der Regel nur eine militärische Auszeichnung, wurde aber in einigen Fällen an Zivilisten für die Ausübung militärischer Funktionen verliehen.