Germany - Third Reich: Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Otto Schickle of Pforzheim. Silver cross with iron centre, weighing 22.9 grams, retaining all its original finish, frame unmarked as correct for type and with its characteristic ungainly flat ring and other distinctive features. The double loop suspension ring, that weighs 1.4 grams, is correctly marked ‘900/50’. The ’50’ being for L50, the Company of J. Godet & Sohn. The cross itself has evidence of having been worn by a recipient, and it is fitted with a short length of original worn ribbon, this folded over at the ends and fitted with double short neck ties to both ends in the manner that it was once worn. A superb example of type, from the rarest manufacturer of this award. Extremely Rare.
Condition: paintwork good, overall Good Very Fine.
Provenance: ex Noonans, 23 February 2022, Lot 701 (complete with the original sale envelope).
The most difficult of all the makers of the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross to obtain is the one produced by the Company Otto Schickle. It is believed that they only produced Knights Crosses from July 1941, and were in business for only 15 months. One of the most notable features that sets the Otto Schickle Knights Crosses apart from any other is the ungainly flat ring. The Otto Schickle crosses also have other features that put them apart from the other five most commonly encountered makers and these other features on this piece match exactly, including the correct weight.
Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration (rather than Prussian), and continued the tradition of issuing it in various classes. Legally, it is based on the enactment (Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573) of 1st September 1939 Verordnung uber die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes. (Regulation for the Re-introduction of the Iron Cross). The Iron Cross of World War II was divided into three man series of decorations with an intermediate category, the Knight’s Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the highest, the Grand Cross. The Knight’s Cross replaced the Prussian Pour le Merite or “Blue Max”. Hitler did not care for the Pour le Merite, as it was a Prussian order that could be awarded only to officers. The ribbon of the medal (2nd Class and Knight’s Cross) was different from the earlier Iron Crosses in that colour red was used in addition to the traditional black and white (black and where were the colours of Prussia, while black, white and red were the colours of Germany). It is estimated that some four and a half million 2nd Class Iron Crosses were awarded during World War II, and 300,000 of the 1st Class, whilst only about 7,200 Knight’s Crosses were awarded. The most difficult of all the makers of the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross to obtain is the one produced by the Company Otto Schickle.