ORIGINAL GERMAN WW1 IRON CROSS 1ST CLASS EK1

Description

Original German Iron Cross, First Class, WW1.  The German Iron Cross first class EK1 is one of the most collectible combat medals from WW1.  The WW1 version is particularly unique, no two medals are alike and virtually all of them have an attractive, vintage look.  German war veterans wore the EK1 with pride in public long after WW1 was over (very much unlike the case with WW2 EK1, for obvious reasons).  Good ones are getting harder and harder to find online and in shops, as the owners of the bricks and mortar medal shops in Germany retire and private collectors buy up the inventory, sending prices higher because of the increasing scarcity in the market.  This one is the flat version that was issued early in WW1.  It has a nice polished finish, no manufacturer mark but a silver marking on the medal pin, as pictured.  I acquired this one from such a reputable shop years ago in Bremen, Germany which has since gone out of business.  See pictures.