Germany, Wehrmacht. A 1939 Iron Cross I Class, by B.H. Mayer

(Eisernes Kreuz 1939 I. Klasse). Reinstituted 1 September 1939. (1939-1945 issue). Constructed of iron and silver, consisting of a Cross Pattée with a blackened magnetic iron core within a ribbed silver frame, the obverse with a central mobile swastika, the six o’clock arm with a reinstitution date of “1939”, the reverse with a barrel hinge and banjo-style pinback meeting a flat wire catch, the pinback maker marked with Präsidialkanzlei code “26” for B.H. Mayer, Pforzheim, measuring 44.19 mm (w) x 44.19 mm (h), weighing 16.5 grams, with loss of finish visible to the core and a consistent patina throughout the frame, in very fine condition.