Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class with Swords, by Julius Bauer & Söhne

(Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern). Constructed of silvered tombak, consisting of a Maltese Cross with crossed swords piercing the centrepiece, the obverse with pebbled arms and a central wreathed mobile swastika, the reverse with a raised barrel hinge and flattened vertical pinback meeting a flat wire catch, the pinback maker marked with Präsidialkanzlei code “43” for Julius Bauer & Sõhne, Zella-Mehlis, measuring 47.93 mm (w) x 47.68 mm (h), weighing 21.1 grams, demonstrating moderate loss of finish throughout, in very fine condition.