Croatia, Independent State. An Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir, I Class Cross, with Oak Leaves, by B. Knaus, c.1941

(Red krune kralja Zvonimira). Instituted on May 15, 1941. Of typical B. Knaus of Zagreb manufacture, an enameled white four-armed cross with ornamented arms constructed of heavily gilded-bronze, superposed by an enameled green crossed oak leaves, with enameled white central medallion bearing by a Croatia crown, reverse showing the years 1076 (King Zvonimir’s crowning) and 1941 (the establishment of the NDH), with the central inscription BOG I HRVATI (God and the Croats), measuring 51.03 mm (w) x 52.04 mm (h), light contact and minor oxidation, on decorative loop suspension and its original full-length neck ribbon for time of war, very fine; accompanied by its hardshelled dark-red case of issue, marked "Red krune kralja Zvonimira I. stupnja s hrastovim grančicama" on the lid, interior with raised platform and recessed medal bed, with external stains and evident repair interior, measuring 26 mm (l) x 108 mm (w) x 139 mm (h), with functionally push-bottom, very fine.

Footnote: The Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir was created in 1941 ‘to serve as a visible sign of decoration for merit in peace or wartime in the service of the Croatian nation and the Independent State of Croatia’. It could be awarded to foreign nationals and, in the event, Germans were the largest group of such recipients. Due to the Order was awarded until May 1945, it is relative rare. The Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatsk - NDH) was established in April 1941 following the invasion of Yugoslavia by German and Italian forces.