German 1914 Iron Cross EK1 1st Class Badge 800 Silver Screw-back

Beautiful iron core & silvered frame Iron Cross in excellent condition with good paint and patina. Reverse is marked 800. The cross is made of 800 (80%) silver. Nicely high vaulted cross. Measures 40mm by 40mm across vault. Nice original sew-on back plate for attaching to uniform, measures 46mm in diameter. Cross has two screw-back posts for securing to plate, one original nut remains. Overall a excellent example of a rare variant.

The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz, listenⓘ, abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the insignia of the medieval Teutonic Order and borne by its knights from the 13th century. As well as being a military medal, it has also been used as an emblem by the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, and the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, while the Balkenkreuz (bar cross) variant was used by the Wehrmacht. The Iron Cross is now the emblem of the Bundeswehr, the modern German armed forces.