Germany, Wehrmacht. A 1939 Iron Cross I Class, with Case, by Paul Meybauer

(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 block hinge and banjo-style pinback meeting a round wire catch, maker marked with LDO code “L/13” for Paul Meybauer, Berlin, measuring 44.17 mm (w) x 43.91 mm (h), weighing 18.9 grams, accompanied by its original presentation case, constructed of a pressed card stock frame with a faux black leather exterior liner, the lid bearing a silvered Cross Pattée, the interior with a white rayon lid liner and intact hinge cover, with a slotted off-white felt medal bed, closing with a functional metal spring catch with exterior stud release, unmarked, measuring 70 mm (w) x 70 mm (l) x 30 mm (h), the cross has been hand-vaulted post-manufacture to suit the recipient’s desired style of wear, with minor loss of finish and material fatigue visible to the core and case, respectively, a late-pin variant produced using Meybauer’s B Core in overall very fine condition.