Cased Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords by Deschler & Son

The heavy, die struck Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross is contained within its fitted blue leather case. The cross is suspended on its full wide neck ribbon, and that neck ribbon is complete with the correct narrow matching ribbon ties affixed to the ends of the ribbon. The neck ribbon is properly sewn behind the silver suspension loop to prevent the decoration from sliding on the ribbon. The interior arms of the lower cross are marked with the designation “900” for the silver content and the LDO number “1” to reflect manufacture by the Munich firm of Deschler & Son. The cross is in very good condition. The back side of the cross retains its silver frosted finish, while the front side of the cross was polished at some point in time. The case is covered in blue leather and shows relatively minor signs of age. The lower interior compartment is lined in black velvet and fitted to receive the cross, even having a specific circular depression for the roundel on the reverse of the medal which contains the “1939” date. The decoration is one that was exceptionally rare in the period of the Third Reich, with only 118 Knight’s Crosses of the War Merit Cross with Swords being awarded, compared to over 7,000 awards of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.