Germany, Wehrmacht. A Cased 1939 Iron Cross I Class, By C.f. Zimmermann, From The Dietrich Maerz Collection Hold and maker marked “CEJ” for

and maker marked “CEJ” for “C

the first photo of the lot is that of the initial field grave of Sergeant John William Peter Melvin - who was killed April 7th 1917

the Société Française de Secours aux Blessés Militaires and the Association des Dames Françaises merged under a decree issued by Marshal Pétain to create the French Red Cross

constructed of white embroidery BeVo style lettering on a black cotton/rayon blended backer

there is still dried soil or mud from its original use

Germany, Wehrmacht. A Cased 1939 Iron Cross I Class, By C.f. Zimmermann, From The Dietrich Maerz Collection Hold and maker marked “CEJ” for(Eisernes Kreuz 1939 I. Klasse mit Etui). Reinstituted 1 September 1939. (1939 1945 issue). Constructed of iron and silver, consisting of a Cross Patte with a blackened magnetic iron core within a ribbed silver frame, the obverse with a central mobile swastika, the six oclock arm with a reinstitution date of 1939, the reverse with a barrel hinge and vertical pinback meeting a flat wire catch, the pinback marked on the reverse with code 20 for maker C.