Knights Cross with Ribbon & Case — Juncker 800 L/12

Here’s one for the serious WW2 investor folks, the ever desirable Juncker 800 L/12 Knights Cross, with ribbon and case — all original to the piece!

The Juncker made Knights Cross is considered the most desirable of the Knights Crosses primarily due to the fact their factory was destroyed late in the war by allied bombing. What this means is, since any unissued crosses (as well as the dies) would have been destroyed in the bombing, only those that were already issues to soldiers remained. Therefore any Juncker 800 L/12 knights cross surfacing today was sure to have been awarded to a soldier, not factory found.

This particular Knights Cross has a ton going for it! The black paint of the iron core shows absolutely no crazing, lifting, cracking or chipping, except a very small area surrounding the numbers “39” in the date on the front. This area shows what appears to be some minor surface corrosion. The two silver frame pieces show absolutely no separation, and a nice desirable patina throughout. Along the top edge of the silver frame on the side of the cross with the date, “1813”, is the stamp, “800 L/12”, with “800” signifying the silver content, and “L/12” identifying the maker as Juncker. Threaded into the ring just above the stamps is the ribbon loop, also marked with a stamp signifying the silver content (”800”).

The ribbon measures a little over 12.5 inches in length by 1 and 13/16 inches in width. As you can see in the photos, the case suffered damage, which appears to have included exposure to moisture. The ribbon shows some random discoloration in the white and red areas, likely from the same moisture exposure. Whether this occurred during the war or after is anyone’s guess. I can note that the previous owner (now deceased) had quite a few other items besides this Knights Cross, and none were damaged in any way, so one can assume this was brought home from the war in this condition. There is also 2 small areas where it appears dirt or soiling of some kind has adhered to the surface (see photos). We made no attempt to remove or clean the ribbon; we’re leaving that choice up to the buyer.

We’re thankful this piece still includes the case, despite its obvious distressed condition. As we all know, items like these have a story to tell, and the story with this piece is anyone’s guess since the previous owner is now deceased. We can imagine this being discovered in a mound of rubble during the war as the allies advanced into Germany, but that’s pure speculation. The good news is the case is still with the piece, and if the new owner chose to do so there are indeed folks out there with the skills to bring this case back to it’s original glory.

Don’t miss the opportunity to own this nice Juncker Knights Cross as they’re only getting harder to find. With only 7,000 of these issued, and only a percentage of those being produced by this desirable maker, this is sure to go up in value.