This piece represents the classic production of C.E. Juncker, Berlin. Matte blackened iron core with silver frame. Reverse stamped “L/12” and “800” silver, the suspension ring in typical Juncker manufacture, however unstamped. The silver frame on the reverse with the typical minimal dot-like striking flaw at the upper left end of the 12 o'clock arm. Complete with the original neck ribbon, length 72 cm. The Grand Cross with light patina, condition 2+. In the special presentation case. The case covered with red leather in the same color as the Knight's Cross folders. The somewhat restored lid with gold-embossed national eagle. The surrounding edge embossed with continuous gold border and a parallel embossed decorative groove on the underside. Front snap fastener in “mushroom shape” lacquered red, rear with 2 hinges, magnetic. Interior with white silk lining and black velvet bed with cutout for the Grand Cross, as well as an upper cutout for the ribbon for the Knight's Cross. Dimensions of case 21.5 x 15 cm, height 22 mm.

The Grand Cross belonged to the inventory of the Orders Chancellery and was stored at the end of the war at Schloss Klessheim, the Führer's guest house near Salzburg. In April 1945 the castle was looted by US soldiers, and the piece became US war booty.

The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to Hermann Göring on July 19, 1940 during the historic Reichstag session on the occasion of the victory over France by Adolf Hitler with the following words:
“I must now place at the top the man for whom it is difficult for me to find sufficient thanks for the merits that connect his name with the Movement, the State, and above all the German Air Force. I therefore appoint him Reichsmarschall of the Greater German Reich and award him the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross.”
Göring remained the only holder of the Grand Cross throughout the entire subsequent course of World War II. However, further awards to the great army commanders were planned for the time after the “final victory.”

The Grand Crosses 1939 were manufactured exclusively by the firm C.E. Juncker, Berlin. Of these pieces, several examples were certainly produced. How many were in Hermann Göring's possession is no longer known. Worldwide, fewer than 5 pieces with presentation case are known, all of which originate from the inventory of the Orders Chancellery at Schloss Klessheim.
A comparable piece with case is illustrated in the reference book by Dietrich Maerz “Das Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes” on pages 326-333.

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The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 – The Rarest Decoration of the Second World War

The object presented here is among the most historically significant military decorations of the twentieth century: an exhibition and reserve example of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 (Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939), manufactured by the firm C.E. Juncker of Berlin. This piece is explicitly identified as an exhibition example – not the actual awarded decoration – which was held in the stocks of the Ordenskanzlei (Order Chancellery) and recovered by American soldiers at Schloss Klessheim near Salzburg at the close of the war.

Origins of the Iron Cross

The Iron Cross was first instituted on 10 March 1813 by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III during the wars of liberation against Napoleon. From its inception, the Grand Cross represented the supreme grade of this decoration. Across all periods of its existence – 1813, 1870, 1914, and 1939 – the Grand Cross was awarded a total of only 20 times, with one revocation, making it one of the most exclusive military honors in history. The decoration was renewed in 1870 for the Franco-Prussian War (nine Grand Cross awards), in 1914 for the First World War (five awards), and finally in 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War.

The 1939 Reinstitution

On 1 September 1939, coinciding with the German invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler renewed the Iron Cross. In this final iteration, the decoration was transformed from a purely Prussian honor into a German national award. The Grand Cross constituted the highest class of the Iron Cross, ranking above all variants of the Knight's Cross. It was intended for senior field commanders whose leadership had decisively influenced the outcome of a major battle or campaign. Notably, the Grand Cross did not hold the status of a bravery decoration (Tapferkeitsauszeichnung); rather, it recognized outstanding overall military achievement in war-related operations.

The Sole Award to Hermann Göring

On 19 July 1940, during a historic session of the Reichstag convened to celebrate the victory over France, Adolf Hitler bestowed the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross upon Hermann Wilhelm Göring (12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946), Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. Simultaneously, Göring was promoted to the unprecedented rank of Reichsmarschall of the Greater German Reich. The award recognized his leadership of the German air force during the successful campaigns in Poland, France, and the Low Countries. Göring remained the sole recipient of the 1939 Grand Cross for the entire duration of the war. Additional awards to major army commanders had been planned for the period following a “final victory” that never materialized.

On 23 April 1945, Adolf Hitler revoked Göring’s Grand Cross due to perceived betrayal, as recorded in Hitler’s political testament. This revocation was unique in the entire history of the Grand Cross across all its incarnations. Göring, who had been the most highly decorated German of the Second World War, died by suicide at Nuremberg on 15 October 1946. It is recorded that Göring later replaced his original Grand Cross with one fashioned from black onyx and platinum.

Manufacture and Physical Characteristics

All 1939 Grand Crosses were manufactured exclusively by C.E. Juncker, Berlin, which served as an official supplier to the Order Chancellery and was among the first producers of the reinstated Iron Cross and the newly established Knight’s Cross in 1939. The Juncker factory and its dies were destroyed in an air raid in 1944. In addition to the official presentation piece, multiple display and exhibition examples were produced.

The present example exhibits the characteristic Juncker construction: a matte blackened, magnetic iron core set in a silver frame (Silberzarge) with beaded edging, in the Cross Pattée form with four arms. The obverse displays a central raised swastika on a blackened field, with the date “1939” raised on the lower arm. The reverse bears the date “1813” on the lower arm, referencing the original institution, along with the stamps “L/12” (Juncker manufacturer code) and “800” (silver purity hallmark). The piece is complete with its original neck ribbon (Halstrageband) in the colors black, white, and red – the national colors of Nazi Germany.

Provenance and Postwar History

This exhibition example was part of the reserves held by the Ordenskanzlei (Order Chancellery). As the war drew to its close, these stocks were evacuated to Schloss Klessheim, Hitler’s official guest palace near Salzburg, Austria. In April and May 1945, the castle was seized by American forces, with the 3rd Infantry Division and possibly the 42nd Infantry Division involved in the operation. American soldiers discovered various high decorations stored there, which were taken as war booty. Some pieces from this cache, including the unique prototype of the Star of the Grand Cross – a yet higher grade that was manufactured but never formally instituted or awarded – eventually found their way to the U.S. Army Museum at West Point.

Significance for the Collector

The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 occupies an absolutely unique position among Second World War decorations. As a grade awarded only once and subsequently revoked, it stands alone in the history of military orders. The surviving exhibition and reserve examples – only a handful worldwide are known complete with presentation cases – represent objects of the highest importance and extraordinary rarity. Each surviving piece constitutes a direct material witness to the power structures and ceremonial apparatus of the National Socialist regime, and to one of the most consequential periods in modern history.