Original German The Cross of Honor of the German Mother 1st Class, Recognition For Eight or More Children
SKU: 57
Original/Reproduction: Original
Availability: In-stock
Manufacturer: N/A
Date Manufactured: 1940
Materials / Construction: Gold-layered bronze, blue, white, and black enamels
Pattern: Gold Grade
Measurements (approximate): - 37 x 44mm - 14.5 grams w/ribbon
Condition: Excellent
Price: $140.00
Seller Type: WW2C
Seller ID: JMW
Return Policy: 3-day inspection and return policy on used guns and accessories.
Description
This Original Latin cross w/concave arms in gold-layered bronze, blue, white, and black enamels, & sun rays emanating from between the arms of a center medallion. Suspended from a blue & white ribbon designed to hang from the mother's neck.
Obverse: Circular medallion ornament featuring a black enameled Hakenkreuz (swastika) within a gold-layered ring inscribed “Der Deutschen Mutter” (The German Mother). The four arms are edged w/white enamels & solid blue panels
Reverse (Version II): Stamped w/date of implementation (16. Dezember 1938) & the Führer & Reichs-Chancellor's (Adolf Hitler) signature. Note: the 1st version featured Hitler's signature and the phrase, "Das Kind Adelt Die Mutter" (The Child Ennobles the Mother). Version I is extremely rare!
History
The introduction of the Mother’s Cross by Adolf Hitler in 1938 was part of a larger campaign aimed at increasing the birth rate in Germany. The award recognized and rewarded German women for bearing children, with three grades of the cross given based on the number of children born. The bronze cross was for four or five children, the silver cross for six or seven, and the gold cross for eight or more. To be eligible for the award, parents had to be of pure German blood, and the mother had to be deemed worthy of the honor.
