Spanish Civil War, German Condor Legon Medal of honor

[Garabaldi]

Dug this in a small field near my house.
I did a search on google using "Spanish Honor Cross" and found this web site,
http://www.angelfire.com/nj/ww2/spanishawards.html
This is the description they give,

"German Condor Legion Honor Cross for Next of Kin. This award was established the same day as the Spanish Cross to commemorate those legionaries who fell during the Spanish conflict. The award was a smaller version of the Spanish Cross with swords and it was produced from bronze or brass with a bronze wash. As with the Spanish Cross, the reverse was plain. It was held by a black ribbon with the colors of the Spanish flag (red-yellow-red) on its edges.
The award was presented to the next of kin in cases of soldiers killed or missing in action or if death occurred due to war related sickness. A total of 315 Honor Crosses were awarded."

I am going to go back to the site I found it and try to find the other eagle thats missing on the medallion. I think I may have broke it off with my spade. Interesting to see how much this would be worth. When I dug it I thought it was some home made deal turns out to be my best find.
I found the same one an ebay type web site and the guy was asking $2000.00. I don't think he got a bid. I wonder how much I could get for this, any guesses??

 

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[Trond]

Re: German Condor Legion Honor Cross for Next of Kin

If i found anything like this, i would never sell it. Good luck finding the missing eagle.

 

[Aquila]

Re: German Condor Legion Honor Cross for Next of Kin

Congrats, very cool relic. .

 

[spartacus53]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

That is a great little piece of history you have there, especially since only 315 were made. I wonder who in the states lost that unknown man and how the medal was even lost.

 

[allen]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

that is an awesome piece of history !!

 

[Garabaldi]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

I wonder tha same thing Aquila. Would be interesting to get a list of the 315 were killed or MIA in that war then find there next of kin. I went back to try and find the lost eagle but no luck. Posted the random field wear I found it. Who new.

 

[Tank69]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

awsome find

 

[Garabaldi]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

TY Tank..

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

wow a real bit of history there --no doubt about it.

 

[Garabaldi]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

Sure is Ivan and a ton of quistions about how it exactly got to a random field next to my house. Thank you all.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

eazy --my wild guess would be that either someone fought (as a merc) for the fascist /nazi side during the spanish civil war (thus against the communist)-- kind of the way of ernest hemingway was a "vollenteer" corpman / driver during it --but this fellow was most likely a "shooter" thus more "active" and came home afterwards with his medal - as a war trophy * if a american guy had it from the spanish war --when WW2 broke out with the nazis --he most likely buried it so as not to be laballed a "nazi" and be put in a prison camp.

or esle a american GI might have got it off a italian fascist or nazi soldier that took part in the spanish civil war. --or a spanish soldier had it and came to the USA after the war--- I would check who lived nearby during the spanish civil war to just past WW2 era myself.

 

[johnnyi]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

Garibaldi, First of all, wonderful and historic artifact in its own right! I'm assuming you dug this here in the U.S.? If you did, I'd guess the odds are pretty staggering that this was something that junior stole out of "daddy's" collection in the late 60's. "Iron crosses" were huge back then. I remember in high school every "bad boy" or want to be bad boy had one or wished they had one. When you go looking for that missing eagle don't be surprised if you find a hash pipe or a pair of pink lensed glasses along with it.

 

[Garabaldi]

Re: Spanish Civil War Metal of honor

ty Johnnyi,
Ill be sure to post any hash pipes or pink glasses...
I dug it in Brighton MA, which is Boston in some random field. I had no idea what it was at first, then you all helped me figure it out. I won best in show during my last months metal detecting meeting with it. My fellow members were going crazy about it. We all figured it was WWII era, but didn't realize it was a metal of honor given to a German Condor Legion next of kin by the Spanish Government. They will flip next meeting when I tell them.

 

[HISPAN]

This medal is the Germans who bombed Spain .... but they were not Spanish.
here we have never killed anyone who believes in God .....

 

[Bikerboyzx6r]

My opinion is that this was worn around the neck of a German who's family member was killed during the Spanish civil war. Then the item found its was to America after WW2 where it was removed from a German.
Who know's why it ended up in your area, but glad its now in a good home*.

*Im not a Nazi etc but I collect WW2 militaria & these things are little pieces of history that deserve preserving.

Cheers
Dan

 

[Garabaldi]

I am not a Nazi either, but love history. The Spanish Civil war and WWII era is a special time in USA history. I actually a tour guy and give history of the WWII era. This find was random adn one of my early finds in my detecting years. I would never detect in a random field like this one today. My cluelessness paid off.
g