Country: AUSTRIA

1st Class Breast Star with War Decoration of the 2nd Class and Swords of lower grade. Breast Star silver brilliant cut (Austrian style) center bronze gilt partially enamelled crossed swords in dark steel grey color. Flat back-plate on reverse flat pin with round point 96x95 mm. Nice old original Austrian quality dark patina corpus minimal enamel damages. In 1860 the 'war-decoration' was instituted for the Order of the Iron Crown and in 1916 the 'swords' were created for all three classes in gilt color of the appropriate form. In November 1917 the 'swords of a lower class' were instituted in dark steel grey and were awarded to officers who were still in possession of a lower class of this order. In spring 1918 a few sets were made as patterns. This breast star is one of these very rare pattern stars. See literature: Michetschl�ge Merica Prochazka Stolzer-Steel. I- RR!