Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes). On 1 September 1939 Adolf Hitler reinstituted the Iron Cross series of awards in the First, Second and Grand Cross Classes and established the new Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross was the highest award made by Nazi Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or outstanding military leadership. Hitler reserved the right to personally authorize bestowal of the Knight’s Cross and all ranks were eligible for the award. In total it is estimated that roughly 7360 Knight’s Crosses were awarded during World War II. The cross has a three piece construction having an iron core and a '800' silver marked frame. The loop is nicely marked with '800 65', since it is marked with the 'Präsidialkanzlei' number it is indicating a later war type cross made by the company of 'Klein & Quenzer AG' from Idar-Oberstein. The cross is in clearly worn condition showing some paint-loss but having an overall great patina. The cross comes together with an original 75cms long sized piece of unissued Kinght's Cross ribbon, the set is stored in a hard to find original period Knight's Cross case in very good condition. Scarce original cased Knight's Cross!