World War 1 Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse). Re-instituted by King Wilhelm II on 5 August 1914 for award during WWI. Both the Iron Cross 1st Class and the Iron Cross 2nd Class were awarded without regard to rank. The second class medal was for award to personnel who performed a single act of bravery in combat. One had to already possess the 2nd Class in order to receive the 1st Class. The cross has a three piece construction with an iron core and a silver frame. The cross is nicely maker marked with 'WS' indicating production by the company 'Wagner & Sohn' from Berlin. The pin and catch are in perfect functional condition. The cross comes in its original early type case as found together. The case has an grained dark black simulated leather outside with an embossed silver Iron Cross with date '1914/15' on the lid. This is indicating that this is an early type case, Germany at that time thought they were able to win the war within two years. This is a harder to find variant case. Both the cross and case are in overall very good condition. The set comes in its rarely encountered original so-called 'Überkarton'. The small fragile carton box is in good condition, only missing one side flap, see photos. Stunning original set!