The 1870 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest degree of Germany’s Iron Cross award, reserved for only the top leadership. This medal was worn suspended from a neck ribbon. Our reproduction is nickel-plated with a blackened center. The front displays the imperial crown, a “W” for Kaiser Wilhelm and the 1870 institution date. The reverse displays the imperial crown, the initials FW for Prussian King Frederick William III, a spray of oak leaves and the 1813 date for the award’s creation during the Napoleonic Wars.