EK1 Iron Cross / Eisernes Kreuz Petz & Lorenz screw back (no number known) 2. type screw solution one piece early piece

Petz & Lorenz Petz & Lorenz (no number known) as no written document survives for this data

Original found condition (I don’t usually clean any of my crosses, I keep the original condition in all cases), this is how it came to me about 10 years ago, because despite being very rare, there is a certain charm to this piece.
This is also a one-piece piece, of course, and was made with a screw back solution, but here they no longer used the two-part screw and plate solution, but they combined the disc and the screw into one.
The characteristic screw shape remains, but it is now in one piece.
The other interesting thing here is that the screw on the back of the cross is not a direct screw, but a disc is formed at the bottom of the screw and is soldered to the back plate. This is probably a later piece than the 2-part back plate solution.

The paint on this piece is very well preserved, almost only the marking has worn off, probably due to wear because it is quite high and that is why it could have worn off, but since zinc, as is known, does not really “like” paint and easily detaches from the material. Despite this, it is a very rare piece, so I was very happy that I could own such a unique rare piece, which does not lose its impressive appearance.

Petz & Lorenz is a well-known but relatively rare manufacturer among EK1 collectors. The company was based in Unterreichenbach, Germany, and was already producing Iron Crosses during World War I, and then during World War II, EK1 & EK2 pieces and other decorations.

What makes Petz & Lorenz pieces particularly interesting:
There is no official PKZ (Präsidialkanzlei) or LDO manufacturer number known. For this reason, most Petz & Lorenz EK1s are completely unmarked. This is completely normal for this manufacturer and does not indicate a fake.

Collectors identify the manufacturer based on the structural features: the hinge, the pin, the hook, the frame design and in some cases the shape of the core.
These pieces are very rare because they were produced in the early stages of World War II until 1941 as one-piece designs, which are now highly sought after by collectors.
The Petz & Lorenz factory did not have a known PKZ or LDO number.
Their early production examples are of excellent quality.
The early one-piece designs are now among the rarest versions among collectors.
How rare is it?

Petz & Lorenz was not one of the largest EK1 manufacturers, such as Juncker, Deschler Steinhauer or Deumer, so their original pieces are very rare and particularly sought after.