Germany, Wehrmacht. An Eastern Peoples Bravery Decoration, I Class in Gold

(Tapferkeits- und Verdienstauszeichnung für Ostvölker I. Klasse Gold mit Schwertern). Instituted 14 July 1942. (1942-1945 issue). Constructed of gilded zink, the obverse consisting of an eight-pointed starburst, bearing a central raised rosette, surrounded by a circular laurel wreath, with crossed swords piercing the centrepiece, the reverse with a barrel hinge and tapering vertical pinback meeting a flattened and rounded catch emanating from an oblong plate, unmarked, measuring 49.57 mm (w) x 49.20 mm (h), weighing 19.7 grams, demonstrating moderate loss of finish to the base metal, in better than very fine condition.