Cased WW2 German Mother’s Cross in Gold by Wilhelm Deumer Ludenscheid

Here on offer is a fine example of a cased WW2 period German Mother’s Cross (Cross of Motherhood) in Gold, by Wilhelm Deumer of Ludenscheid, Germany.

The two-piece cross is formed from tombac with a gold wash and blue and white enamel work.

It is made in the form of a Christian cross with outward fluted arms in semi-translucent blue enamel with white enamel border.

The cross has a raised sunburst pattern emanating between its arms and a separate central circular field with white enamel base and black static swastika. This is encompassed by a circular border with embossed Latin script:

“Der Deutschen Mutter”, (The German Mother).

Reverse has an impressed simulated handwritten script, “16 December 1938”, and facsimile Hitler signature.
It still has its original full-length blue and white neck ribbon attached through the top flat shaped loop.

The cross comes complete with original silk lined dark blue leatherette formed case. It has a gilt embossed image of the cross on the top of the lid and inside, the maker’s mark of Wilhelm Deumer of Ludenscheid, Germany.

I believe the crosses were awarded annually on the second Sunday in May (Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day), but also extended to include other national annual occasions of celebration. Therefore, despite its institution in 1938, the first awards were rendered in May 1939.

The Mother’s Cross was introduced by Adolf Hitler on December 16TH 1938 as part of a large propaganda campaign aimed at increasing the birth rate.

The award was officially designated, Honour Cross of the German Mother, and was instituted in three grades to recognize and reward childbearing German females.

The three grades consisted of the bronze cross for bearing four or five children, the silver cross for bearing six or seven children and the gold cross for bearing eight or more children.

Criteria for the award included that the parents be of pure German blood, and that the mother was worthy of such an honour.


The cross measures 1.75” (4.4cm) by 1.4” (3.5cm) and in the case weighs 46g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

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Code: 51115