Jubilee Cross

On the 2nd of December 1908 Kaiser Franz Joseph I celebrated his 60th Crown Jubilee. In a similar fashion to the celebrations held ten years previously, special commemorative decorations were instituted and awarded to honor all manner of service to the Kaiser and the country. The decoration itself was designed by the famous medal designer Kammermedailleur Professor Rudolf Marschall (1873-1967) and was based on a so-called Tatzenkreuz (a cross similar to that used by the German Iron Cross), of about 37 mm diameter, with a wreath of laurel leaves between the arms. On the obverse the cross bore a round centerfield, about 20 mm in diameter, depicting a portrait of the Emperor's head and on the viewer's left side the small inscription "FRANC.IOS.I." and - only in some cases - on the right side the very small designers mark "R.Marschall". On the plain rear side the two years "1848 - 1908" on two lines. These crosses were made of gold plated brass by many different firms over several years in large quantities so it is little wonder that several variant patterns do exist on today's collector market. For example they can vary from 36-37 mm and from 25,8 to 26,8 g but in the final analysis each collector himself has to decide which is a variant pattern and which is not. There are only 2 clear variant patterns which can be verified by contemporary black and white photographs: Variant 1 with highly polished cross arms like small mirrors and Variant 2 with an additional engraved line along the outer side of the cross arms - some manufacturers additionally inlaid this engraved line with black enamel to achieve a better appearance. The award of such a cross was entered into the personal files and displayed on the decorative retirement documents ("Abschied") if these were awarded on an individual's retirement. However a specific award certificate was not issued on the bestowal of the award. The crosses were normally presented without boxes or wrappers but the different firms sold innumerable variants to account for individual taste and expenditure. It should be noted that these crosses were so common and also so inexpensive that most of the recipients obtained one and often additional crosses at their own expense.