The Collection Gallery of Steve Maly
For as long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to movies and literature of a historical-fantasy genre. From an early age, my imagination has been spurred by images of the swashbuckling pirate, the knight in shining armour, the rogue of Sherwood Forest, the barbarian from Cimmeria, or the victorious gladiator. In college, I discovered the works of Tolkien, Leiber, and Moorcock. I still find myself eagerly awaiting the release of the next "sword movie" (as my wife has come to describe them).
I was finally spurred to collecting arms following the release of
The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. After discovering that one could actually
buy replicas of the swords used in the movies, I couldn't resist! In fact, my first three purchases—
Sting,
Glamdring, and the
Witchking swords—still hang on my wall. After "discovering" the various sword sites on the Web, I began to develop my knowledge as well as an appreciation of swords that one could actually
use—and not simply a decoration! My thirst for knowledge grew, as did my library of arms and armour books. It was during this time that I acquired
Records of the Medieval Sword by Ewart Oakeshott. I was hooked and began to appreciate the historical progression of the sword through the ages.
My collection currently includes examples from the mid 9th to the mid 16th centuries (or as early as the
First Age, if we include my initial purchases), though the bulk of my collection is focused in the 11th to 14th centuries. My collection continues to evolve as I have begun adding non-sword items that were in use on the battlefield during my primary era of focus. I hope you will enjoy viewing my collection as much as I do.
I can be contacted at my
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