A few days ago I received the second of two swords I ordered from Albion before the price increase. Both showed up in less than a month! They must have their noses to the grindstone so to speak. Here is the second of the two a Bayeux with antiqued hilt furniture. I agonized between this and the Reeve and Senlac. I think this is a sword that the pics on the Albion site just don't do full justice to. It is somewhat plain at first glance but it feels great in the hand and has become one of my favorites. The antiquing adds a lot of character. I'm debating antiquing the blade still.

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awesome, I almost got that same setup but instead went with a Yeoman. Maybe I am due to get that soon then! :) Congrats on a fine weapon!

Not one for shiny hilts, are you Nathan? Both this and the Ritter look great.

That's a great looking sword! All business!!

This is the second sword (The Reeve being the first) that hadn't really kindled any real interest for me until I saw the photographs that new owners have posted. I think Albion's photos don't do justice to a lot of their swords.

Yay for agonising! ;)

I did it with the Yeoman. Now I kinda wish I'd put something down on a Stamford also, but whatever, that's not why I posted...

Nice sword! I always think "Nah, I don't want to get a sword pre-patinaed," but then I see something like this. It's quite fetching, and I can't help but feel that it's a little more accurate towards what you'd expect to see in the hand of a campaigning solider.

I'd have to agree that Albion's stock photos just don't do their work justice.

Wow. The Bayeux shown here looks great. Get a worn scabbard and a bit of wear to the blade (from use, hopefully!) and you'll have a damn fine set up. It reminds me of Howy's (from Albion) knight that has a real nice "slightly worn and used" appearance. Sweet.

Justin B. wrote:

I'd have to agree that Albion's stock photos just don't do their work justice.

I'd be happy to photograph Albion should they, or any owner, want to send me the swords to shoot. Muhaha... ;)

That just looks great Nathan. The way I look at it is as long as Albion continues to turn out great swords there pictures can stay the way they are. I like the antiquing as the others have said and agree with Justin's point about that is what you would expect to see a soldier on campaigns weapon looking like. I also like the grip, what color is that?

Scott

Nice sword! Congratulations!

For interests sake, what's the grip length [guard to pommel]? I love these earlier swords, but I have large hands, and I always wonder if my hand could fit in what looks like a smallish space. Being stuck here in the antipodes, I rarely get a chance to see or handle actual examples.

Cheers

Marc

Actually I have noticed that lower end viking and high medieval swords ted to have grips that are too long! For some reason many times even higher end custom smiths makes viking swords with lonker than normal grips- I suspect they are appealing to the customer base.


In any case Nathan- love your sword- owning the Norman, Reeve, and Templar it seems we have similar tastes!

Jeremy

Anything Albion makes is stunning. But I still like your Ritter the best. But I wouldn't kick this one out of my own collection if I were to aquire one.

Just curious is the grip colour "light brown"? I just ordered a Talhoffer from albion with light brown grip, I hope it comes out like yours/

Thanks guys for all the positve comments! The grip color is dark brown and it is approx 3 5/8" long. It really is a no frills weapon pure and simple. It's true I'm not a big fan of shiny hilts or black leather grips for that matter. I think they remind me of the cheap swords of my misspent youth (money-wise). Also, I have my swords displayed close together so I try to have varied grip/hilt colors to add a little variety to the mix. Here is a pic of my Crusades-era collection. (Sorry for the poor quality but the weather won't cooperate with me)

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That is a great selection of swords and finishes. I was originally going to get my Reeve with an antiqued finish, but backed out because the process seemed too variable. I think, seeing this, that what I saw as a problem actually gives each sword it's own character. Very nice.

D.