This sword moved me to the point I nearly reached for my credit card ( an impulse Amy does not try to quash :D ). What beautiful beast this Type XIV is. The blade is not long but the width and double fullers give it a real presence. I can only imagine what it looks like live and in the flesh. Great job Peter and the rest of the guys and gals over at Albion! This one sword on my "to get" list and many of you who know me, know I have an affinity for the big, long blades. Can anyone say sword and buckler?

Joel

The Sovereign

---

 Attachment: 12.56 KB

The Albion Sovereign

I saw one " in the flesh " so to speak and it is a real sexy beast. Back when Albion just had the drawings up on their web site I thought it was cool, but it was not on my to buy list. At the Blade Show last month Mike and Eric had one on the table and I could not keep my eyes off it. (My hands either :lol: ) It has a brutal yet strangely graceful look that made it one of the coolest sword I have ever seen. Needless to say I am now trying to work it into my buying schedule.

I wasn't sure about this one but it grew on me so quickly that I ordered one for myself. The positive feedback from the folks at Albion only reinforced the fact that I made an excellent choice. I'm really excited about getting mine :D

I'm really looking forward to receiving mine. I'll post photos when it comes in, of course, but it may be a bit before I receive it.

My Sovereign arrived today and I am certainly not disappointed! Pics to follow! I continue to be impressed by the Next Gen line. Let the temptation of Joel continue...

Here are some pics to whet your appetite! I'll try to get some better pics later (if we ever get an overcast day before September...clear skies play havoc with my color levels!).

---

 Attachment: 90.5 KB



 Attachment: 106.34 KB



 Attachment: 82.57 KB

That second pic is the money shot. Wow, does that sword look awesome with a dark grip and the bronze pommel.

My Sovereign has come in as well. I hope to get some photos up, but doubt they will be as good as Steve's. It is certainly a great looking, beautifully crafted sword. Its balance took me a little aback at first, though I'm not sure why. This is not primarily a finesse sword. You can feel all of its 2 lb 11 oz . but it has that fishing rod balance thing that Oakeshott sometimes talked about that throws the blade forward in the cut - surprising in so short a sword. It is a handsome little brute that carries a really big kick. More of a cutter than a thruster, but I think that is the way XIV's were supposed to be. I'm not saying it isn't a good thruster, just that that is secondary.

It's a great sword for a tight melee. Bring your buckler. (I have an A&A Engish buckler, and this is the sword to go with it.)

I think he's referring to the angles on the peen block.

On that photo, the left angle is more of a severe drop than the right angle. The block winds up being mishapen.

It's really hard to see in the photos, and is probably more noticable up close. Had I received mine like this, I probably would have contacted Albion about fixing it, especially when the peen blocks on their other swords are so neat and tidy. ;)

But! It is an awesome sword despite that one minor problem. I'm doing a little salivating of my own here, thinking of my Sovereign to be. ;)

Aside from the pommel cap thing that most of us missed, the blade on this one looks like it may even be excuted more cleanly than the one at bladeshow. I know photos lose quite a bit of detail though so hard to tell for sure but she looks darn nice.