Was browsing at a renaissance type store and was looking at prices of LOTR swords: An Arwen was priced at around $500 dollars canadian, and another one "Special Edition Anduril" at $2500 and worse the Shard of Narsil on a wooden plaque priced at something like$4500.......OUCH.

Unless these were the originals from the film It can only be a store taking advantage of clients totally unaware of the Normal price for these. Also I would guess that someone paying this price for an Anduril would probably believe that he was getting a real sword and not an overexpensive walhanger with a rat tail tang!

Now someone buying one of these at the normal price and knowing he was buying a wallhanger is perfectly fine.

So I guess a little research is a very good thing when starting a collection in a field that one has, at the moment, little experience.

I saw them as low as $50 brand new on ebay.

I've just sent back my UC Glamdring. Hopefully I will get a decent refund after customs duty :-(

This topic has turned out to be very interesting! It's made a lot of us decide what drives our hobby, and many others really put into coherent terms our feelings about the various types of collecting goals we each have. This topic has been promoted into a Spotlight Topic.

thanks for the tip, but I don't intend to add an elaborate hilt, and I will in fact add one that is similar in size to the old one. The original has a square side profile, so I will compensate by adding a curved profile to the cross-guard. I am also likely to keep the original pommel.

I have nothing against the original cross-guard, in fact I like it. But I've always wanted something that looked a bit out of the ordinary (not too much though). I saw a design that I absolutely adore so I will be going for that look.

As for your suggestion to have it sent to a hilt maker before I receive it, that's a good idea and I might explore it. I need to get the quote from the local guy first.

Just one point Alex,

Taking the extra step of sending the sword to a cutler isn't neccesary. Christian Fletcher is an Atrim dealer, and in fact will only work on swords purchased through him. So it would be possible to simply order the sword from him and tell him what you want. I'd highly advise going this route instead of dealing with someone who isn't familiar with the craft. Even small changes in design can have an effect on a swords mechanics. I'd hate to see you spend a considerable sum of money and be disappointed. Dealing directly with Christian will gain you a sword that is unique and structurally sound at the same time.

Alex;

I have to say that I am very impressed by the speed of your learning curve: One has to only look at your first posts and compare it to your most recent ones, now one would think that you have been studying the subject and posting for years.

You also started a very interesting thread: congratulations!

[quote="James A. Vargscarr"]

Alex Yeoh wrote:

James - what about Viking Metal Works? http://www.vikingmetalworks.com//swords.html However...I'm afraid to say that Glen has been out of communication with his current clients for some time now, and most of them are in doubt as to whether they'll ever see their swords. I have no idea what might be up with Glen and I won't speculate. I will say that the Glen Parrell I know was not the kind of guy to take his customers' money and run; but the facts we have are pretty damning. I hope that Glen resurfaces soon with a satisfactory explanation, but until he does I will echo the advice of others and caution you - and any one else - not to commission a sword from Viking Metal Works. That said, I doubt you'd get a response to any inquiries to begin with - I haven't heard of Glen contacting anyone recently, whether to take orders or explain them.

Hi James.... I still admire that short sword quite a bit. It is a beauty. Glen does nice work and I enjoyed the 2 swords I had from him (sold to raise money for debts and expenses.... waaahhhh....). However, as you point out, he has been out of touch for a while and no one new whether he was gone for good or ill or what...

While it didn't explain away the absense in any way, I got a mail from Glen yesterday saying my patternwelded leafblade is finished up and ready to ship out.... He has promised me some pics in the next week or so, so I can hardly wait to see what he did with my design idea...

He said nothing about where he stands on new orders or his current contact info or anything else... So, can't say anything about that, other than I'm hopeful he will be 'back' soon. He does good work and I've said several times I think it would be a loss to sword folks if he were to quit....

Hopefully, soon, I will have a new sword to show off, though, and maybe other folks with late orders will be seeing their stuff as well... Got my fingers crossed on that. Glen said he was okay and still working on folks swords....

Well, that is all I can offer on this subject that is new at this time. Hope it works out ...

Hey Scott,
That sounds some great news, made up for you chap,
Hopefully as you said the other bits will also eventually filter through too, :)

Hi Scot - I just replied to your Glen Parrell thread on SFI. I hope that this pleasant turn of events signifies the beginnings of a complete solution for everyone concerned. If this turns out to be the case, I also hope that word gets out quickly; because there has been a lot of very unpleasant speculation regarding Glen of late. And with good reason - I have every sympathy for those who felt cheated and suspicious due to Glen's apparent disappearance. However, for those of us who have dealt with Glen more than successfully in the past, it's been a confusing time that left us wondering whether to back him regardless, or condemn him based on the frustrations of his current clients. Since you fit into both camps, being a previously satisfied customer and a recent client in the dark, I was glad to see you were willing to give Glen the benefit of the doubt, and exhibited a resistance to judging him based solely on silence.

For my part, I've also tried to be fair to Glen, and honest about my successful dealings with Viking Metal Works to those with unfulfilled orders; but I really had no idea what to think of the issues at hand. I'm certainly glad that, like you, I reserved judgement.

Sadly, whatever the reasons for his silence, Glen will have a hard time regaining potential customers' trust. I hope he issues a public explanation to put paid to any rumours that remain; but I don't feel he owes anyone anything but the swords they commissioned from him. If he fulfils these orders, that's good enough for me, and I wouldn't hesitate to commission work from him again - delays are common in the custom smithing world, and as long as swords are made and shipped to everyone on the books, all is right with the world - even when lack of communication might make it appear terribly otherwise.

I quite agree that if Glen quit the smithing business it would be a huge loss to the sword community. His work is exceptional, and as far as my personal experience goes, he's also one of the most friendly, helpful, and trustworthy people to deal with. I hope whatever problems he's been dealing with are on the way to a solid resolution, and that through new commissions Glen regains the good reputation that was - in my mind - always synonymous with Viking Metal Works.

But I don't want to jump the gun. I can't wait to see pictures of your new sword, and I hope that Glen's other clients are equally vociferous in their praise when Glen delivers as they have been in their recent cautions - but I also hope they will continue to caution us all if it becomes or remains warranted.

Let's remain optimistic though - this is excellent news for all Viking Metal Works customers. Many thanks for posting, and for your kind words about my sword :)

Apologies to the moderators for drifting off this thread's topic, but I wanted to respond to Scot's post, and so was hesitant to begin a new thread.

This is indeed good news Scot. As a past customer of Glen's I was distressed at this turn of events. Hopefully this signals a sea change for all of the customers with outstanding orders.

"Sadly, whatever the reasons for his silence, Glen will have a hard time regaining potential customers' trust."

Not really. Sword consumers are a notoriously fickle bunch. Most will cry and complain that their order is off in limbo and far overdue. They'll act as if the maker is the anti-christ incarnate. However, once their order is finally done and they have their shiny pretty in hand all of this is forgotten, and the maker is once again "The man". A few years ago many of us were ripped off by a well known maker. Most of those outstanding orders were never filled, yet he continues to recieve raves from new customers. For better or worse I don't see this having a detrimental effect on Glen's business in the long term, provided that he does indeed stay in the business.