Hi Ladies and Gents,
This is my first post here so apologies if it has been placed in the wrong forum!
I'm currently travelling in Europe for six months, and part of my trip will include Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Albania. During some research I happened upon a Phrygian (Thracian) helmet, which looks absolutely stunning (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygian_helmet the picture is bang on).
I'm planning on visiting Sofia (Bulgaria), Skopje (Macedonia), and Tirana (Albania). I was wondering if anyone knew of a shop, or a blacksmith or armoursmith in any of those cities? I was looking to find a piece that would work as a good memento of my trip, and I figured nothing better than a Thracian helmet from the region of Thrace!
Any pointers would be lovely!
Cheers,
Ben
| Ben Sas wrote: |
|
I figured nothing better than a Thracian helmet from the region of Thrace! Any pointers would be lovely! Cheers, Ben |
It has been my experience that local artisans are often producing items for the tourist trade and hence need to be less expensive than a good quality reproduction. The helmet you like is not easily reproduced in shape, manufacture or authentic materials. A good maker would charge at least a thousand dollars US for a simple example, probably more, and you'd have to wait about a year. Indian makers cost less, use bronze and can make decent helmets but you really never know what you will get until you open the box. I've had them send me pictures of "My Helmet" and when I opened the box it's something else! East Europeans make good repros and cost about half way between North American/West European and Indian makers.
If you really like that particular helmet I suggest contacting me on PM and I will provide a list of makers I have used. If it is important that you acquire it in Bulgaria then I wish you good luck and hope you prove me wrong as I am always looking for new makers of ancient reproductions. Be aware that a lot of "bronze" replicas from that region are actually copper that has had an artificial patina added. That's not a bad thing if you are paying $200 for a full sized helmet to put on a shelf as a souvenir rather than looking for something accurate to wear.
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