what got you into sword collecting?

at what age did you start? and what did you start your collection with?

how did your collection bring you to this forum? does this forum help with your collection?

what do you do with your collection? (ie wall hang, reenact, collect dust, testing demos etc etc)

all in all is your collection worth the time and money you have put into it? why?

What got me started? Well, Highlander probably, but I always had an interest in them that was somewhat unusual for someone from my background, i.e. a country boy from Tennessee.

I started studing swords a little earlier than this but I got my first sword for my thirteenth birthday. It was a knock-off version of the Marto Sword of the Dragon, you know, the one with the stainless blade that had "Taiwan" stamped into it and the little red jewel in the handle. Brace yourselves for this one, that plastic handled sword has probably seen more cutting than any other sword in my collection!!! I am EXTREMLY lucky that it didn't break and kill somebody. I still have the old boy in storage back at my parents place. I would have to say that I will always keep it, and it has more sentimental value than any other blade I posess.

I found this great site through its creator Nathan Robinson, when he was over at SFI.

I do a little of everything with my swords. Unfortunatley, my move into the city over a year ago has put a screeching halt on my sword useage :evil: :cry: So I would have to say that apart from the occasional faire, most of them are back at my old house with mom and dad. Theo one's I brought with me occupy places of honor in my apartment.

Worth it? Absolfreakinlutley

Simple:
When I was probably 7 or 8 years old I saw this:

[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]

and I was hooked ever since.
:D

what got you into sword collecting?

i would have to say the MD ren faire and movies. I too watched highlander and conan ;) I also had some friends that started collecting at the same time as me. it would seem we had an arms race at one point. i do believe we all had around 40 sword a piece (sigh how the money goes to bad things when your young)

at what age did you start? and what did you start your collection with?

i believe i started around age 10ish? my first 2 swords were from toledo Spain. bought in spain in the 60s. they were used as wall hangers in my parents bedroom. i bought my first sword at 13. a united cutlery sword that later appeared in the casibera line up as the archers sword.

how did your collection bring you to this forum? does this forum help with your collection?

it wasnt my collection but friends that got me posting here. JeffJ and Gordon Clark. This forum is a great help for a guy like me digging and selling my old rennie stuff to get new and better "period" toys

what do you do with your collection? (ie wall hang, reenact, collect dust, testing demos etc etc)

living history encampments. live steel reeactments. a few wall hangers still here and there

all in all is your collection worth the time and money you have put into it? why?

if you ask my wife... ehhehe i love to have my toys. all of the ones not in closets, under beds etc have a purpose and a use. one has niether but it was the only sword my father bought me while he was alive and it will always have its place in my office.

what got you into sword collecting?
Movies like Conan the Barbarian, Ivanhoe, etc. Books like The Lord of the Rings, the Dragonlance Chronicles, etc.

at what age did you start? and what did you start your collection with?
I started in 1990 at age 17 with my first Del Tin from Museum Replicas: the DT2120 "Norman Sword." I followed that up with a some cheap Katana (which I gave away), MRL Shrewsbury Sword (currently in pieces awaiting my decision on what to do with it), the MRL offering of the Del Tin DT2130 "Sword of Saint Maurice" (one of the last they sold back in 1993), the Wheel of Time Heron Mark sword (sold to my cousin), a cheap swept hilt rapier (sold to the same cousin), and finally the MRL Knightly Hand and a Half sword back in 2000. I am saving for my first Albion and Iam about 60% of the way there.

how did your collection bring you to this forum? does this forum help with your collection?
Actually, I was looking for something on a search engine and this place was one of the matches on the search engine. I started checking things out and haven't left (kind of like an unwanted houseguest). :lol:

what do you do with your collection? (ie wall hang, reenact, collect dust, testing demos etc etc)
PA Ren Faire (even though the MD Ren Festival is closer, the website says you can't wear weapons and that's no fun), starting to get into cutting with them.

all in all is your collection worth the time and money you have put into it? why?
Yes, although I think if I had known some stuff earlier on, I would have gotten swords from different places and not relied so heavily on MRL as my armourer.

Edited because I forgot to finish a sentance. (funny how kids can distract you)

Chuck Russell wrote:

what got you into sword collecting. Reading the entire Michael Moorcock 's "Elric" saga while being laid up in the hospital for about a month. at what age did you start? and what did you start your collection with. This happen when I was about 23 and bought a Toledo Great Captain wall hanger, which I stil have, soon after. how did your collection bring you to this forum? does this forum help with your collection? Looking for more info. on, of course, Mortuary's. With my wife being of British birth, and making trips over there to visit her relative's, my interest in England's history, mainly the ECW grew. She is a period seamstress, focusing on the Tudor/ Elizathian time period, so we kinda share in this historical hobby to a sense. what do you do with your collection? (ie wall hang, reenact, collect dust, testing demos etc etc) About half of my collection is just decorative & the other half functional. We have done living history, re-enactment, Ren-Faires, but now, mainly do demos/presentations for schools and church groups. Also have started a small local "sword guild" with other collectors, bladesmiths,etc., where we have cutting get togethers and hold discussions. all in all is your collection worth the time and money you have put into it? why?

As resounding YES! For the last 4 or 5 years have really became more serious (obsessed if you ask me wife) with my collection. This is my hobby to the fullest. Spend alot of time still doing research and collecting data on Mortuary's and other swords of the 17th c., but have recently ,with the influence of local blade-smith, antique collector and far distant relative, Will Goodwin, started to branch out (a little)into the antique British military sword relm.

Some interesting stories from you other folks. Always nice to hear how others found there way here.


Cheers,

Bill

I first took an interest in swords in the late seventies from two things. A comic book called "The Warlord" by Mike Grell and Terry Brooks' novel "The Sword of Shannara". I bought my first sword ( a wall hanger, though I didn't know the difference at the time) when I was 15 or so from a flea market/antique store. I did not really start collecting until I got my first Museun Replicas catalog in the mail in the early '90s from which I bought a Del Tin 5150. Even though I am a fan of the works of Burroughs, Howard and Tolkien, it was MRL that opened my eyes to the notion of historical replicas.

I found myArmoury after browsing some other forums for a couple of years. I think I first found the link through Albion.

I used to have my collection hanging on my bedroom wall. When my toddler son got tall enough to reach the tips of the swords I relocated them to a lockable gun cabinet. It has a glass door though so I still get to show them off. I now have swords by Del Tin, Windlass, Atrim and Albion. I use them all for test cutting when I get the time.

Is it worth the time and money? Absofrigginlutely!

what got you into sword collecting? at what age did you start? and what did you start your collection with?

About five years ago my college department began working on a new humanities curriculum. It was (and is still) requiring a tremendous amount of study. Usually I develop some hobby to help motivate me and hold my interest in such a series of long term investigations. It was about that time that the movie "Gladiator" hit the theatres. My wife asked me what I wanted for christmas. I gave her some suggestions... one of them being a cheap zinc pot metal gladius I had seen in a mail order catalog. That was one of the things under the Christmas tree that year and I immediately began to improve it... reshaped the hilt and gave it a new bone grip. That sword started my new hobby which formed the nexus for my study in history and humanities.

how did your collection bring you to this forum? does this forum help with your collection?

Actually I was making my way to this forum before I had much of collection. I did a search on the internet and found Albion and Sword Forum International (SFI). Nathan Robinson was posting on SFI and I found myArmoury in his signature. That was long before the forum. It was just his collection and the comparison tool. The comparison tool really impressed me. It was a fantastic idea that resonated with my tendencies to archive. So, as you can imagine, as the website built upon this theme with more articles... and added a forum, I was quick to join.


what do you do with your collection? (ie wall hang, reenact, collect dust, testing demos etc etc)

I find that my collection goals are different than many. Most seem to gravitate toward having fewer swords of higher quality. I am gravitating toward having more swords of medium range quality. I often buy these as used or clearance items so I get them at an even lower price. Then I refurbish them to make them look and feel as much like antiques as possible. In the end, I would like to have a few representative swords from each of six categories: Bronze Age, Celto-Roman, Germano-Norse, Anglo-Norman, Longswords and Baskethilts.

Since I have small children, none of my swords are sharp so I can not do any cutting. I am not yet into reenacting although I am leaning in that direction as well as learning some of the martial arts. I don't hang my collection on the wall, but I am building a sword rack to try and keep them in one place.


all in all is your collection worth the time and money you have put into it? why?

It is worth the money because I usually buy at bargain prices and improve them. I doubt that they are worth (to anyone else) the amount of time I spend on redoing them... but for me that time is a opportunity to relax and release some of my creative urges.

ks

what got you into sword collecting?

at what age did you start? and what did you start your collection with?

how did your collection bring you to this forum? does this forum help with your collection?

what do you do with your collection? (ie wall hang, reenact, collect dust, testing demos etc etc)

all in all is your collection worth the time and money you have put into it? why?

1/ Conan
2/ I can't remember my memory is shite...lol umm A wall hanging LOTR sword.Trying to get funds when your little and in school just stinks, and when you don't know anybetter ;)
3/ Merc. Tailor....gave me the link....Definetly...reviews, disscussion, opinions
4/ wall hang, decor, cutting, and Home defense ;) King of my castle I say!!!! No one lays seige to it!!!
5/ Yes I'd just blow my money on somthing else lol, but seriously yes, it takes you back to another time. A different one to be sure, I think we all idealize it a bit, but these are tangible objects. You can see and handle a sword, feel its power when you hold it, they command respect.

I've always been interested in military history, medieval history, and fantasy.

Started buying swords in my 40's. The first, a Gus Trim Basic Bastard Sword (through Albion). When I realized you could get a "real" sword, I was willing to take the plunge.

I was aware of Nathan's collection before this site was launched, and followed his lead. The comparison tool has been very helpful, as have the reviews, as far as collecting goes. The Maker's forum is great, especially Peter Johnsson's posts.

The collection gathers dust, but they do come out from time to time, for handling and some light cutting.

I probably should change a few items - sell a couple, buy some others (the hard part is choosing which ones!) However, the collection is dear to me.

I blame my dad for this hobby. He has never collected swords or weapons of any kind but is an avid military historian, toy solider dealer and former wargamer. There were many weekends as a kid that, instead of playing sports outside, I’d be in the basement re-fighting Waterloo or forming a phalanx of Greek spearmen against an impending cavalry charge. Can you say geek? :lol: There were also many family vacations in which we took side trips to a particular fort, castle or wargaming store. My dad also has an old college buddy who used to work at the Higgins so we got some behind-the-scenes access.

Around age 11 or 12 I discovered D&D. This was fueled by Tolkien, Lewis and a host of other fantasy influences. I began collecting miniatures and studying on my own. Even went to a con or two.

I began a serious study of historic arms and armor about six years ago, primarily through books and the internet. I’ve only been actively collecting swords for a few years. My first purchase was a Windlass/MRL Crusader. It’s just spiraled out of control from there.

I found myArmoury through random net surfing. It has proven to be the single most valuable resource for my collecting and research.

Currently my collection hangs on the wall or sits around my office. I break it out occasionally for cutting or playing. I’ve wanted to pursue WMA more actively but time and opportunity have been lacking.

Is it worth it? My wife would say I’m squandering my time and money. I say that I have learned more about history and the world than any other hobby I could possibly pursue. It brings the past alive in a way that books never could.

What got me into collecting? It was September of 1998 when I had just gotten out of the Navy. I was 21 years old. My best friend since fourth grade 'introduced' me to the Renaissance festival (Ohio). Obviously, I knew nothing whatsoever of swords, the Renaissance, or faires... :eek: :?: I couldn't have told you what a rapier was if my life depended on it! Anyway, my friend had me try on a Windlass rapier w/ scabbard and baldric. As soon as I saw myself in the mirror, that was all she wrote -- been hooked ever since. :cool:

Do I bring my collection to the forums? Yeah, somewhat. Right now, my collection consists of three Arms&Armor pieces (Schloss Erbach sword, Tudor dagger, Black Prince sword), two Albions (FirstGen Celtic Letene sword, and NextGen Talhoffer), and a DelTin 2133 (St. Maurice-Vienna). I still have that famous Windlass swept-hilt (my only rapier) and an assortment of daggers. Thanks to myArmoury, I've successfully sold my Albion FirstGen Acre type XII, Arms& Armor Henry V sword, and an Albion FirstGen Pompeii gladius.

Do forums help my collection? Yes, in a sense. I have a better understanding of what's good and what's not. The Reviews section helps me decide what will probably be next.

What do I do with my collection? Mostly display. A few swords I like to take outside and test cut or practice dry-handling with. A few of them I wear with costume to Renfaire.

Worth the time and $ I've invested? Absolutely! It's the one thing I can say I've gotten myself into as opposed to someone else forcing me into (like my being forced to play the violin when I was a kid. :wtf: )