I recently had a sword and scabbard set made, both as part of a family history project and because, I mean c'mon- Who doesn't want a beautiful medieval sword and scabbard set?

The sword I chose was an Albion Next Gen Squire, which I had them etch with a personal crest. It came out fairly nice. After that, I sat in the queue for none other than Brian from DBK Custom Swords for close to a year- BOY was it worth the wait. I took several of his designs, and did a little photoshoppery to come up with a basic design. I gave Brian the caveat that he should trust his gut instincts when it comes to embellishing my original idea. I think he took the quick design I had and turned it into a complete work of art. He was also fantastic to work with, a true professional. Anyway, without further ado-

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If you are thinking of having a scabbard made for your sword, I'd look no further. Certainly made my week, and I can't wait to finish the project later this year (when I'll be making a custom heater style shield based off of the Livorno Coat of Arms).

Very nice! Brian does have a way with scabbards...I love the colors of the leather. I didn't realize Albion will etch their swords for you! Congratulations.

They've been etching for years. Their makers' marks are etched. The contest prize they donated 9 years ago had custom etching on the blade. Their etching has gotten cleaner and better over the years in my opinion. I suspect they don't advertise it because they don't want to get into a ton of custom work.

This package looks great, even though the etching isn't quite period correct for the era of this sword.

On the etching front- Technically, they sent it out of house to have the etching template made and executed. They thought they could do it themselves, and it would have been 1/3 of the price of sending it out, but they wouldn't guarantee that it would be perfect. I figured if I was going to drop the money to get this thing started, it had better be perfect :)

As for the period (in)correctness. Yeah, it's not. But that wasn't what I was going after- I wanted something more representational and that spoke of the generations of my family. A little compromise, but overall I could not be happier.

I may be one and done (although the idea of adding a 2-hander and a dagger to the set is rather tempting)... Time will tell. Either way, I know who I'll be contacting for the work!

I really like it!

This notion of a sword/scabbard to celebrate the family is a cool idea.

If I could ever bring myself to depart from my slavish emphasis on historical accuracy I may do the same for one sword of my collection.

Is the waved shield etched on both sides of the blade?

Nope. The other side is Albion's mark. They seemed pretty flexible and I wanted both on there. :)

Michael was a pleasure to work with, and I really enjoyed putting this scabbard together for him. I get such enjoyment from being able to come up with creative ideas and implementing them.

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