With Arctic Fire 2016 in our recent past, I wanted to take a moment to look back at the product of the 2013 event: the dagger of Arthur Pendragon, Carnwennan.

For those unaware, I was the fortunate individual to win ownership of this unique masterwork crafted by the hands of Owen Bush, Petr Florianek, Peter Johnsson, J. Arthur Loose, Michael Pikula, Jake Powning, and Dave Stephens.

As a modern artefact, I felt one of my obligations was to ensure that this piece was displayed in a museum. Thanks to the gracious help of Castlerock Arms and Armor Museum of Alma, Wisconsin, this past June that objective was fulfilled. It truly looked at home as it greeted visitors from its own display case and helped bring awareness to a bit of lesser-known Arthuriana as well as Arctic Fire's past and present.

That over, however, I am ever looking for something to do next with this dagger, to have it better appreciated than sitting in the dark confines of a safe. And this is why I post here now. What - if anything - do you think I should do with the Arctic Fire 2013 artefact, Carnwennan (besides give it to you)? What would you like to see done with it and what would you do with it if it were yours?

These may be unusual questions, not ordinarily asked of the blades in one's collection, but this is neither an ordinary nor usual piece, and I am curious to hear what you think.

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Realistically, since this is not a blade you are going to use in any meaningful fashion (cutting tests etc.), that narrows it down to two, possibly three options:

--Display it. Either at home, or find a suitable venue for public display. There are a few other arms and armour museums. It could fit in a gallery displaying metal-work and jewelry-- art galleries are an option as this is essentially an art piece. Displaying at home will probably entail some kind of glass case and setting aside a space specifically for it. Security and insurance would also be a concern, since I'm sure this piece is quite valuable.

--The second option is to offload it, selling it to another owner who may be able to come up with a display solution of their own. Making a charitable donation of it to, say, your alma mater with a provision that they put it on display in the school building of your preference, would permit you to claim it as a tax break, but I doubt that's particularly a concern for you.

--Finally, while this wouldn't solve anything for you as far as taking care of it goes, I think it would be very neat if you got together with whomever have the other Arctic Fire pieces and make some awesome photos, possibly taking articles and commentary from the craftsmen involved and putting it together in a book or Website for us to enjoy :) You could trade the pieces with each other and get a new Arctic Fire piece to enjoy!

UK/Irish Republic Museum tour? Royal Armouries? Wallace? Glasgow? Dublin?

Toby Capwell (Wallace Collection) is a member here and knows Peter Johnsson well. The WC has had special exhibits showing modern work, as have the Royal Armouries in Leeds. I know that Peter has researched there as well.
Capwell worked at Glasgow and RA before joining WC.

Space and the need to attract visitors are huge considerations, but there are some connections to explore there if the makers are interested in helping out with a pitch.

Being unsure about selling it is perfectly fine. There are any number of pro/con arguments to be made, and honestly what you have is a wonderful piece of functional art with a deep personal meaning. Considering those circumstances it's quite understandable that you may not want to shift the burden to someone else, for all that they would probably be quite happy with it. It seems then that loaning it out to various displays would be the ideal solution.

As for cutting/carrying, if you did that it would certainly be your prerogative. I personally wouldn't, but everybody's going to feel differently regarding this so no worries :)

Sounds like the Wallace Collection could be a nice option... if that ends up working out, it would certainly be possible to discuss further options with Dr. Capwell or he could help connect you to other interested parties.

Thank you both for your input. I will certainly make some inquiries!