Specifically I'm wondering if anything has anything to say about Hundred and One Antiques - http://www.antiques-arms.com/catalog/index.php

I was considering ( in concert with others ) purchasing a gift for a friend from their Islamic swords and daggers section. However I am a total neophyte in the area of such antiques and thus am somewhat reliant on a reputable dealer to not cheat me ;). Anyone have an opinion on this company? Reliability, reputability, reasonable pricing ( relative to other such dealers ) ?

- Nick

Hello Nick, I dont know too much about the dealer. I know that he is a regular seller on Ebay. His seller name is eclecticmuseum, quite fitting since he seems to sell almost anything old. I've never purchased from him but by judging from his feedback score, he doesn't seem too bad (only two negatives out of 222 customer replies). Unfortunately I dont know anything about Islamic weapons so I cant help you there.

Hope this helps.

Just a few flags go up. I have never bought from them but have browsed the site a few times. They do list on other antique networks, so if they were a true sham, I don't think they would have survived.

Although they do provide an E contact form, I see no phone number or mailing address (that is a huge omission, to me). The return policy is a bit vauge, as are many of the item descriptions. Pricing, well, comparative shopping is your friend.

Dealers often sell consigned products and the prices sometimes reflect that. KNowledge is power and a simple learning tool is a search engine. A dealer I have delt with a few times is www.antiqueswords.com I don't insist you buy there (although he's a good guy) rather offer it as another starting point. There is a good set of links at that site and right here at myArmoury as well.

Check out some other dealers, via links or searches. In the end, it's often a piece that speaks to you that will tell you what to buy but don't jump at the first deal offered unless something is really shouting.

Good luck and I hope they enjoy the gift.

Cheers

GC