It's pretty hard to type down the excited and totally amazed feeling so I 'll try to let the pics do it...Thanks to ElJay Erickson for accepting this and another commission last year during lunch in Morro Bay, Ca for our yearly sword meet that I think was our 6th year that just past us by...This hilt is based off an original that is in the book British Basket-Hilt Swords: A Typology of British Basket-Type Sword Hilts by Cyril Mazansky ...Having seen and held "Pinch of Snuff" a backsword that ElJay made a few years back, I knew this hilt would be pretty easy for him to make for me...Thanks again ElJay for such a beauty!

Wow! That's a beaut!
Quite unusual design, but very attractive! Eljay doesn't seize to impress.
Have you decided what blade you'll have it mounted on?

Cheers,
Henrik

That's an interesting and complex-looking hilt, Ben. I can imagine the craftsmanship, having just recently recieved my hilt from Eljay. Congratulations!

Beautiful work! Makes me want a basket hilt sword!
How long did it take to order and receive?

I love his work. Congratulations on your acquisition.

Thanks everyone!

Henrik I have a few blades on hand and I like the backsword look so far to this hilt, just need a pommel nut that is 1/4-28 which the 2nd blade down from the top has for threads otherwise it is a perfect fit till I find someone who would be interested in making a custom blade...



Gary Last year for the 2007 sword meet during lunch in Morro Bay, Ca I had picked out 2 (?) hilts to be made and this one was done for this years sword meet. Almost every year I have picked up a hilt from ElJay...Others here might have received their hilts faster or longer.

Ben, that new basket-hilt is absolutely fantastic! I have to find the time to go look up the original on which it is based. Can you give me a page number to speed that up? I must say that I suspect the reproduction has more wow factor than the original does at this point because the original didn't stick in my mind this like this surely will. Amazing detail. I don't know how he does it.

I also want to thank you for posting the group shot of the various hilts. I love group shots of different weapons and your photography skills certainly make it even more of a pleasure to see them. I posted my own EBE swords in a topic long ago.

Mazansky G18d Drummond Castle Collection

page 171

Beautiful

Hey Nathan...I have no clue where my book is so I'm no help on that. There is another hilt that I picked and I cant remember exactly which one it was only that it is within a few pages of this one, ElJay did say it was going to be easier for him to make :lol: I also have no clue how he does what he does, but it's amazing....

On the picture size you have set up...is there any chance to bump it up to 900 wide? I no longer have a monitor but one of these LCD things and that 800 wide looks so tiny now, I can get around that by rotating the photo but then the photo just does not look right....

One of these day I hope you show up for our yearly sword meet, I would love to see your hilts ElJay made!

--

Thanks Kirk! I took a few more photos the other day after I re-threaded a sword blade I bought here and mounted it which is only temporary till I get a custom blade made for it, I felt cheap mounting that blade on this amazing hilt , at least it is off now... If we are lucky with the width increase I can bring the photos right in otherwise tomorrow I'll post them up after I re-size them all down and re-host them...dang wide LCD screens

edit to add...Thanks Thom!