Here are a few more pictures.
The Viceroy is a combination of the cut and trust, lacking the floppy "tongue" tip of e.g. Baron and other pure cutting blades.

The bronze swords look wonderful.
Swords are addictive.:)

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Arriving at my home and unpacking the swords. :)
The gun case is not perfect for carrying swords, not unless there is a bit of foam on the tip and bubbleplast around the handle to prevent them from sliding around inside. [ Download ]

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My first sword is a ceremonial I received upon graduation from Annapolis. Not on active duty anymore, so it is a decoration now. I have my uncle's WWI vintage cavalry officer's saber, also ceremonial, and a Civil War Militia officers smallsword with an ivory handle. The sword is in very poor shape, all the hardware is loose. My first purchased sword is a Windlass Italian Falchion, which is savage looking but very heavy. I bought it mostly because I liked the hilt design.

I am expecting my Albion Gallowglass any day, at which point I think I can say I have joined the ranks of real sword people, finally.



-Interesting quote goes here-

My first sword was a wallhanger that my parents bought for me after much begging and pleading while on vacation in Spain back in '85. It was some cheap SS knockoff of the El Cid Tizona Sword. Needless to say I didn't understand the concept of "wallhanger" and "rat-tail tang" and so it quickly wound up disintegrating into component parts after I put it through some pretty rough use - towards the end it was just the bare blade with the rat tail snapped off and the guard long lost with black electrical tape wrapped around the base of the blade as a makeshift handle.

Then I didn't have another sword until '98 when I bought a supposedly "battle worthy" sword online alternately called "Templar's Sword" and "14th Century Cut and Thrust" sword. The blade is some sort of low grade steel with a heavy secondary bevel and cheap, uneven brass furniture. I tried cutting a 2 liter filled with water and warped the blade on the first swing (very slight deflection about 2/3 of the way up the blade) and from that point onward relegated it to decorative show piece.

The first sword I picked up that could actually stand up to use and hold an edge is a fantasy piece made by Windlass Steelcrafts right around 2000/2001 called the "Evil's Bane". It's a single edged slightly curved two handed sword (48" or so) with a slab tang, a long handle, brass furniture and some rather cheap leather wrapping on the grip. It's rather heavy and unwieldy and it has virtually no guard to speak of, but it sure does cleave nicely after sharpening (even now).

Since then I've picked up a few pieces that are modeled after historical pieces (without copying any one particular piece)...

Starfire bastard sword as seen here:

http://www.starfireswords.com/products/steel/bs1m.php

Not the greatest looker, and a bit overbuilt (intentionally), but at least it had some shelf life. Really was nothing I could do to cause it any harm. Even if I wanted to cause it any harm!! :D :eek:

MRL English Cut and Thrust

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My first was the Paul Chen practical viking sword. Which my gf now uses as I teach her (Good weight and durability). Stood up to a lot...oh the bond between a man and his sword!

Unless you want to count the "Singing Sword" of Prince Valiant, which I received for my sixth birthday, along with matching shield, then it would be a WK&C saber that my then girlfriend's father, a retired Army officer, gave me for my 22d birthday, way back in the last century. I still have the sword, which was given to him by his civilian staff in Germany not long after WWII. It isn't much, but it was the first. The blade is etched with the motto "In Treue Fest", the meaning of which I do not know, having no German, if that is German.

I'm almost embarrassed to show my first sword. Yes, I still own it.

I was no older than about 12 or 13, and our family was visiting an antique shop in the historic district of Ellicott City, MD. I spotted an umbrella stand full of junky wall-hangers, each marked at about $20. I begged my mom to lend me the money, and my new hobby was born. :)

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Thanks! I think it was inspired by a hilt similar to this in The Rapier and Small sword 1460 - 1820 by A V B Norman.

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My first sword was a cheap old Pakistan wall hanger my father bought me for Christmas when I was 6 in 1996. It's pretty beat up now, but it's still in one piece. My knowledge of swords has come a very long way since then, but it still holds a lot sentimental value with me. As far as real swords go, my first would be an entry level Paul Chen katana.

Well, my wife is Irish, yes born of the old sod, so I wanted an Irish sword but something of a Celtic origin. I ordered the Celtic Anthropomorphic from Valiant Armory and it was a beast to say the least. It weighs over five pounds though it can be used with two hands and is very sturdy. But...it was not my idea of a sword and led me to purchase another sword and another looking for that perfect (for me) sword. Having an Irish wife who is mad as hell at all the money being spent on swords is not the most healthful remedy in the world so I guess I had to admit to being a collector addict just to have some excuse. Anyway an angry spouse who has come to terms with her husbands faults is a somewhat better situation. And all because of that first sword I bought...

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My first sword, or rather set of swords: the Hanwei "Bushido" set. In retrospect I really like these swords and wish I still had them, as they're very "fancy" (for lack of a better word) for production katana, but I sold them to Aaron Justice once upon a time as his first set of Japanese-style swords.

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My first sword was a "souvenir" of the taking of Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll in November of 1944.

It is of a mass produced "samurai" pattern and was carried by a member of the Imperial Japanese Marines The sword was a gift from an uncle who was with the 2nd Marine Division at that time and....only seventeen years old.

He is still around and so is the sword; had it for over fifty years now. The sword still looks great, but of course my uncle has aged a bit!

Cheers,
Dan

First sword bought was an Armourclass Schaivona with rayskin grips. It's seen a fair bit of use over the years and had to have a repair on the guard following over enthusiastic use

First antique swod bought was a British 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre, sold as a reproduction, turned out to be the real thing - result !

Martin

Last year, I begged my mom to buy me a Hanwei/MTP longsword. I begged hard enough. :D It's still going strong. Its flats look like they've been chewed up by rabid mice, but it's still going strong.

On an unrelated note, it feels weird to look down and see people talking about their first cheap crappy sword at the age of 15/16 many many years ago, mostly because that's my age this year.

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First antique swod bought was a British 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre, sold as a reproduction, turned out to be the real thing - result !

Damn, you lucky fella!