A new year might see me finding the great white whale of my expectations.. 2017 saw a handful of opportunities in which I felt somewhat blessed when sellers accepted best offers. It was only in the knife dept that selling a few covered one knife purchase.

On the sword front, I acquired three, when expecting to buy none. The first, a new old stock saber sold by a NYC retailer in the 1820s. Virtually untouched but a little tarnish.
[ Linked Image ]

More of an impulse buy but another offer accepted is an 1833 dated US m1832 foot artillery sword from Ames. Scarce. Condition ok but someone had heavily blued the blade and it was rusting underneath. I am working on that one. It came with a nice hunk of wood, which is now a shelf for my fax machine.
[ Linked Image ]

A serendipitous find to close the year is an etch Ames militia sword from about 1840 with the Springfield address. An early guard casting as well that we see in some of the books on the Portsmouth Artillery examples. This sword with a brass scabbard, I was happy when the seller accepted my offer.
[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]

I have to be good now and I always mean to part ways with some of my reproductions. I have reached the full tide mark and it really is a point in my life where lightening the load needs to continue. Four guitars, two amplifiers and other asst electronics went to a nephew earlier in the year. None in the extended family have shown much interest in the blades.

Cheers

GC

I have an Albion "Thegn" and a broken back seax from Dragon forge in CT. I am also going to get a 2 handed Dane ax from Peter Sazbo because his work is unique and well exquisite for the price point which is reasonable considering his work..plus a Viking nasal helmet from someplace to be decided

This year I ended up with a scabbard for my John Lundemo sword from Brian at DBK, a Type N pommel sword from Maciej Kopciuch, and a Type XII sword based on the blade profile of the Cawood sword from Rob Miller at Castle Keep.

For 2018 I am once again on Brian's list for a scabbard and belt for the Rob Miller custom as well as a scabbard for a Jody Samson dagger blade I got from Albion that Ernie and Yeshua finished for me last year. After seeing Josh's Gallowglass axe I contacted him and got on his list to have one made for me. An era and weapon that have always interested me! And last but not least a custom XIIIa for myself and small XII for my wife from Iron Wolf Forge.

---

 Attachment: 177.28 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 560.31 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 373.59 KB
[ Download ]

I think I'll finish up a project I started earlier this year. Urged on by the 'Show Us Your Shields' thread, I will complete my buckler/shield project. I'm not really intending it to be a historical replica,----rather, a design of my own that is *kinda-sorta* historical, but built to my own personal taste. I might call it a 'Mini-Viking-shield' or a 'Mega-Buckler'. My initial plan is to have it be about 18-20'' in width, with a 14ga. boss from GDFB. I will have the outer face covered in leather with a steel rim and reinforcing bars in a X-pattern. This will all be built around 1/2'' treated plywood. ;)
If it turns out half as good as I think it will, I may build a few more and offer them in the Marketplace....just 'cause I'm a good guy like that. :D :lol: .......McM

My list is quite long:

I'll be making a scabbard, grip, pommel and guard for the Hanwei/Tinker longsword blade I purchased.
Fit a spearhead to become a spear (and do some extensive grinding, it is now neither safe nor sharp).
Change a pair of cheap long (1,5 '/46 cm) knives I purchased into something more aesthetically pleasing.
Change the grip, pommel and guard of my Tinker/Hanwei bastard sword to something more pleasing and finish the basic scabbard it came with.
Make a buckler (I already have the rawhide and wood for it, the boss will be coming in tomorrow).
Make a joined hosen for an early 1300's i:33-like civilian kit (this is the only thing I don't yet have for this kit).

I got a gun this year, but will receive my Albion Crecy in 2018. Then I will have to order the scabbard for it next.

Vladimir Cervenkas Messer as a two handed Kriegsmesser version.
But its almost a year till he starts working on it, therefore the only existing pictures are in my head.

Over the year I got a Cold Steel training sabre, (actually I got 3 somehow when Cold Steel screwed up multiple times trying to give me a refund, they let me keep them) an Italian M1871, two Windlass M1850 Staff and Field, (returned one from KoA, for some reason most of the swords I get from them have lots of issues) a Danish M1834 Infantry hanger, A US M1850, however the blade broke in half, a US M1860 Staff and Field as well as a (probable) import 1860 Cav sword, a Kris Cutlery Korean Sword V, an Argentinian M1895, a French 1882 Non - Reg style sword, an Austrian M1861 musician officers sword, an Austrian M1861 field officers sword, 33" variant, a Spanish M1907 and a few M1895s, a French 3rd Republic Gendarme officers sword, a Windlass Revolution sabre, Hungarian sabre, and the Universal swords Revolution sabre, a Windlass Swept Hilt rapier, a Windlass war of 1812 sabre blade, a French Mle 1845, a Windlass M1906 sabre, and I think that's the most of it, :)

Next year it looks like I'll be finishing payment on a Tomas Diamante sabre, and I'll most likely pick up some more Windlasses or antiques. I'm especially looking for a Tulwar.

I'll talk with the wife about me ordering an Albion Agincourt next year :D

I just placed orders for an Albion Castellan and a Bugei Bamboo 5160 cutting sword (12 inch grip, 28 inch blade), both of which should arrive in mid-to-late 2018:

https://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/nextgen/sword-medieval-castellan-xva.htm

http://www.bugei.com/bamboo-5160-cutting-sword-1734-prd1.htm

I'm very happy about finally getting a Castellan. I've wanted one for about ten years and have heard nothing but good things about the model. I have a Munich and a Poitiers that I purchased several years ago (currently my only two swords), and a nice Crescent Moon Armoury buckler, that I think the Castellan will go well with. This is the buckler—I pair it with my Poitiers, and think it will go nicely with the Castellan too: http://www.crescentmoonarmoury.net/Crescent_M...ckler.html

All together these should make a small but nice collection.

For me, that's it for 2018. The Castellan and Bugei are probably the only new additions I'll be able to afford for a long time.

No swords so far, but I've got a fine bracteate of Otto I, 1170-1184 AD, Margrave of Brandenburg-Prussia on the way:

In terms of sword purchases, I would like to pick up some long swords appropriate to the second half of the 14th century, and perhaps a few single handed swords for use with sword and shield.

---

 Attachment: 50.36 KB

After years of not really buying much (focusing my reenacting energies on early 19th Century Maryland rather than 15th century England) I'm finally going all in on a sword.

I'm commissioning Maciej Kopciuch AKA Swordmaker to make a reproduction of this sword from the Cleveland Musume of Art: [ Linked Image ]

Details can be found here: http://www.clevelandart.org/art/1919.69

It's a beautiful sword, seems to be a type XVIII but it is heavily corroded. It seems to be one of those longer single-handed swords that aren't much reproduced these days, around 34" long. The hilt and blade shape is similar to many swords illustrated in the Beauchamp Pageant, so I thought it would be a fine sword for an English Archer circa 1471. It's been an odd journey toward getting this sword. I've been drooling over the Albion Kingmaker for 10 years now, since college, but I also find the perfect finish to be a bit much for an archer, and I worry it might stick out in a reenactment context. So I wanted something that was a bit more 'warts and all' and which was also based on a specific museum piece. Don't get me wrong, the Kingmaker is a gorgeous sword and it still has a huge appeal, but it doesn't quite fite my needs. Plus Maciej does a beautiful job with scabbards and should be able to deliver something before this coming reenacting season ends. So here I am!

I'm also engaging Josef Dawes from White Well Arms to make a reproduction of a later 15th entury English Glaive, based on this example from Christie's.

[ Linked Image ]

You can see more details here: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-glai...tails.aspx

Reading English acccount books, I was struck by the number of 'Gleyfes', including those carried by soldiers that also have bows, and also was struck by the polearms carried by Beauchamp's retinue as they escorted him on pilgrimage. Then I saw that there was an odd family of particularly English Glaives that had been neglected, so I looked at surviving examples and selected this one to be reproduced.

So, two commissions for two pieces that, to my knowledge, have never been reproduced!

2017 was a pretty good year for me sword wise.

After swearing I'd never purchase a Cold Steel sword I ended up picking up two of them: a training saber and a sharp hand-and-a-half.

I also snagged a Castille Armories rapier and dagger.

I put in an order for a Valiant Armories Krieger with a wheel pommel, I figured it would be a good idea to snap one up while they were still stocking swords I can afford. That should be arriving in the next 3 months or so.

I'm thinking about getting a basket-hilt broadsword trainer or a sidesword trainer this year as well, but we shall have to see how things shake out in terms of money and people to fence with.

some world war I reproductions would be nice, but I'm not sure about legal terms. at least a repro trench club.