I've been collecting swords for 7 or 8 years, which makes me still a relative newbie. But looking around at the options available to collectors today versus when I started, much has changed.

Production swords:
When I started collecting, functional production swords were limited to Museum Replicas (in the last years of its Del Tin distributing) and Arms & Armor.

Now, we have many more options. A&A has improved and expanded its lineup (and has several swords at the top of my wish list). Del Tin has done the same, to a slightly lesser degree. Windlass is turning out acceptable pieces at a higher rate than in the past. Hanwei is turning out lower-end weapons, but still more functional and accurate than Iberia's previous offerings, and supposedly improving in quality with every iteration. Even Cold Steel has a few pieces worth looking at. Gus's stuff, though not appealing to me, has changed the way many of us look at the weights of repros and has led some other makers to revisit and improve some of their pieces. Armour Class has become more widely known for quality weapons. Now we have Albion, turning out beautiful weapons designed and built with the input of well-known smiths to be some of the best on the market.

Scabbards back then were simple leather sheaths. Now we have many great options from Art Elwell, Albion, Christian Fletcher, Russ Ellis and others.

Custom swords:
Let me add a disclaimer here: When I first started collecting I knew nothing about custom smiths, so some smiths I think are newer may not be, just better known now.
The only custom smiths I knew of back then were Dr. Jim Hrisoulas (I can't wait to see what the spell-checker tries to suggest on that word) and Tinker. SFI introduced many of us to Vince Evans, Randal Graham, Howard Clark, Al Massey, Peter Johnsson, Eljay Erickson, but also gave us what I call the "swordforum effect:" many of these smiths' backlogs filled up quickly once they were well-known in internet communities. ArmArt, which is a blend of production and custom, also fell prey this effect. We also have some great cutlers in Erik Stevenson and Christian Fletcher turning out incredible work.

I think the 'net has really helped our passion (read: addiction) grow. Sites like this are the next step in the growth of the community. My hat's off to Nathan and crew.

I'm having a great time, and I look forward to what's next.

You're absolutely right Chad.

We now have far more choices as consumers than when I started collecting back in the dark ages. The internet has opened a whole new world for the collector and the maker alike. When I started the average collector might know one, maybe two, custom smiths if we were lucky. Now I can deal with a maker on the other side of the planet with relative ease.

The internet has shown us that there are far more people making this stuff than we had ever dreamed. It's also given makers a greater outlet for their product. It has been a bit painful for some, but overall it's been a good thing.

This is indeed the best time to be a sword lover.

It is also an expenisve time for collectors. You see so many good and excellent swords, and yet you have only so much to spend...

that "swordforum" effect is absolutly true! Thats why i have a custom smith right now that no one has spoken of online, and i plan to keep in a secret as long as i can. its impossible to find a smith now without at least a 8 month wait or more.
When i first started talking to John Lundemo he had about a 3 month wait, now since his SFI time, hes up to close to a year, prehaps 10 months at best...........

I remember when MRL was more-less a pamphlet with just a handfull of Del Tin swords........ ahh,, anyone remember "the war sword" i believe is what it was called. i have a big box full of old MRL catalogs somewhere....

I also agree that we live in a great time for sword collecting. :) My absolute favorite piece, of all the swords I've ever purchased over the years, is my Atlantean sword from Albion Armorers. It's a wonderful piece that I never tire of holding or looking at. Even just five years ago I would never have dreamed that a sword like this would be possible to purchase and own. I think we definitely live in great times for collecting.

I, too, have a box literally filled with MRL catalogs that I've been receiving regularly for some years. So far, I've only purchased one sword from MRL, a nice little sword that I really liked when I saw it in their catalog (a pic of it is attached). An amusing thing about that sword is that I'd seen it in the catalog for months but right after I bought it, beginning with the next catalog, it was never in them again. :eek: It has a nice feel to it and the grip is surprisingly comfortable to hold. I'm not sure, but I think the blade is a Del Tin blade.

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Wow, that was a good call, Scott. Yes, that was what MRL was calling the sword. They had another sword called the "Knightly Hand & A Half" sword that I often toyed with the idea of buying, but I never did and haven't seen it in any of the later catalogs. I've got a feeling that I definitely missed out on that one.

I forgot to mention in my last post that I, too, fall into the category that I think a lot of people probably do ... having a rich man's taste and a poor man's pocket book. Whenever I set my sights on a sword I usually have to scrounge and save like crazy for what seems a geological age, but as soon as I've got my funds saved up, I always like to spring for that coveted sword while I've got the money (before something happens to make me spend it on something else, like the car breaking down!). :lol:

Hi Mike,

Unfortunately that sword (as well as the rest of your swords) was absent from my huge fence post pic from the RI gathering. Too bad because I never really felt there were enough swords on that fence. :D

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yes , thats the battle sword, and there is a war sword which is more of a hand and a halfer.

War Sword, Battle Sword - You'd think that after owning it for like 12 years, I'd remember which one it was....... :blush: Getting older sucks! ;)


Hey Mac....do you have a separate hard drive for all your sword pics?? You took that one almost 2 years ago.......I forgot you even had it! :D

Wow, Jay ...
That pommel you found surfing on the net is amazing ... so very like the one on my MRL sword. It is very cool indeed. :)