[Mike Fletcher]

Greetings All,

Since I began studying historical arms and armor (and discovered the online community that shares my affinity) a little over two years ago, I have been impressed with the extremely high caliber of individuals and businesses involved in this niche. I feel fortunate to be able to associate with you all and the following is one reason.

I am a Program Manager for a non-profit agency that provides independent living services to people with all kinds of disabilities in 3 counties of northern California. Every Spring we have our annual fundraiser which is a Dinner/Auction and we are in the process of gearing up for that and soliciting donations that can be auctioned. Since swords are my hobby, I thought "What the heck" and contacted several makers and vendors that I have done business with or corresponded with in the past.

Well, I can't tell you how shocked I was to get a phone call THE VERY NEXT DAY from Mike Sigman at Albion Armorers. He said that they wanted to donate a sword to our auction and to expect a "Crusader" to arrive within a couple of weeks. I thought it was important for everyone in the "sword community" to know about this generous token of support. It is not only the neat swords and such that make this hobby so great; it is the people too!

Thanks for your indulgence and I will update this thread if any more donations come in.

Best regards to all,

Mike

[Joe Fults]

Nice of them to do that and nice of you to share.

[Eric Bergeron]

Yup thats my buddy Mike and Albion for ya. They never cease to amaze me in there good deeds, weither it be a new sword or helping out someone in the real world by donating something or replacing a sword due to a fire.

[Mike Fletcher]

Greetings All,

Just wanted to let everybody know that the Albion Mark Crusader arrived and has created quite a buzz of excitement around the office. When the Crusader model first came out (and I was still quite a newcomer to the world of funtional sword reproductions) I was not crazy about the hilt, but the new version cross guard is a big improvement and over time I have come to appreciate the "cocked hat" pommel for it's "unique-ness" among production swords. I have to say that after holding the Crusader in hand and seeing it in person, I am starting to think that I like this model even better than my Acre

Thanks again to the great folks at Albion for producing some really fine edged wapons AND for their generous support of people with disabilities.

Regards,

Mike

[Mike Fletcher]

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to follow up and once again express my appreciation to Albion Armorers for their generous support. Our Dinner/Auction fundraiser was held this last weekend and the Crusader sword donated by Albion was definitely the "centerpiece" of the event. The sword generated a lot of interest and provided several opportunities for education about the characteristics of historical arms (for example,everyone I talked to assumed the sword weighed in the 15 to 20 pound range ). Anyway, the Albion Crusader ended up being the "high-ticket" item for the evening. After much furious bidding and once the dust settled, I was able to claim victory (much to my wife's chagrin). I can tell she's not TOO mad though, since I didn't have to sleep on the couch.

Regards to all,

Mike