I would probably alternate between favourite swords or my newest sword but obviously for every day carry a big to handed might be annoying ;) :D

My Sovereign with a buckler or my Tinker type XVII would be two likely candidates.

My Generation2 Henry V or my Generation2 Riding sword both also with a buckler.
( NOTE: Edited I miswrote Black Prince instead of Henry V )

The Doge is also elegant and of modest weight but still with a lot of cutting power and reach: With this one a left hand dagger to go with it.

Not really thinking of use but if one does or could carry a sword legally then the " social " conditions would be very different and one might actually need to be able to use a sword competently !

In that case the Doge would probably be backed up by a .45 Colt Auto. ;) :p :lol:

I figure that violence would probably be just about the same except for the hot headed teenage men who tend in all periods of history to be the most violent prone age group: A little bit of Darwinian culling of the stupid or the rude might happen but generally Society would be the same but more polite !

Good fantasy topic but lets not get carried away or tempted in discussing the " Real World " ramifications as it would take a completely different cultural mindset for this to happen ! Well, if we all turned into Klingons, Vikings or 18th century Noble Frenchmen ...... maybe :p :lol:

i think for style sense an nice pattern welded,early anglian composite hilt with cocked hat pommel and ring. it may be a bit cumbersome for protection though so a more modern sword type,something with a good cutting edge and nice sharp point and very flouncy (basket hilt) guard similar to some of the italian swords?

A fun topic !!

I would want my sword to be a practical weapon as well as fashionable. So I am thinking a version of one of the Stagmer's (BKS) cutlasses with a 24 to 26 inch blade with a nice fancy, but sturdy, guard and an eagle-head pommel. The scabbard would be wood cored/leather wrapped with fancy, but tasteful, locket, chape and rings, carried on the belt with a matching clip-type carrier along the lines of the GGG smallsword scabbard clip.

A light weight (mas o menos) fashion statement, but still usable in a defensive situation if it became necessary.

John Lundemo is trying to talk me into a warder 'daisho'. It isn't taking much talking though. JUST as soon as i get tthe cash up!! So that being said probably the longsword Warder for general and for places that the longer blade would be uncomfortable(movies and the like, out to dinner etc) I would go with the shorter companion blade. The belt would HAVE to be modestly decorate with plates or such from URWEGS. Other than that I wouldnt go to wild with them. Something simple and understated. The officer above has a good point about the firearms BUT the is a classic weapons forum. Plus there is that 21 foot rule to consider. Can you IMAGINE all the buster sword things you would see slung across the backs of the anima worshipers?

short type XVIII with a buckler. short easy draw with all the benefits of cut and thrust.

I could see carrying it on a baldric, but think i'd rather just have it on a belt, something about the way the weight sits...

Hmmm....

I think I'd wear a sword every day. I would probably alternate between swords depending on my mood for the day or week :). I'd have to say a german branch sword or a smallsword. I would probably keep some kind of dagger on me at all times though

Um, I think I would go for a Spanish cup-hilt rapier for everyday wear, like A&A's. Light enough to wear easily but long and lethal enough to keep an oversized goon at a distance without feeling like I was dragging an anchor around. Good hand protection too at least. A parrying dagger might also be nice if I was feeling uneasy. :)

Long naval dirk would be good for everyday wear - compact, light, and can hang vertically by the side, so it's easy to carry and doesn't get in the way. No fancy guard or basket to get in the way or to catch on things. Short enough so that you can sit in chairs etc without trouble.

At approx 17" of blade, it can be a lovely baby rapier.

What? Lacks reach you say, compared to a real sword? Sure, but if you're intending to get into a fight, you take your spear. Or for self-defense, your staff. The weapon you wear is your sidearm, not your primary weapon.

The easiest decent replica naval dirk to find is the midshipman's dirk by Cold Steel. It's quite nice, but expensive. Weapon Edge do a cheaper one, and also some officer's dirks (but the plastic faux-rayskin handles are well-dodgy - perhaps a good handle building project, but at that point, you might as well think about doing a whole dirk from scratch).

Otherwise, a short jian, 50-55 cm blade. And this would be unarguably a sword!

Messer or gladius for everyday work, and my rapier for church/formal events.

As far as actual carry concerns go, I'm going to shrug. A statistic I read somewhere said you are about a thousand more times more likely to need a fire extinguisher than a handgun. As far as what would trigger it, a society without handguns would probably do the job quite nicely. See Pre-Meiji Japan for that.

Forgot the Conan Movie swords. I have always liked the look of them but disregarded them because of the weight. You are right however, there are those of the 'if it's bigger it must be better, right?' crowd. My previous statement stands though. John Lundemo Warder with a Shobu Zukuri styled blade. Yes, I know they aren't historically accurate for the MOST part but I do like the work he does. BTW it IS looking like I will get the money for the set a bit faster than I anticipated without selling an organ or two.

You know that in Austria it is still legal to carry a sword? Although public acceptance may be a bit low and if someone feels threatened then you have to remove it... which could mean 2 m after your doorway. But still.... I crossed town with sword in hand and had no trouble whatsoever, even when I passed two police officers.

Herbert

When I get a sword it is always to be used with a particular kit. So in this instance, I would want to use a style befitting a modern soldier. I hate to say it, but I would choose a modern "tactical" (i hate the term) short sword. Maybe blackened completely. It would go with the black rifles I also like to use. Since I tend to dress plainly, (basketball shorts and a white t-shirt), a big flashy sword would look very out of place on me.

If the question was, "If it was socially acceptable to dress anachronistically, and wear a sword, (outside of SCA/Ren fair), which would you choose?" Then I would go Landsknecht with a greatsword.

If it were legal for me to carry around a sword at all times, I'd buy myself something almost exactly like this piece by Jake Powning. Of course, I'd have him incorporate motifs that were a bit more personalized. I find falchions to be practical and intimidating. The blades are light and maneuverable with a very dangerous cutting edge and a strong spine.

-Gregory

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That one looks like a winner Gregory! I could go for something like that as well. :cool:

Yeah that Powning is a looker. He ALWAYS makes gorgeous stuff. I am not sure I would go for the renaissance clothing or anything, maybe some high boots, but I wear those for horseback anyways. Some recreation of the types Gen. Patton preferred. I do say though that the more you think on it the more that simply allowing it would change some cultural aspects as well. You might even see bracers being worn again as a daily acccoutrement. Interesting the deeper you get into it. Schools would flourish again in swordsmanship(legitimate as well as 'self-appointed' swordmasters). For those of us who truely train and study and collect it would be a renaissance of sorts, and at the same time it could be a nightmare!! Being a former police officer can you imagine the number of laws added to the books and removed? So would i wear one every day? Maybe. Out and about probably..to college i doubt it..when my children are with me..definately!

Probably a matte blued Coustille, Cinquedea or Arming Sword. Anything bigger or brighter and the Chicken Littles out there would launch a whole new belief system based on the compensation myth. I can already hear the howls and hand wringing--"Does 'packing edge' make you feel like a man? Do you have a permit for that assault Messer? Why do you feel you need a blade longer than ___ (insert politically correct length here)? Swords are made to kill the most people with the least amount of effort! They are the weapon of choice for ride by hackings! They have no sporting purpose! They are silent and never jam or run out of ammo! If the unwashed masses are allowed to own and (gasp) actually carry them, they will start 'opening steel' on each other in the checkout lines! The streets will run red with innocent blood!" Or as Bugs Bunny would say, "Shriek shriek! Scream scream!"

I'm just saying...

if i were to choose i would take maybe a daisho set of my feather design or the ragnarok i designed (4 lobbed viking sword)