[Jeremiah Swanger]

I guess I'm in a rather reflective mood tonight. I guess you can say that said mood was likely induced by excessive quantities of Johnnie Walker Green Label, Balvenie 12-year, Knob Creek, and some Dominican cigars-- but no matter.

I first counted myself amongst the sword collecting community when I bought a Kris Cutlery 29" katana back in 2000. I first learned anything useful about medieval and renaissance swords when I joined SFI back in March of 2001.

In those days, my tastes in swords were quite "Patrick Kelly-esque"-- single-handed, fullered cruciform swords, though I liked the longer, slimmer versions, like the Oakeshott types Xa and XI. In those days, Angus Trim was making swords for Albion (the "Acre, type XI" was a sword I drooled over quite frequently), Christian Fletcher was an armor smith, Ken Jay had less than a dozen swords, and the swords I asked about most often were the CAS Iberia swords made in the Phillippines-- sharpened crowbars of vague sword shape.

Again, my preference was toward swords of the fullered variety. I liked straight crosses and wheel pommels. For much of my interests, I still do.

Then I checked out the "Swedish Bastard Sword" on Albion's website (this sword then moved to Dancing Giant after the ATrim/Albion "divorce") and fell in love with its crisp, pointed lines. Even after the myriad of updates that were made to this sword, I still find it one of the most attractive.

Even though I still liked the medievel cruciform single-handers, my tastes leaned primarily toward longswords with a diamond cross-section. I also picked up a taste for later single-handed arming swords, especially if they were broad and tapered. Scent-stopper pommels became my favorite style, and I started practicing with a Purpleheart waster with such a pommel.

Then my tastes changed again, albeit not as drastically, when I recieved my ATrim Northern Italian Bastard Sword-- my first "good" european-style sword. I started using the sword single-handed, but then I found that the wheel pommel cradled itself so neatly in the palm of my hand. Thus, I started liking wheels all over again, coming full-circle, as it were...


So, for those of you who have been around for a while, have your tastes in swords changed much? And if so, why?

[Chris Lampe]

I've been interested in "knights" and "arms & armor" since I was a little kid but even as a teenager in the mid-to-late 80's there just weren't many study resources available in a small city and Museum Replicas was just starting to sell decent swords. Of course, as a teenager MR's swords were as out of my price range as a Kevin Cashen or Vince Evans sword is today. As a result, my interest in the hobby faded over time.

Fast-forward to March of 2005 and I discovered that several people/companies were producing high quality reproduction swords and information is now quite easy to find.

My initial interest was Western European single-handed sword from the Crusading era. From my teenage years I had a vague notion of a guy named Oakeshott but I didn't realize how many styles of swords were used during the Crusades.

As I studied more swords my interest switched to Japanese swords for a short time and then the European longsword from 1400-1500's (coincides with my interest in the War of the Roses). Shortly after this I discovered Chinese swords and they have been my primary interest since even though I still love the Euro stuff.

I went back and forth on my collecting goals but finally decided to stress quality over quantity. My collection, for the forseeable future, will be limited to a restored antique jian (Chinese straight sword), a custom made dao (Chinese saber), and an old Angus Trim type XVIII (I think) short sword I purchased as a "project" sword. Eventually, I would like to add a W. European one-hander like Albion's Thegn.

[Gary Grzybek]

No change really, I just want three of every type starting from the bronze age to the renaissance

[James Holczer]

I can’t honestly say my tastes have changed over the years. But I rather like to think that my taste has just expanded to include other styles and eras. Back in the early 90s, when I first discovered that their were companies and smiths out there that were making quality European sword replicas, I was really into Viking style blades and early medieval style cutting, blades such as Oakshott type X and type XII. But recently my tastes have grown to include later period blades such as types XVa and XVII. Also 16th and 17th century compound hilts such as rapiers and continental basket hilts have really sparked my interest of late. I believe that this change in is due in part to my recent (within the past 18 months) interest in WMA research and practice.
As I stated before I don’t truly consider it a change in taste, it’s just an expansion of the overall appeal that sword collecting and studying has for me.

[Joe Fults]

Changes...

Rapiers - > Longswords - > Class specific weapons, basically sliding away from what the nobles used.

Finer detail and crisper execution - > performance and finer detail and crisper execution, basically trying to trend toward perfection- > now starting to appreciate somewhat more organic work that looks / feels hand made

Growing interest in kit and armour.

[Jay Barron]

When I first started collecting swords I was really interested in having a wide variety of European swords from all time periods. Now I have decided that my true interests lie in swords from the migration era to the Viking age. I still like my later period swords but my high end custom pieces will most likely be migration era from now on.

[B. Stark]

Wow, funny that this topic would come up now. I've run the gammut. In leaps and bounds. Way back when it was katanas. Like, 1986. Wheew. Then it was baskethilts. I still like baskethilts, but I won't settle for anything less than near custom for a 1700's Basket. Which put's them out of my spending range. Slewed towards earlier Scottish swords. Then iron Age Celtic, then Irish ringhilts, vikings for a long time(which I still like, probably because the blades by and large follow the same general profile with lots of different hilts). I never got heavily into longswords. Don't really know why. Compound hilts have raised their beautiful heads as well as 16th century Scots/Irish swords (yes, ringhilts). You know, sometimes I think I know what schizophrenia must be like ....

[Eric Nower]

Haven't really changed.....just become more focused on weapons from a certain time frame.Gotta love the 100 years war

[Mikko Kuusirati]

I used to like certain kinds of swords. Katana, rapier, cruciform longswords...

Now, I like 'em all. And not just swords, either, I've also become rather fond of polearms, axes, knives, spears, maces, shields and what-have-you...

You could say my taste in swords has grown to match my taste in music and fashion: ecclectic nigh to the point of non-existence.

[Chad Arnow]

Interesting question. My taste in swords hasn't changed much, but my expectations for quality and accuracy have.

What has changed more are my collecting habits and interests in other weapons and armour. I have most of what I want in terms of sword forms (cutters, thrusters, in-betweeners and a basket hilt). For daggers, I have a quillon dagger, ballock dagger, scottish dirk, sgian achles, and sgian dubh. I want a good Rondel dagger now, but that's about it.

While I'll probably never be able to afford a full kit, I'm kind of into assembling some of the major components of them. I'd love to have a helm, pair of gauntlets (if applicable), a dagger, and an impact weapon to match each sword: a kind of mini-kit. For example, I'm close to having one built around the Sovereign: Sovereign and scabbard, A&A hybrid classic/crusader dagger, MRL Staunton great helm. If I bought the MRL Thames mace, I'd have that group rounded out. I'm a helm away from having a Scottish mini-kit (maybe I should have kept that burgonet I sold off), though a targe would be nice, too. I have part of the Sempach mini-kit: Sempach and Campaign scabbard (needs to be re-covered), and a pair of hourglass gauntlets. Now I need a dagger, bascinet (or late great helm), and an impact weapon (I had my eye of MRL's late 14th century axe, but it may have been discontinued).

This trend has influenced purchases. I want a good Rondel dagger, but I want it to "go with" a sword already in my collection. If I put my VE ballock dagger with the Sempach mini-kit, then I'd want a German-esque mid-to late- 15th century Rondel dagger to "go with" the Regent. If I pair the ballock with the Regent, then I'd want to Rondel to be earlier to fit with the Sempach better. That ballock dagger could fit with either piece, I suppose.

Weird and illogical, perhaps. But that's me sometimes....

[Bill Grandy]

[Ken Jay]

[Mark Mattimore]

I've only been collecting for a few years but already my tastes have gotten more expensive. I definitely go for higher quality now. But I still want a collection that reflects a wide variety of manufactures, styles, and yes, even price ranges. Of course I will only go down-scale so far. MRL is my entry-level base. I think that having a wide variety keeps a collection interesting and prevents it from looking too homogeneous.

I am also becoming increasingly more interested in armor and would love to build a kit(s) around my main periods of interest. I'd like to have a 14th century kit and a 15th century kit, the ultimate being a full gothic harness. It's interesting that, when I consider how to build these, I find myself taking a step back from full harnesses to just a couple of key pieces, thus making a more "man-at-arms" kit as opposed to that of a well-equipped knight. Ironically, this is probably the same way someone would have armed themselves back in the day. You armed up as much as you could afford. The more things change…

[Geoff Wood]

Changed a bit recently. Range of interest was ~900 AD to ~1400 AD, but I've just got an Aquilifer from Albion and it is really rather nice, so now I need to know what shield went with that etc. etc.. All advice welcomed.
Geoff

[Sean Flynt]

What Bill and Chad said about quality applies to me as well. After my refocusing from WMA to the weapons themselves, my tastes haven't changed radically. I started out in WMA as a rapier student and the rapier era remains at the center of my period of primary interest (1500-1650). I've certainly broadened my weapon interests, partly as a result of sparring and partly just by more exposure to the great variety of arms of the period. I've confirmed my period of interest and identified the geographic/cultural scope of my interest as well (British, German and colonial North American).

Probably the two most important changes for me were the building of an arms and armour library so I could conduct my own research, and the development of personal collecting philosophy/discipline. The former made me a much better educated consumer (see first sentence above) and the latter allowed me to make the best use of my resources of time and money. Without these, I'd be buying anything that caught my eye and often getting burned by poor quality and historical inaccuracy. Nowadays, I know a good quality item when I see it and I'm comfortable simply admiring it from afar if it doesn't suit my collection.

The Next Big Thing for me is in the workshop. There are a number of items I'd like to add to my collection but I either can't afford them or they're simply not available on the market. So, I'm gradually developing the skills to either make these things myself or buy the needed parts for a song and do the mounting, finishing, upgrading, etc. myself. Projects underway now: Haft a German halberd head, finish a handful of Irish darts, make an Irish target, finish painting a Roman scutum, make some small wooden toy halberds of historically accurate design, etc. These are ridiculously inexpensive projects and they satisfy my craving for new items.

[William Goodwin]

My obsession & study of Mortuarys remains. Though lately I've become interested in vinatge military swords (purchasing wise) and a bit more strayed from the repro. market.

Unless................ that special repro. piece comes around, like the discontinued MRL German Cut & Thrust sword that I picked up from Kirk Spencer this past week.

Been look more into possibly building a ECW kit as well (lobster-pot helmet, buff coat,etc.)

Cheers,

Bill