Sword Collector

The sword collector website is for those passionate  about the culture workmanship and history behind them.

If you decide to become a sword collector bear in mind it can be quite an expensive hobby.  Sword collecting has been a popular worldwide pastime for many years by historians,  re-enactments and collectors alike.

Sword Collector – A Brief History

Swords began as daggers and evolved into the long blade weapons and were used worldwide. The oldest sword found is thought to date back to approx 3,000 B.C.

The word sword comes from the Old English sweord from a Proto-Indo-European root *swer- which means to wound, to cut.

Swords have a blade, a hilt, edges for striking and cutting  and a point for thrusting and were designed specifically as a military weapon.  A scabbard was used to cover the blade.

The actual use for the sword has remained consistent,  they were used for battle – a highly prestigious symbol of warfare. Techniques however vary widely in different cultures, civilisations and periods of history.

Bronze Age swords were forged from arsenic copper followed by tin bronze. They were more like daggers in length, about 60 cm,  as any longer led to bending.  The advancement of steel and heat processes allowed for longer more practical blades.  Bronze swords  peaked during the Warring States period and Qin Dynasty in China.

Iron Age metals used to make swords included iron then steel, this enabled the swords to be longer and stronger.  Early Iron Age Swords were produced on a mass scale as iron was more available, this meant that entire armies could be armed with metal weapons.  Despite improvement they were only marginally stronger and harder than the bronze sword. They were mainly used by the The Hittites, the Mycenaean Greeks, and the Proto-Celtic Hallstatt culture.

Middle Ages sword styles tended to be based on the region involved, producing the Tachi,  Jian or Dao and Longswords from area such as China, Japan and Europe.  The sword was by now a very advanced weapon.

During late Middle Ages and Renaissance period sword designs evolved rapidly and became very personal weapons. The biggest change was the lengthening of the grip which allowed two-handed use. Examples of these modern bladed weapons  included the Oriental Samurai Sword Katana and the European Rapier which had ornate hilts.

Samurai swords are very sought after and are a favourite of the sword collector today.  Japan was famous for the samurai swords forged early 13th century. A  samurai warriors main weapon was the katana used for infantry. Other infantry swords were the wakizashi, nodachi, kubikiri, tanto and hachiwara.  Tachi and ancient tachi were cavalry swords.  Temple swords included the one-handed tachi and ken.

As technology advanced swords for use in the battlefield declined, but were still used as a weapon for personal self defense. During the early 19th century this declined even further as handguns took their hold in defense situations.  The Pope’s Swiss Guard is one of the few groups that use the sword today.

Sword Collector – Today

Sword collecting and the demand for replicas started around the 19th century.  This has gained momentum and is ever popular today.  Prices for replica swords vary enormously depending on the detail required.  The sword collector on a budget can acquire cheap swords and buying swords online has made it possible to browse and purchase otherwise very difficult to find items.

Films such as Lord Of The Rings, Braveheart and Zelda have a massive following and the Lord of  The Rings Sword, the  Cutlass  Sword and the Zelda Skyward Sword are highly searched for.

If you are an avid sword collector you can have exact sword replicas that include the actual production methods of the original.  You are likely to find these  highest quality replicas in the country of origin.

~ Sword Collector ~ Samurai Sword Collector ~Katana Sword Collector ~

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