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Post by notrealnoot on Jan 8, 2023 19:33:58 GMT
Hello, I am a new collector looking to buy some sort of 18th-19th century sword or edged weapon with a budget of about $300 (although if I really like something I can go more expensive) but am really struggling to find trustworthy platforms, does anyone know where I can find good, legitimate antiques for decent prices? The most promising looking site that I have found so far is this Michael D Long site with weapons like this: www.michaeldlong.com/product/prussian-infantry-sidearm-c-1860-10/But I am still not sure of authenticity Any help would be appreciated, thanks. |
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 8, 2023 20:38:19 GMT
Michael D Long is good. He's been around for a while and, from what I've seen over the years, is well-respected.
Depending where you live and what you're really after, there are several online vendors who are quite good. Matt Easton, for instance.
Under $300 is gonna be tough to find, though.
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Post by notrealnoot on Jan 9, 2023 6:37:55 GMT
Michael D Long is good. He's been around for a while and, from what I've seen over the years, is well-respected. Depending where you live and what you're really after, there are several online vendors who are quite good. Matt Easton, for instance. Under $300 is gonna be tough to find, though. Thank you! |
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 17, 2023 14:52:05 GMT
I found some nice pieces on ebay eBay has a lot, but one has to be sure of what they're buying. Lots of "antiques" on eBay...aren't, to say the least. I've bought most of mine on eBay, granted, so it's not all bad, but due diligence is a must. |
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 18, 2023 21:43:12 GMT
There’s IMA, International Military Antiques, www.ima-usa.com/collections/swords#listpage. Do a search for swords. I’ve dealt with them once and found that they had excellent customer service. Otherwise, a bit expensive in my opinion. |
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Post by bas on Jan 19, 2023 10:33:11 GMT
There’s IMA, International Military Antiques, www.ima-usa.com/collections/swords#listpage. Do a search for swords. I’ve dealt with them once and found that they had excellent customer service. Otherwise, a bit expensive in my opinion. I purchased firearms accessories from them in the past, no issues with their service, however their descriptions of the goods were ‘creative’. Research before you buy. |
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Post by bas on Jan 19, 2023 10:42:55 GMT
Hello, I am a new collector looking to buy some sort of 18th-19th century sword or edged weapon with a budget of about $300 (although if I really like something I can go more expensive) but am really struggling to find trustworthy platforms, does anyone know where I can find good, legitimate antiques for decent prices? The most promising looking site that I have found so far is this Michael D Long site with weapons like this: www.michaeldlong.com/product/prussian-infantry-sidearm-c-1860-10/But I am still not sure of authenticity Any help would be appreciated, thanks. I’ve purchased a lot from Paul Willcocks of The Brigadier General he’s a collector part time dealer. His site doesn’t have any images but he will send photos and videos of items you’re interested in. He has a lot of stock in a wide range of conditions, so even if it isn’t listed there’s a fair chance he has a lead on one. I’ve found Paul honest and reasonably priced. Just be clear with what you are after and ask for photos if unsure. |
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pellius
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Post by pellius on Jan 19, 2023 14:12:33 GMT
I’ve purchased a lot from Paul Willcocks of The Brigadier General he’s a collector part time dealer. His site doesn’t have any images but he will send photos and videos of items you’re interested in. He has a lot of stock in a wide range of conditions, so even if it isn’t listed there’s a fair chance he has a lead on one. I’ve found Paul honest and reasonably priced. Just be clear with what you are after and ask for photos if unsure. Ditto. My experience has been that he is responsive, knowledgeable, up front about his items, ships fast (to the US!), and has reasonable (i.e., not ridiculously inflated) prices. Incidentally, the £ has recovered quite a bit versus the $, but is still down from a year ago. Good hunting! |
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Post by inusuit on Jan 19, 2023 21:24:27 GMT
I found some nice pieces on ebay eBay has a lot, but one has to be sure of what they're buying. Lots of "antiques" on eBay...aren't, to say the least. I've bought most of mine on eBay, granted, so it's not all bad, but due diligence is a must. I've bought a couple of swords on ebay and continue to shop there. Buyer beware as vivianblastov says. You need to do your research and know what to look for. If the OP can bump into the 20th Century, there are lots of U.S. Model 1902 sabers for under $300. Because they are, I believe, still authorized for officers, there are lots of them available. The early ones are more attractive to me - not stainless steel and have contoured hilt metal, not the flat stamping of recent versions. I have difficulty dating them and rely on pictures. Some have dates etched on the blade with the original owner's name. |
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Post by Amir K Z on Jan 20, 2024 4:45:00 GMT
Me, myself and I wanted to buy swords / sabres (gargantuan childhood dream). I am new to this sphere and, after doing some research, I found the following suppliers / brokers in the space. As such, I wanted to share the list of key vendors that perhaps could be / would be helpful to our fellows going forward: I personally purchased swords from the following vendors (see below): Brigadier General (Paul), ww ii daggers (Tom Wittmann), Johnson reference books, Bolk antiques (Richard Bolk), Waterloo militaria, Andrew Bottomley. Most of the times, sellers are knowledgeable and willing to help — having said that, I would recommend double checking and triple checking: you can find better item and/or cheaper item from different seller. Swords www.antique-swords.com/french-epees-sabres/www.ima-usa.com/collections/swords/?sort_by=price-descendingantiquearmsandarmour.com/collections/swords-antique-edged-weapons-uk-war-militaria?page=2&sort_by=price-descendingwww.michaeldlong.com/shop/page/2/?orderby=price-descwww.liveauctioneers.com/c/swords-and-sabers/26503/?page=2www.wwiidaggers.com/welcome.htmjohnsonreferencebooks.com/product-category/swords/www.militariazone.com/swords/www.antiques.com/classified_items.php?SeArChItEmS=&startrage=&endrange=&catid=263&GoPageNo=7www.greatscottantiques.com/en-GB/antique-swords/prodcat_1056?reset=truewww.thewarfront.com/shop-war-front-militaria?Category=-+Edged+Weapons&page=4stewartsmilitaryantiques.com/swords.50.60.htmlwarstoreandmore.com/product-category/german/world-war-2-germany/germany-ww2-blades-bayonets-swords/page/2/www.brigadiergeneral.co.uk/news.phpwww.antiqueweaponstore.com/product-category/swords-daggers-post-1700/?orderby=price-descwww.antique-swords.co.uk/antique-swords-for-sale/British-Army-&-Navy-Swords-c37003597www.gundersonmilitaria.com/swordad.htmlwww.blackswanantique.com/collections/french-france-swords?sort_by=price-descendingwww.andrewbottomley.com/militaria--nautical-11-c.aspwww.waterloomilitaria.com/product-category/edged-weapons/www.bolk-antiques.nl/inventory/swords/www.collectorsfirearms.com/194-swords |
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Post by tensho on Jan 23, 2024 1:15:47 GMT
I recently bought an item from Michael D Long. There was quite a bit of damage in areas that were completely left out of photos. The person I talked to more or less called me a liar and when I sent photos of said damage I was told to just send it back for a full refund. No apology or admittance of deception. We settled on a partial refund.
So I would tread with caution.
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Post by madirish on Jan 23, 2024 1:21:48 GMT
Do yourself a favor and head on over to Facebook and join the Military Swords for Sale group and the International Antique Sword Collectors group. Plenty of very good folks over there buying and selling used swords of various stripes (Paul Wilcocks, mentioned earlier) gets a lot of trade in that group.
Of the 10 antiques I bought this year one was bought in person in France, one was bought off a guy on reddit (my first a WWI Prussian artillery saber), and one off of someone here on SBG....the rest were the result of those 2 Facebook groups. Good folks and knowledgeable. Yes, they are out to make a few bucks, but there isn't the same price level even for a high quality sword.
Auctions are very costly. Not only do you pay the gavel price, but you will also pay a buyer's premium to the auction house....they are as high as 25%. So every time you buy a sword at auction, expect to pay at least 20% more on top of it. Many also do not have in house shipping so you need to go through some hoops there. Also....sometimes auctioneers tell semprini stories. We had one in reddit suggesting that the sword they were auctioning was from the famed Castillon horde.....which it aint.....and another that was supposed to be a 12th century sword found while magnet fishing in Europe, but was not.
Bear in mind a couple of things....Paul Wilcocks is pretty much out of your price range. He's got a wide selection, but between the exchange rate with the UK and shipping, at $300 total, you'd be buying a relic. Second, at $300, the likelihood of finding an 18th Century sword you like approach very low probability. You will most likely be looking at some more common later 19th century stuff.
What kind of stuff are you interested in, specifically? English? French? Italian? German? Spanish? etc.
In your range, you will likely run into a lot of later 19th Century and WWI German swords (which I really enjoy) and maybe some of the mid 19th Century and later UK stuff, without scabbards, perhaps. Another 100 or 150 more puts you in reach of quite a bit more stuff, I think.
Before you buy something, make sure you've educated yourself on the model and have some ideas of what to look for in a fake. Get to know who the manufacturers are of the swords you are interested in and learn about the makers marks and inspection marks that are relevant to those makers, etc.
Enjoy going down the rabbit hole. Learning about antique swords is quite a lot of fun, too....and a challenge/hunt to find well regarded reference materials.
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