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Post by CivilSavage on Nov 13, 2023 18:19:40 GMT
Tagged in for a Thegn (owned one before, excellent sword) and a Duke (another I have owned before). Currently waiting on The Wallace which SHOULD come before the other two. I suspect mid 2025 I should have all three (we will see). Got fortunate and picked up a Vigil.
As with many I have at times been all over the map, but have settled on the simplicity of the Viking Era into the Early/High Middle Ages. While I surely like 'em all I can't buy 'em all!
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Post by CivilSavage on Nov 13, 2023 18:30:18 GMT
I have had a Laird and Caithness on order for quite a long time. Recently received the Sheriff. I have been lucky over the years to have owned the majority of Albion sword models. Sold many and replaced the ones I missed the most. I also have a healthy firearm collection. Could retire a 2nd time next year at 62 from my federal agency. Thinking I might work to 65. Money is good and the work fairly stress free......lol Location sucks though (around DC). I really need to downsize the sword collection. Have gradually been selling off the "good" stuff as that seems what people want. Have a bunch of lower and mid-priced stuff I have bought over the years. Almost not worth the trouble to box them and mail from a time and money perspective. Owned the Laird and handled the Caithness (20 years ago!). The Laird has a bigger presence than one would expect for a single hand Type XII. Moreso than the Knight. Gorgeous sword! The Caithness from what I remember seemed to "handle" better that the Laird but that really is not saying much as they both have great functional dynamics in that regard. It just seemed as the Caithness was a bit more superlative in the hand. My sympathies for being stuck in DC and envy for the low stress work environs! Also I understand the "is it worth even going through the effort to sell something that retails sub $300"? But what do you do with them? Gift them I guess....
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Post by William Swiger on Nov 13, 2023 22:28:49 GMT
I have had a Laird and Caithness on order for quite a long time. Recently received the Sheriff. I have been lucky over the years to have owned the majority of Albion sword models. Sold many and replaced the ones I missed the most. I also have a healthy firearm collection. Could retire a 2nd time next year at 62 from my federal agency. Thinking I might work to 65. Money is good and the work fairly stress free......lol Location sucks though (around DC). I really need to downsize the sword collection. Have gradually been selling off the "good" stuff as that seems what people want. Have a bunch of lower and mid-priced stuff I have bought over the years. Almost not worth the trouble to box them and mail from a time and money perspective. Owned the Laird and handled the Caithness (20 years ago!). The Laird has a bigger presence than one would expect for a single hand Type XII. Moreso than the Knight. Gorgeous sword! The Caithness from what I remember seemed to "handle" better that the Laird but that really is not saying much as they both have great functional dynamics in that regard. It just seemed as the Caithness was a bit more superlative in the hand. My sympathies for being stuck in DC and envy for the low stress work environs! Also I understand the "is it worth even going through the effort to sell something that retails sub $300"? But what do you do with them? Gift them I guess.... Have given away many swords over the years. Yeah - the Windlass, Del Tins and others are nice swords in new condition, but people want to barter the prices even lower which makes it even more of a pain to sell them.....lol Just sold a sword recently I did not have a wide enough box for the guard. Cost me over 200 dollars for UPS to box and mail to the West Coast.......
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Post by William Swiger on Nov 13, 2023 22:39:01 GMT
If the Caithness turns out to be disappointing, pm me! 😇 Will likely sell one of them when they arrive. Will keep a few Albion single handers but will have to decide what to keep. Kept the Earl long sword as I like it more than even the BP I sold. Still have a Warwick and Duke. Duke was my first Albion years ago. Had it sitting on top of my truck hard cover when I first got it. Sword freaking slide off the truck when I turned my back. Dented the pommel and scratched the blade in a few places and a small chip........I blued the hilt and then removed it a few years later. Got the nick out of it. Will never sell that bad luck sword. Warwick is a cool sword.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Nov 13, 2023 23:12:59 GMT
I have had a Laird and Caithness on order for quite a long time. Recently received the Sheriff. I have been lucky over the years to have owned the majority of Albion sword models. Sold many and replaced the ones I missed the most. I also have a healthy firearm collection. Could retire a 2nd time next year at 62 from my federal agency. Thinking I might work to 65. Money is good and the work fairly stress free......lol Location sucks though (around DC). I really need to downsize the sword collection. Have gradually been selling off the "good" stuff as that seems what people want. Have a bunch of lower and mid-priced stuff I have bought over the years. Almost not worth the trouble to box them and mail from a time and money perspective. Owned the Laird and handled the Caithness (20 years ago!). The Laird has a bigger presence than one would expect for a single hand Type XII. Moreso than the Knight. Gorgeous sword! The Caithness from what I remember seemed to "handle" better that the Laird but that really is not saying much as they both have great functional dynamics in that regard. It just seemed as the Caithness was a bit more superlative in the hand. My sympathies for being stuck in DC and envy for the low stress work environs! Also I understand the "is it worth even going through the effort to sell something that retails sub $300"? But what do you do with them? Gift them I guess.... Yeah I had both as well recently. The Caithness is lighter and more nimble than both the Knight and the Laird. All three have the same blade.
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Post by honjo7 on Nov 15, 2023 18:58:55 GMT
I put down a deposit on the Kern. I've only recently developed a taste for single-handers. I've heard a few people complain about the size of the ring pommel, but I think it's overall the best looking Irish shortsword I've seen. It was a bit of a toss up between this and Arms & Armor's offering. Arguably, that one is truer to type, but what sold me on Albion's was the beautiful etching alongside the central fuller. It will be my second Albion, which I swore never to purchase again, on account of the problems I had importing them to the UK last time.
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Post by pellius on Nov 15, 2023 23:24:57 GMT
The Albion Type XIX’s are fantastic, and the Kern is just gorgeous.
Nice choice
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Post by toddstratton1 on Nov 16, 2023 0:37:56 GMT
If the Caithness turns out to be disappointing, pm me! 😇 Will likely sell one of them when they arrive. Will keep a few Albion single handers but will have to decide what to keep. Kept the Earl long sword as I like it more than even the BP I sold. Still have a Warwick and Duke. Duke was my first Albion years ago. Had it sitting on top of my truck hard cover when I first got it. Sword freaking slide off the truck when I turned my back. Dented the pommel and scratched the blade in a few places and a small chip........I blued the hilt and then removed it a few years later. Got the nick out of it. Will never sell that bad luck sword. Warwick is a cool sword. You should try using a prepurchase shipping label service. I use a website called pirate shipping dot com. I am in new york city but I could ship to california for a 9 lb Albion sword sized box for like 65 usd max including full insurance on a 1500 dollar item for example
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Post by bwaze on Nov 18, 2023 10:21:58 GMT
I ordered a second hand Albion Ljubljana from Kult of Athena - after lusting about the original in our National Museum of Slovenia for the last 20 years - and for the first few years I've only seen the sword on pictures and drawings. I thought I would never have an option to buy it since Albion Europe closed down years ago, so seeing the Albion price increase and at the same time availability of second hand one was kind of a sign. But it's now stuck in some sort of strange limbo - I ordered the sword on October 26., it was shipped right away - and went back to the sender: "The receiver had no invoice information for this package and has refused the delivery." And now the Kult of Athena are resolving the issue with the shipping company for the past three weeks! So the anxiety if they'll even manage to ship it is growing.
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Post by pellius on Nov 18, 2023 16:07:31 GMT
Aargh Major bummer I hope they get shipping sorted for you
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Post by madirish on Nov 19, 2023 1:43:47 GMT
Good luck!
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Post by ranstone on Nov 20, 2023 2:21:37 GMT
I wish I bought more museum line swords since the expensive ones are like 400+ more dollars now lol. The Svante Nilsson Sture is now 4,500$... Wow...
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Post by bwaze on Nov 20, 2023 5:27:54 GMT
Yeah, "Albion Mark Peter Johnsson Museum Collection Hallmark Series Svante Sword" was offered first in 2004 at $2500, and by pure inflation calculation that would be now about $4070. But Albion had a large price hike early on, in 2006 the sword already went for $2900, and that's only by inflation now $4425! So if it's harder to afford now at $4500 than it was in 2006 at $2900, then it's your salary that's the problem, not the price of the sword?
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Post by bwaze on Nov 20, 2023 9:35:54 GMT
Some swords have even gone down, even if you consider the latest price increase.
Albion Ljubljana was introduced in 2012 with "special introductory price of $2,800."
Well, the introductory price remained for more than 10 years, and even with 15% price increase now at $3220 it actually costs less than inflation corrected original price - $3752!)
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Post by toddstratton1 on Nov 20, 2023 12:45:22 GMT
Yeah, "Albion Mark Peter Johnsson Museum Collection Hallmark Series Svante Sword" was offered first in 2004 at $2500, and by pure inflation calculation that would be now about $4070. But Albion had a large price hike early on, in 2006 the sword already went for $2900, and that's only by inflation now $4425! So if it's harder to afford now at $4500 than it was in 2006 at $2900, then it's your salary that's the problem, not the price of the sword? Sadly, people's salaries have not gone up enough to match inflation and rise in cost of living. Of course Albion as a business has to stay producing to current market changes. So there's nothing wrong at all with the price changes. It's just hard too afford higher end stuff for most people in this economy.
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Post by fester on Nov 20, 2023 13:14:21 GMT
Yeah, "Albion Mark Peter Johnsson Museum Collection Hallmark Series Svante Sword" was offered first in 2004 at $2500, and by pure inflation calculation that would be now about $4070. But Albion had a large price hike early on, in 2006 the sword already went for $2900, and that's only by inflation now $4425! So if it's harder to afford now at $4500 than it was in 2006 at $2900, then it's your salary that's the problem, not the price of the sword? Sadly, people's salaries have not gone up enough to match inflation and rise in cost of living. Of course Albion as a business has to stay producing to current market changes. So there's nothing wrong at all with the price changes. It's just hard too afford higher end stuff for most people in this economy. Yes, there is truth in this. Salaries overall have not gone up as much over the years for the average person to match inflation. and other expenses have gone up as well so that in 2006 the sword might have been affordable at that price at the salary they were at but not in 2023 with salaries not matching inflation and other expenses that have increased too. Not criticizing Albion at all since they had not raised their prices in over 10 years which is unheard of. But for many people now some of their swords are out of their price range.
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Post by fivesidedpixels on Nov 21, 2023 2:35:15 GMT
Sadly, people's salaries have not gone up enough to match inflation and rise in cost of living. Of course Albion as a business has to stay producing to current market changes. So there's nothing wrong at all with the price changes. It's just hard too afford higher end stuff for most people in this economy. Yes, there is truth in this. Salaries overall have not gone up as much over the years for the average person to match inflation. and other expenses have gone up as well so that in 2006 the sword might have been affordable at that price at the salary they were at but not in 2023 with salaries not matching inflation and other expenses that have increased too. Not criticizing Albion at all since they had not raised their prices in over 10 years which is unheard of. But for many people now some of their swords are out of their price range. Well said. Not everyone is financially fortunate enough to overcome more than a decade of inflation. I think now (not in this thread, necessarily) is a good time to start the conversation about alternative choices to Albion. Not to find anyone "better" than Albion, but to explore other options for swords in their old price range. Who else currently makes swords in the $800 to $1000+ ballpark? How do they stack up in quality, wait time, communication, etc.? While there might not be a magically cheaper version of Albion out there, other makers exist and are worth comparing to. For some people, a $200-$300 increase to the sword they wanted is a small inconvenience; they would've bought it either way. For others, this is enough to make them reconsider entirely. Perhaps they want to find something at the old price, or maybe they want to know what opens up if they're willing to spend just a bit more. I think it's worth helping people out here.
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Post by fester on Nov 21, 2023 4:01:47 GMT
Yes, there is truth in this. Salaries overall have not gone up as much over the years for the average person to match inflation. and other expenses have gone up as well so that in 2006 the sword might have been affordable at that price at the salary they were at but not in 2023 with salaries not matching inflation and other expenses that have increased too. Not criticizing Albion at all since they had not raised their prices in over 10 years which is unheard of. But for many people now some of their swords are out of their price range. Well said. Not everyone is financially fortunate enough to overcome more than a decade of inflation. I think now (not in this thread, necessarily) is a good time to start the conversation about alternative choices to Albion. Not to find anyone "better" than Albion, but to explore other options for swords in their old price range. Who else currently makes swords in the $800 to $1000+ ballpark? How do they stack up in quality, wait time, communication, etc.? While there might not be a magically cheaper version of Albion out there, other makers exist and are worth comparing to. For some people, a $200-$300 increase to the sword they wanted is a small inconvenience; they would've bought it either way. For others, this is enough to make them reconsider entirely. Perhaps they want to find something at the old price, or maybe they want to know what opens up if they're willing to spend just a bit more. I think it's worth helping people out here. One of the issue is that there are not many mid level sword makers to fill the niche. Windlass, Tod cutler and LC chen have some models in this range but not alot. Valiant armory used to fill this niche but he makes higher end swords now. Del tin is not putting out what it used to and they have become stagnant in what they offer. I think the market is ready to fill this void but someone has to step up to do it.
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Post by bwaze on Nov 21, 2023 6:00:11 GMT
I wouldn't focus to much on a "$800 to $1000+ ballpark" - Windlass "Royal Armouries 15th century Two Handed Sword" was clearly in that "sweet spot", but in many ways worse than for instance Balaur Arms swords for half it's price. For me, of course - a friend of mine who saw and held it commented that for him it would be completely the same as if he held Albion Museum Line - for him the most important aspect is that it copies a real museum sword, and everything else is small details.
I am very impressed with my In'Carius Type H Viking Sword - but the ordering process was as stressful as others have described it - I didn't mind the delays as much as Rafal's constant promises that the sword is finished and on it's way, only to find out it is clearly not!
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Post by bwaze on Dec 8, 2023 18:56:37 GMT
Short update, Ljubljana has arrived, only 20 km away from Ljubljana. It has been a long shipping process, and I still don't even know what went wrong in the first attempt so I anxiously watched the package status, and in the end it took a week for customs in my country to finally do their job. But this was expected, it's December already and I guess they're flooded with Black Friday and holiday shipments. I also have to thank the Kult of Athena in the end for covering the import costs and taxes, which for an item this costly aren't a small amount. But all the savings from that have already gone for scabbard raw materials - leather, glue and paint, thin model birch plywood, and I also bought Tod Cutler chape and brass belt set, and I sent all the parts to be silver plated. The brass parts, not the leather and plywood. I hope I'll be able to complete the scabbard by the mid-January, my re-enactment company is taking part in an event in our National Museum of Slovenia, the place where the Albion Ljubljana original sword resides, and is for the past 11 years accessible to the public.
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