In any case youre right about your last point and i agree that ''''flaws''' in quality back then were different to today as even the most crooked sword would have had atleast some distal taper, a functionally forged and differentially hardened tang and a pommel that wouldnt come flying off like we see on some of the worse depeekas.Buying a sword can be a bit confusing so at, we have developed a guide for any new or experienced sword collector or re-enactor. Also Munich was quite a rich town with Nuremberg close where some of the most beautiful armors were made so id almost imagine the region would try to keep up a certain image of quality in the arms and armor industry. In addition the 17th century was a time where aesthetic standards where quite high in all facettes of life and things were as ornate as never before. The munich swords you point out are indeed beautifully made but those too are from the 17th century so after the middle ages during a time where almost any soldier would have carried a sword and had the means to acquire one as they were readily available and as such perfected to a point not seen in history before. But i feel the need to point out that this idea is largely related to the knightly class as we can see knightly swords in modern collections having a higher quality standard than the few munitions grade swords that survive pre 17th century.

The imagery of swords being associated with the knightly class do go back centuries. I see what youre saying and i agree that swords were held in a higher regard as they were still seen as symbols of power by the society as a whole. You can find lots of 'flaws' in an A&A piece or a Tod's Workshop sword, but that doesn't mean they're anything like a Deepeeka.ġ6:26:34 GMT shizzeldidizzel said:Oh my god first ever post so hey guys been lurking for too long lets have a go at this. However, the flaws that result from that are not identical to those that come from non-specialized modern mass-production labor. A skilled and experienced blacksmith working within certain time constraints for an average customer may not spend a ton of time on the finish and may not care about the odd asymmetry or bit of blade waviness. Sure, they both tend to have flaws, but the flaws are fundamentally different. If the idea was just to hand someone a tool, why would they need wire wraps with Turks head knots and (relatively) elaborately swept bars? Of course there's a spectrum of quality that exists, and if someone buys a high-end reproduction from makers today they should understand that they're most likely getting a better-than-average sample of what might've existed in the past.īut stepping back, my main point was to counter the idea that mass-produced budget swords are 'closer' to actual historical pieces than high-end replicas. Really, even if we keep to the idea of city watchmen, if we look at the well-known Munich town guard swords we can see a lot of details that go beyond simple utility. I just want to push back against the idea that people as a whole 'didn't care' about swords or the aesthetic details and care put into them, or the idea that they were only ever tools for the battlefield and nothing more. To start off, I want to be clear that I wasn't trying to suggest that all swords in the middle ages were held in high regard or as pieces of art certainly, sometimes you just need a bunch of functional blades to hand to your men-at-arms. The only counter argument i can think of is the surviving armories that still hold swords to this day, but the only ones i remember having period inventory are from the 17th century where mass production of swords was perfected and so they were of higher quality. Sadly most battlefield finds are too decayed to properly measure and study, but i doubt they'd be too well made.

You shouldnt forget that most museum swords were from known people or of a quality that even back then was found worthy to preserve. For nobility and richer men certainly, but i dont believe some watchman Hermann standing at the city gate since 6 hours would hold his issiued sword by the armory in too high of a regard nor would he care about it being too straight or having both quillons. During the late 15th, early 16th munition grade swords were readily available and as such i doubt they held a high significance to the average soldier. I believe that you're not wrong, however you have to keep in mind that historical context changes dramatically through the ages. Oh my god first ever post so hey guys been lurking for too long lets have a go at this.

Replica medieval sword