"Beginners" Sword

[b.hennick]

My friends in the Rochester Sword Study group have been a sharing collective of people who love swords/fittings and who help other to acquire the best. I am fortunate to have had the group in my early years to help with sword selection. They still are people I consult when considering a serious purchase. Advice from seniors who are not self interested is exceptionally valuable. Sooo join sword study groups, go to shows and meet people that you know from messageboard and of course read and study. I fondly remember Allan Pressley and Herman Wallenga to deceased members of that group.

[cabowen]

Advice from seniors who are not self interested is exceptionally valuable.

 

I am not sure if all collectors reach this point, or exactly when it happens, but I have noticed myself that at some point I realized that there are enough good swords to go around, that I did not have to own all of them....Not to say I still don't covet a few swords I have seen in others collections, but I am at the point where if I never bought another sword I would be just fine with what I have. There is a certain freedom at this point in the journey that allows me to take great pleasure in helping others reach their goals without feeling like it is a competition....

[runagmc]

I have to disagree to some extant that lower end blades are harder to sell. If anything I would say it's often the other way around.

 

Also, there's a difference between buying a lower end collectable sword for a fair or good price, and overpaying for a non-collectable piece of junk.

 

What if a person could afford a $15,000 dollar sword for his first piece... would you encourage a person who had never owned a sword before to buy something like that? I definitely would not.

[b.hennick]

I remember at a show a few years ago a person came by and told me what he was looking for. I had a sword with everything he wanted. It was $10k. He wanted a $15k sword. I offered to raise the price . He wanted a $15k sword no matter what it was. He has since become a serious collector of good blades. I am not sure if he still shops by price or not.

[Lingonberry]

So to condense the advice in this thread so far:

 

1. Don't consider buying anything until you're confident in your ability to pick out a good quality item by yourself (but you should still seek assistance/advice from more experienced collectors whenever possible)

 

2. There is no such thing as a "beginners" sword, and if you see one labeled as such it might not be too great a quality (even though the price might be fair for what it is)

 

3. Buy the best item you can reasonably afford, but make sure you buy from a trusted source and verify your opinions with the opinions of your mentors whenever possible before committing.

 

4. Stay away from "gems in the rough," i.e. items in need of restoration, as the restored item may not have been worth the cost of purchase + restoration (I don't think I saw this mentioned in this thread, but I feel that it was implied a little bit)

 

5. Try to avoid buying anything online unless you have seen it in person at least once. Pictures may not be accurate and issues may not be disclosed on the website. Also, you might see something "wrong" (either a flaw or something you don't personally like) once you get the item in person which the dealer didn't see or disclose. Even with inspection periods you'll still lose precious funds on shipping/insurance.

 

6. Get a really well paying job! :lol:

[Ken-Hawaii]

Seems like a reasonably good summary, Adam.

 

Ken

[runagmc]

I remember at a show a few years ago a person came by and told me what he was looking for. I had a sword with everything he wanted. It was $10k. He wanted a $15k sword. I offered to raise the price . He wanted a $15k sword no matter what it was. He has since become a serious collector of good blades. I am not sure if he still shops by price or not.

Whether you agree or not, I think you understood my point... and it had nothing to do with shopping by price opposed to quality. It had to do with encouraging beginners to get in way over their heads on their first purchase.

[nagamaki - Franco]

3. Buy the best item you can reasonably afford, but make sure you buy from a trusted source and verify your opinions with the opinions of your mentors whenever possible before committing.

 

It happens sometimes that a private collector will be selling a very good sword, because they are stepping up to the next level, or simply may have reached a point where they've decided to reduce for other reasons. In such cases it is possible to pick up a very nice collectible sword at a fair price. This is one reason it's important to develop trusted contacts in both collectors and dealers by frequenting sword shows, having patience as well as persistence, being at the right place at the right time, and all that. Also, this doesn't mean losing your focus and attention as every sword should be carefully evaluated on its own merits, regardless of who it comes from. One should become very familiar with swordsmith ratings and what they mean, and Hozon and Tokubetsu Hozon guidelines for swords.