Blade Show Legacy

Triton

Triton

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2000
Messages
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At last year's Blade Show in Atlanta, I was wandering about as I am want to do and I happened to stop by a table where they were selling a collection that was the result of purchasing someone's estate. (The whole thought is pretty depressing if you think about it, because eventually all of our collections might end up in that booth or one like it, but never mind). I was looking at the knives literally piled in the wooden display cases when I saw a dagger pommel sticking out from under a pile of random gibberish. I thought to myself that's obviously a <maker's> dagger. I asked the gentleman to open the case and it was indeed a <maker's> dagger. It was also the nicest one I'd ever seen from this maker, far above his average stuff. Like an idiot I said hey this a <maker>. The price probably went up right at that point and I went home many dollars poorer. This year I'm back at the Blade Show and I once more wander by this purveyor's booth. There wasn't anything of particular interest there and I was leaving I said something like "well I guess nothing I'm interested in this year, last year I bought that <maker's> dagger from you. The guy points at me and says, "YOU, YOU are the one!" That was a little disconcerting but he then goes on to tell me that somehow or other he had run across and purchased the sword that HAD to be the companion piece to that previously purchased dagger. Unfortunately, he didn't bring it with him, but after the show we exchanged emails and many dollars later I own the sword too. Take a look. It's a beautiful matched set, I think he is right they were probably originally made as a pair and I'm glad to have them back together. At least next time that they show up in that booth someone can make a better deal for them. So for bonus points can you tell me who the maker is? Would you have recognized the dagger just from the pommel sticking out from under a pile of junk? :)

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DocJD said:
Very cool find ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

There is some fighting style that used a sword and dagger together ?
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Not that I'm aware of at least not for this type of sword (I'm going to say that it's roughly a sort of an Oakeshott Type XII with a T5 pommel). There was the rapier and parrying dagger combination but that came much later than the time period that these particular pieces roughly approximate. These swords aren't strictly historical they were probably made sometime in the 90s, just before Albion and Angus Trim swords became a thing.
 
Steven65 said:
Great story. Things like that do happen at Blade. Who is the maker of the set?
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Well, I was wondering if anyone would be able to guess, I suspect that when Glen comes along he will know. I titled this thread the way I did because I mostly bought these as nostalgia pieces, not because they are the latest in terms of research or performance or even historical research, but because when I first started getting into swords these were top of the line. I'll fess up in a bit if no one guesses pretty soon. :)
 
Congratulations on finishing your set, it's a handsome pairing.

DocJD said:
Very cool find ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

There is some fighting style that used a sword and dagger together ?
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OP is right, later styles of fighting featured sword and dagger combinations. In the medieval period, they often carried a sword as a primary sidearm and dagger to be used up close to find gaps in armor when grappling.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Congratulations on finishing your set, it's a handsome pairing.



OP is right, later styles of fighting featured sword and dagger combinations. In the medieval period, they often carried a sword as a primary sidearm and dagger to be used up close to find gaps in armor when grappling.
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Thanks, the fun part was I didn't even know it was a set! :)
 
Triton said:
I can see why you would think that, the fullers especially have that machined look of the early Angus Trim / Albion swords but those swords didn't have the fancy wire wrapped handles and the pommels of those had those interesting pommel nuts that you could use to dismount them.
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I see now where you said pre- Albion. Del Tin? That's all I got.
 
Triton said:
I can see why you would think that, the fullers especially have that machined look of the early Angus Trim / Albion swords but those swords didn't have the fancy wire wrapped handles and the pommels of those had those interesting pommel nuts that you could use to dismount them.
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Why, it's Jim of course. Hrisoulas, Salamander Armoury. One of his standard offerings back to the '80s. I have not pinged him, forever but there is some new to me stock since last checking. Mostly small knife stuff now. ...atar... Great find and a truly nice set. His wire work is was amazing. Now I may suck up an antler knife from him, if around.




I have a dagger, that surfaced and I had even posted of it here :D Come to think of it, mine has been packed away since a 2019 event, I'm not looking for a sword but that would be a neat stumble across...

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Tom Maringer's swords of the last century were something else as well. His son is chipping away at my hollow leg.


Cheers
GC; Triton had once gifted me a kukri for claiming to running naked with blue paint. We be old mon ;)
 
horseclover said:
Why, it's Jim of course. Hrisoulas, Salamander Armoury. One of his standard offerings back to the '80s. I have not pinged him, forever but there is some new to me stock since last checking. Mostly small knife stuff now. ...atar... Great find and a truly nice set. His wire work is was amazing. Now I may suck up an antler knife from him, if around.




I have a dagger, that surfaced and I had even posted of it here :D Come to think of it, mine has been packed away since a 2019 event, I'm not looking for a sword but that would be a neat stumble across...

FFBCXB7.png

A7oLhgQ.png



Tom Maringer's swords of the last century were something else as well. His son is chipping away at my hollow leg.


Cheers
GC; Triton had once gifted me a kukri for claiming to running naked with blue paint. We be old mon ;)
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Ding ding ding, we have a winner in my "not a contest." I figured you would be along and get it eventually. I really like that dagger you have there as well! I don't remember seeing that one before. I also hadn't thought about those old contests I used to run in years! Maybe I should do that again here.

Anyway, Horseclover is right the sword and dagger pair are by Jim Hrisoulas. His maker's mark which I deliberately hid is a "8R" in a heart. I think when he was on the Ren Faire circuit (may still be for all I know) his Faire name was "Atar" so a play on words as Horseclover mentioned.

Simplyminded was not far off in that the other production makers of note at that time were Deltin (sold through Museum Replicas Limited) and I think Arms and Armor was around although mostly working Ran Faires at the time.

Other than the katana makers the only custom sword smiths of note I can remember were Hrisoulas who wrote The Complete Blade Smith and Maringer with his Vorpal swords.
 
Triton said:
Ding ding ding, we have a winner in my "not a contest." I figured you would be along and get it eventually. I really like that dagger you have there as well! I don't remember seeing that one before. I also hadn't thought about those old contests I used to run in years! Maybe I should do that again here.

Anyway, Horseclover is right the sword and dagger pair are by Jim Hrisoulas. His maker's mark which I deliberately hid is a "8R" in a heart. I think when he was on the Ren Faire circuit (may still be for all I know) his Faire name was "Atar" so a play on words as Horseclover mentioned.

Simplyminded was not far off in that the other production makers of note at that time were Deltin (sold through Museum Replicas Limited) and I think Arms and Armor was around although mostly working Ran Faires at the time.

Other than the katana makers the only custom sword smiths of note I can remember were Hrisoulas who wrote The Complete Blade Smith and Maringer with his Vorpal swords.
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That contest must have been 20 or more years ago, myArmoury. I know I had the kukri in 2007 and gave it to someone for cutting a tatami mat with it. He gifted it to a couple at their wedding, which went sour and the surupati went to the wife :D.
 
horseclover said:
That contest must have been 20 or more years ago, myArmoury. I know I had the kukri in 2007 and gave it to someone for cutting a tatami mat with it. He gifted it to a couple at their wedding, which went sour and the surupati went to the wife :D.
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That's funny that was a Himalayan imports piece, that I bought on the exchange here. I was thinking I wanted to get into Khukri at the time and then realized I already had too many expensive hobbies!
 
Triton said:
That's funny that was a Himalayan imports piece, that I bought on the exchange here. I was thinking I wanted to get into Khukri at the time and then realized I already had too many expensive hobbies!
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I found a new expensive hobby but I'm going to run out of room. I always figured knives are more compact collections, until I figured out how full you can make a closet. You need the closets because you start hanging framed art. Then, you discover that oil on board 5"/7" framed impasto landscapes use less wall space :D
 
Medieval batt
horseclover said:
I found a new expensive hobby but I'm going to run out of room. I always figured knives are more compact collections, until I figured out how full you can make a closet. You need the closets because you start hanging framed art. Then, you discover that oil on board 5"/7" framed impasto landscapes use less wall space :D
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Medieval battle scenes right!?
 
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