Showed off some knives at a faire over the weekend...

Osbourn

Osbourn

Joined
Jun 27, 1999
Messages
804
I don't know why, but I just felt like sharing this.
Went to Hoggestowne Medieval faire ( www.state.fl.us/gvl/arts_culture/Medieval.HTML )over the weekend. Showed off some of my blades to anyone that would give feedback. One of the people that I showed my new knife to asked first to see my sword. I was wearing a Pakistani kriss blade. Very cool looking cheap junk. With the big scabbard, it had a vaguely norse-esque look to it that I could live with for one faire, and I didn't really have any other swords with scabbards that I'm not currently altering in some way. He admired the blade, and mentioned that he was a collector. That, of course, was all the excuse that I needed to show off something that I had made, so I showed him my two D2 pieces that I happened to have with me. He asked what the prices were, then looked surprized and said that $100 was expensive. I was crushed. Ken Strock said that was a great price, standing in front of his rack of $700(average) swords. I had to hold my tongue and keep from saying "Oh, you're a collector of CHEAP blades." but I realized that he wasn't really trying to be mean, so why should I? I've been thinking about it ever since, and it made me think about all the different levels of collectors there are. I started making knives because I was sick of only getting POS blades, and really couldn't afford the high quality stuff. Apparently the collector I talked to hasn't reached that point, or maybe doesn't use blades often enough to know what's worth more. I'm glad I kept my irritation to myself. He seemed like a nice guy, and maybe someday he won't think my blades are so expensive.



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Oz

"Panda meat cures cancer."
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
"The Middle Ages Come Alive!"

Sounds like a lot of fun. You did right, not putting him down. Not everyone is into the same level of interest, and $100 for a wallhanger is real money that could go for food ... of course, if his life depended on a good sword, he'd think differently!
 
I have constructed what I call a "Time Machine." And using this "Time Machine", I'm going to journey back to 1968 and steal Austin Power's Mojo.

Wait. Cut. Wrong thread. Let's try this again...

I have constructed what I call a "Time Machine." And using this "Time Machine", I'm going to journey back to 1500 and buy a good sword.

Here's the interesting question: will I pay more for it in real terms than I would pay for a comperable quality sword today?

It's a difficult question since we've got to decide what monetary unit we're going to use. Today, we often use US Dollars even outside of the US. A very nice sword might cost five to six hundred dollars? I don't know. I've never bought one. But, let's use that five to six hundred number. That's about two ounces of gold at today's market price.

Do you think that, in 1500, two ounces of gold would have bought you a good sword? I don't know? Any historians out there?

The median household income in the US according to the latest census results is $40,800. A good sword, therefore, costs about 1.3 percent of average annual income. So, back in 1500, do you think that 1.3 percent of average household income would have bought a good sword? Again, I am not a historian and I don't know the answer. I'm just asking the question.

Part of the problem is that my understanding is that much of the middle age's economy was barter-based. So, what would a sword smith of that day want to trade for? Food for his family maybe? Wholesale boxed beef closed yesterday at about $1.60/lb on the Omaha market. So, that sword is about 350 pounds of been, about 1/3 of a cow. Do you think that a middle-ages (not middle-aged) sword smith would have traded a good sword for 1/3 of a cow? Again, I don't know. I'm just asking?

Anyway, maybe there are other ways to evaluate this?


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
The blade in question was actually a knife. A D2 drop point skinner with green tiger maple scales with hidden pins. A rather nice using knife, IMHO, and darn pretty. I'll post a pic and measurements later tonight.


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Oz


"Panda meat cures cancer."
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/

[This message has been edited by Osbourn (edited 02-05-2001).]
 
Heh. I live in Hogtown.
frown.gif
 
Gollnick--

I would think that a good sword from a worthy smithy would go for two whole cows, or the equivalent. I would think he might take a cow and two sheep, or six goats, or three goats, a sheep, and two geese. Maybe twenty chickens, but only if he was prepared to give a duck in change...

biggrin.gif


But seriously, I wouldn't think less than an entire cow...since he'd have to salt the meat to keep it from spoiling, unless it was still exceptionally rare (i.e., still moooooving--I couldn't resist). Since livestock were so important to the medieval economy, and more widespread, I would tend to think the bottom line would be a slightly inflated price...at best. Worse, depending on local legality and political situation. And if there were a war on, then they would be worth a king's ransom, if they might be had at all...

Just my $.02.


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Vaya con Queso!!!
 
Oz, sounds like a good time. Post some pics of your work. What I've seen is very nice.

Paul
 
Here's the pic.
View

D2 blade, flat ground, green tiger maple handle with full tang and hidden pins. I just realized on the 15th edit of the pic how repetetive I'm being on the description. I also mixed in sawdust with the epoxy, so it's just about invisible.


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Oz


"Panda meat cures cancer."
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/


[This message has been edited by Osbourn (edited 02-06-2001).]
 
I read somewhere once that during medieval times people would pay more for a sword (in terms of percentage of annual income) than what people today pay for a car.
 
Thanks Paul, Louis. Check http://www.freespeech.org/oz/projects5.htm for some other blades I've made. I think this one is probably one of my better ones to date, though.
There wasn't much barter for swords, as I understand it. Generally, if you were of such a stature to afford a quality sword, you were also of such a stature to pay cash for it.
Wartime was different. Smiths were often pressed into service just as soldiers were. In Europe and Japan, that is. The norse had their own ways of doing things.

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Oz

"Panda meat cures cancer."
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Knights were rich people. They were noble men - hence the owners of lands and so on.

The average farmer couldn’t afford a good sword for his life.

At the end of a life long good service to his lord he could get one sword - that is if his master was kind to him. Usually he got less - it at all

BTW - very nice knife Oz - I know the feeling of showing somwthing your'e proud of to the un-knowing and getting that response. just ignore and go on.


[This message has been edited by Blilious (edited 02-06-2001).]
 
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