Replicas and misidentified – two challenges a student of antique arms will run into.
On the internet, you will find many copies of historical swords. Some are meant for re-enactment, and some are meant to make available swords which are too expensive to own by the average collector. Sometimes dealers are honest and sometimes dealers are less scrupulous. It is good to be wise and aware of what is out there. One thing is certain – the more valuable a historic sword is, the more it will be copied.
As for misidentified, sometimes honest mistakes are made. The sword of one country may have influenced the development of a sword in another country. The result is that you may have two swords that look very similar, with only slight differences. The value between the swords, however, can be quite different. This category will also help to share some of those differences so the collector will know what to look for.
