Issue # 176 | February 1st 2023
From the Desk of Paul Southren
Welcome back to the Sword Buyers Digest as we return for the year of the rabbit, 2023! Hope you all took some much needed time off over the holiday period and are starting the new year well.

It is looking that 2023 is shaping up to be another trying year in a series of trying years for the struggling sword industry. From the heady days of government hand outs with high demand and no stock, to being almost fully stocked but with no demand, at least as we enter 2023 the industry is in a fairly balanced 'low demand, relatively stable supply' situation these days..

The problem is though that with no clear stimulus on the horizon anytime soon and all sword making companies in a very conservative and careful mood as inflation continues to run unchecked, it would be unrealistic to expect anything much in the way of new releases this year..

As such, it is shaping up to be a bit of a boring 'survival focused' year for the majority of sword manufacturers and artisans. So as it is likely to be a very quiet year in terms of new swords or new sword companies making a splash on the scene, we have decided to spend the year updating SBG's website, forum, store and social media networks - consolidating our database of information and laying a solid foundation for whatever the future may have in store for our tiny industry.

While it might not be as exciting as a new sword making project, as this month marks the 18th anniversary of Sword Buyers Guide.com, there has never been a better time for SBG to return to its roots and do all it can to stabilize its foundation and focus our time and efforts on reconnecting and expanding the platforms available to the sword collecting community, working to build stronger ties and bridges between industry leaders and sword 'end users' and generally updating and revitalizing Sword Buyers Guide across the board.

We will keep you updated of the changes and upgrades as they take place over the course of the year. But in the meantime, time to catch up on what is new in the world of swords with Swords in the News!
Swords in the News
Written by the BBC, this quite in depth article explores the lost history of historical European martial arts and the lost techniques being rediscovered by the HEMA community over the last 20 years. Well worth the read.

Museums usually have it the other way around and end up finding out the priceless heirloom treasure is a fake. But in this case, a suspected clerical error had a 3000 year old artifact listed as a modern reproduction!

You have almost certainly have heard of Fiore Dei Liberi, but how about Jack Churchill or Donald McBane 'the Scottish Brute'? Or how about Lady Julie d’Aubigny? If not, you are in for a treat with this well curated list.

In a story almost too good to be true, a drunken would be thief in the Mexican city of Monterrey managed to get severely injured by a stone sword while attempting to steal a statue of St. Michael from a local church!

A brief look at the long tradition of forging swords made from meteoric iron with Master Hu Xiaojun in Lonquan, and the modern market of Spanish blades made in Toledo by Blacksmith Julio Ramírez.

Dating back to the 4th century, archeologists in Japan have unearthed the largest iron sword ever found in East Asia (2.3m or 90"!) and an unusual shield shaped mirror, both revealing remarkably advanced technology for the time period.

While swords may be extremely hard to source for the average U.K. citizen these days, it is slightly ironic that they also held a sword themed action packed weekend at the end of last month at the Royal Armory in Leeds. Here are some of the highlights of that event. Let's hope it softens public perceptions of swords a little over there (though as we all know, once bans and restrictions come in - they tend to stay).

Researches in Italy have been reconstructing the likely scenario for the remains of a young man killed in the medieval period, suggesting that he took a skimming frontal blow to the head, turned to flee, and was brutally chopped down as he ran.. Medieval CSI anyone?
Video of the Month
If you follow the historical evolution of the sword in Europe, you may be left wondering why the single handed saber came to dominate the 19th battlefield instead of longswords, arming swords, rapiers, smallswords or other swords.. Matt Easton weighs in and attempts to answer the question once and for all.
Have a look and see if you concur with his conclusions.
Best Forum Posts
While the thread is ostensibly asking for feedback from anyone who has used the Fred Lohman companies Japanese sword mounting/customization services since Fred passed away in 2021, it ends up exposing a very real problem with a lack of options and lack of new artisans capable of customizing a sword. Interesting read that shows that sometimes the uniqueness of our hobby works against us.

Forumites weigh in on the slim pickings for Katana customization work these days. Never been a better time to learn how to DIY it..

Forumite 'the Blue Knight's' second Middle Earth inspired sword design, this one inspired by the Elven warrior Glorfindel of Gondolin looks like a worthy successor to the first. See the inspiration behind the design process and how it is all taking shape before your eyes.

We hope that the rumors are not true, but it would seem that one of the bulwarks of the industry - MyArmory.com - is in the same kind of death spiral that took out SFI. Forum members weigh in on what is going on over there. Let's hope that they can find a way to revitalize.
New at the Kult
To start off the new year, Kult of Athena are expanding their range of entry level swords from Deepeeka of India, and I must say that for the price they look pretty darned interesting, including several types of swords that are underrepresented in the sword market.
Southern German Landsknecht Katzbalger - $249.95
Gothic Longsword
$184.95
Korfu Greek Kopis
$137.95
Horse Head Iberian Falcata
$164.95
Egyptian Black Khopesh
$123.95
Iberian Falcata with Wood Grip
$119.95
Check out the full line up of new models from KoA here:
That's it for the February edition of the digest. With many updates pending over the course of the next few days, weeks and months while the sword industry itself may be entering its most quiet and difficult period to date, we will do our best to ensure that SBG is revitalized enough to keep enough momentum so that when things finally do start to recover, the guide will still be there for new collectors.

We will keep you posted! In the meantime though as always, stay well and happy swordening.