Forged when the world was young, Excalibur would become the magical sword of King Arthur, a symbol of his right to rule England.  Only the King of England could wield Excalibur, and when the young Arthur pulled this sword from the stone where his father, Uther Pendragon, had placed it, Arthur’s destiny to rule was fulfilled.  But he would soon learn that it takes more than a sword to be King.  In Arthurian legend, the sword Excalibur was a symbol of Power, that it had to be wielded judiciously and rightly in order for it to work.  In the hands of Uther Pendragon, Excalibur was the weapon of a tyrant.  In the hands of Arthur, it would be the weapon of a Champion.  But the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is about the folly of entrusting leadership to just one man, or one group of men, that even with the best of things going for them that they can be easily corrupted.  Excalibur is a tool for this purpose, but it takes good, honest men to stay that way all the while they use it.  The Excalibur Fantasy Sword (Gold) is a classic hand-and-a half sword with gold inlaid at the hilt and pommel.  This exquisite weapon will be instantly recognizable for what it is from the film of the same name, and will feature prominently among a collection of medieval swords and armor.  Swords and weapons are an intrinsic and glorious part of human traditions and heritage that are worth handing down to future generations, and the story of Excalibur is one that should be a standard telling for any new son or daughter. 

No gun collector should be without the legendary Kentucky Rifle.  This revolutionary weapon, in more ways than one, was able to pick off French and British officers and targets at ranges outwards of 300 yards with astounding accuracy for a time when most flintlock colonial guns and rifles could expect some accuracy at 100 yards at best.  Utilizing an ingenious method of putting “rifling” along the inside of the gun’s barrel to put a spin on the bullet as it was fired was the secret to the Kentucky Rifle’s accuracy, which would prove essential in both the French and Indian War and the subsequent American War for Independence, and found its way as a marvel at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.  The Kentucky Flintlock Rifle 18^th Century is a fine replica of the kind actually fabricated.  You immediately get a sense of the level of craftsmanship this weapon commanded from the gunsmith, who had to be skilled not only in blacksmithing but engraving and whitesmithing since every weapon made in this was was hand-crafted and therefore unique to the owner.  Many of the colonial versions of the Kentucky Rifle were often quite plain compared to their European counterparts, who had a large array of talents to draw from whereas people of the frontier didn’t have such luxury.  In a day and age when swords and armor were on the wane in favor of more and more reliable firearms, the Kentucky Rifle was a benchmark for both excellent marksmanship and craftmanship that would guide the production of future firearms for decades to come. 

The Walter PPK 7.65mm pistol is widely known as James Bond’s personal sidearm.  But it wasn’t his first choice.  For the first five novels Ian Fleming wrote, Bond used a .25 caliber Beretta pistol.  Described by MI6 Armourer Major Boothroyd in the novel of Doctor No as a “ladies weapon,” the Beretta was little more than a “Saturday Night Special.”  It was a sleek, elegant pistol  that Bond preferred because it was light, discrete, and excellent when he needed to use it up close and personal.  The Beretta served him faithfully for fifteen years, up until the novel From Russia With Love where it jammed on him when he faced with the head of operations for SMERSH Rosa Klebb, who, before she died, kicked Bond with a poisoned blade that popped out of the toe of her shoe.  Though Bond survived the poisoning, M, his boss at MI6, decided not to give the Beretta a second chance, and had him outfitted with the PPK at Boothroyd’s recommendation.  So you can set the record straight when you display this Major Semi Automatic Blank Firing Pistol Black Finish to your friends and other guests when they immediately recognize it as Bond’s pistol.  Replica guns such as this are icons of  a heritage that begins with ancient swords, spears and armor, and are cherished both for their look and their use, and are therefore essential to any weapons collector.  Bond was sad to part with his beloved Beretta in Doctor No, but we’re all glad he got something better in exchange.

Sword canes are a product of a day and age when firearms weren’t particularly reliable, especially in inclement weather, and all you had was one shot.  Gentlemen were expected to know how to defend themselves and be ready to do so at any moment.  Dueling was in vogue, having been handed down over the centuries between warriors locked in mortal combat to a courtly ritual of challenge, counter-challenge, and then combat to either a first strike, or in some cases to the death.  We like to think our modern age has done away with the need for dueling, but we have never done away with the need for self-defense.  We’re not as civilized as we like to think, and sometimes it may be necessary to defend oneself and those in your charge with lethal force if necessary.  Swords might not be nearly as effective as modern firearms, but consider how quick the Sword Walking Staff is.  In a flash, you can have this sword out so quickly that’ll give any potential assailant pause.  This is an elegant weapon that would make either a fine display in your sword collection, or as a practical implement of self-defense to take with you hiking or taking a walk in the park or in the city.  The black laquered Japanese motif of this walking staff is exquisite in form and function, and will be a dramatic response to any threat that may cross your path.  Unveiling the blade alone will be enough to deter most assailants, and is sure to give you some peace of mind knowing you have an option should the need arise. 

The classic Winchester repeating rifle was the weapon that won the American West.  Featuring the distinctive lever action, in the hands of anyone that could shoot these were deadly weapons, capable of fending off an entire horde of Sioux or Comanche on the warpath because of  it’s ability to reload and fire in a standing or kneeling position without losing the site picture.  It was said that western guns such as this and the Henry that you’d be able to load it on Sunday and fire all week.  Though this weapon wasn’t too popular with militaries due to the fact that in the prone position they’re rather cumbersome to operate, these were the rifle of choice for trailblazers, pioneers, cowboys, lawmen, and even Indian braves who managed to get their hands on one.  They are an icon of the old west made so by such legendary western actors as John Wayne, who favored a larger loop in the rifle’s lever so that he could whirl the rifle around like spinning a pistol.  This action would immediately expel the spent cartridge and reload, as seen in such classic John Wayne films as Stagecoach and True Grit.  The M1892 Western Rifle With Loop Level Black Finish Non-Firing Replica Gun is a fine representation of John Wayne’s weapon of choice that will be instantly recognized by anyone who’s seen just about any of Wayne’s westerns.  A fine choice to have in any collection or any room with a decided western motif that will immediately draw admiration and attention from guests who have an appreciation for the romance of the old west. 

The Roman Legions were one of history’s most innovative military forces.  It was the Romans who created the idea of the professional army, organized it into separate units each with an identity, and crafted unit tactics that would emphasize unit discipline and training to maximum effect.  Roman legions had a uniformity to them to rapidly train troops effectively and equip them in such a way that would make it easier for them to be resupplied since every other legion had basically the same gear.  Each Roman legionnaire had the same kind of sword, notably the Gladius, unlike their enemies who often had a relative mish-mash of swords, spears, and other gear that made resupply and sustainment of troops in the field problematic.  To this end, Roman armor had to be standardized in a way that would account for the sheer variety of sizes and shapes of the men who would become legionnaires.  The Lorica Segmenta in Stainless Steel is an example of this philosophy.  This armor was highly protective of the shoulders, chest and abdomen, was light and flexible as suited Roman fighting techniques, and most importantly it was adaptable.  It could be given to another legionnaire and be fitted to him with little time and fuss, making equipping the legions easier to accomplish.  This innovation and others, such as the concept of total warfare and building roads, would make Rome the titular ruler of Europe for centuries.  The concepts and techniques developed by the Romans are applied and used by modern militaries around the world today. 

There’s been a lot of romanticism about the ninja in the west.  Lone assassins who dress in black wearing black masks killing with quick and lethal efficiency impresses the western motif in lone assailants succeeding with skill and weapons on their own against many.  To the Japanese, the ninja was something to be reviled; a boogey-man who was a hired killer, a man or woman of very low status who killed men and women of very high status.  It upset samurai sensibilities that a creature of such common stock could be trained to kill other samurai warriors.  Our modern ideas of the ninja have been clouded by that romanticism to the point that a lot of what we actually know seems to defy understanding.  Take ninja weapons, for instance.  Most such weapons really are more to distract and dissuade attack than to be of use.  The shiruken, or throwing stars, are not particularly reliable, and the weapons they do have were meant to be carried singly, with few back-ups if any, and were surprisingly simple and cheap.  The kama, or sickle, such as this set of Kamas – Set of Two – Unsharpened Steel Blades are actually farm implements used to harvest rice and grain.  Swords were expensive even for ninja, and it was best to go into an operation with something that was both lethal and disposable.  If you lost it, you didn’t feel bad about it.  Such weapons give us a different picture of these mystical warriors as men and women who used their minds more than sheer muscle and exotic weaponry to accomplish their missions, and are a steady reminder that the victor doesn’t always go to the one with the best weapons. 

Every great nation has ambitious men who bring about such changes that it unifies their nations under one particular sovereign, even if it never ends up being them personally.  Otto von Bismark united the lands that were known as the Holy Roman Empire and Prussia into one united Germany in the latter 19^th Century.  In the United States, arguably this would be both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who would both unite a nation under the American flag.  During the Sengoku period of Japan in the 16^th Century, Oda Nobunaga of the Owari province would set into motion a series of conquests that would eventually unite Japan under the Tokugawa shoganate and bring peace to his nation that would last more than two hundred years.  Though he conquered a third of Japan, he would not live to see his dream fulfilled, but his ambition would set the stage for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyesu to eventually finish what he started.  The Masahiro “Oda Nobunaga” Authentic Samurai Sword is a tribute to the man who would lead his forces against the likes of Takeda Shingen to finally bring Japan under one Shogun.  This is a handmade sword that is quite real and quite sharp, with a ray skin handle wrapped with silk, complete with a tsuba hilt that features a portrait of Nobunaga holding a sword over his shoulder.  Swords such as these are excellent for any collector to have on display, and would most certainly draw envy from associates who see it. 

In Middle Earth, most swords and weapons possessed by the races of Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits end up with a name of some kind, especially if they’re magical.  In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins has to rescue his dwarven companions from the evil giant spiders who are about to eat them.  In so doing, he finds a magical Elvish knife that glows blue when orcs are close by. Bilbo dubs this knife “Sting,” and carries it with him to the Misty Mountain to confront the monstrous dragon Smaug.  In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo bequeaths Sting to his adoptive heir Frodo at Rivendell, which ends up in the hands of his companion Samwise Gamgee to good use against the orcs of Mordor.  The Lord of the Rings Sting Sword is a fantastic movie replica of the one used in the film trilogy by Peter Jackson.  It has a falcata-like styling with a leather-bound hand grip and elaborate Elvish writing engraved all along the blade itself.  This translates out of Sindarin, the ancient Elvish language, as “Maegnus is my name.  I am the Spider’s Bane.”  This marvelous collector’s sword comes with a wood mounting plaque that allows one to display this properly from a wall or a display case.  Any weapons aficionado who takes one look at this sword will recognize it immediately for what it is and will want to touch it.  If it just happens to glow blue, you have more of a problem than an envious friend, and you’ll be glad you have Sting on hand to deal with it.