News from Arms & Armor, Inc.
Your source for the best in hand-made weapons and armor. This is the place for what's new. Check back often and be sure to check our list of in-stock items ready for immediate shipping.



Our May Highlight item is the #146 12th Century Spear. This fighting spear of the Dark and Middle ages is based on a 12th Century Iberian example. The sharply tapering head is approximately 11" long. This winged style of spear was effective as a cut and thrust weapon in hand-to-hand combat. The wings protruding below the head provided more area to counter and control an opponent's weapon than a standard spear.

The Carolingian era saw this weapon rise to prominence as troops where armed with this type of spear as their main offensive weapon. Its effectiveness continued to be recognized overtime as it would not have been out of place in the Norman conquest of Briton or the spears illustrated in the art of the Renaissance.

The Highlight price is $125.00 plus the standard $36.00 shipping and handling.

We also have a bit of fun for May with an offer that will tempt as the month goes on!

14th C. "Grete Swerde" of War

A one of a kind sword designed along the lines of a mid 14th C. "Grete Swerde". This sword started out as we explored some of the dynamics exhibited by the longswords of the early Liechtenauer combat tradition. This piece was made as a test bed for some experiments in weight and balance. The sword has been adjusted several times to see how the alteration of elements affected the performance. The last alterations we felt could not be much improved upon and decided to finish the sword. The hilt is done with a straight guard and wheel pommel with incised lines running around the circumference.

As this piece did not sell in the Spring Muster we decided to do a reverse auction and see how long it will last. Each day the sword will decrease in price until it is purchased.

Overall Length: 46.5"; Blade Length: 36"; Grip Length: 8" Weight: 3.3 Lbs; Balance Point: 3 5/8" in front of guard One available.

Todays Price $506.00 -- Starting Price $560.00 -Shipping and handling $32.00

There are a few items still left in the muster pile so we thought we would leave the page up a bit longer, if anything appeals to you just let us know. Spring Muster


You might think that is it but there is still more to come so stay tuned ...


May brings a new item from Arms and Armor, the #217 Burgundian Poleaxe. The first prototype batch of three are finished and ready for sale. This classic poleaxe is a fighting man's weapon being unadorned with decoration but elegant in shape and feel. The stout blade and fearsome back spike would cause any Knight in the list to take note. The steel head with langets is mounted on a hardwood haft.



In spring a young soldiers eye turns to his kit and the spring muster. What better way to help them out than a variety of items at a special price. Over the year we accumulate some items that are not standard or have been left over after an order did not go through. Here we have them collected in one spot for those looking to spruce up their gear or add something unique to their collection.

So check out the Spring Muster page and we hope you find something you have to have.

We have the Highlight Item of the #045 Round Targe our most popular of our bucklers for the Western Martial Arts practioners and those doing reenactment. This targe can be used for several different styles of combat and covers a broad range of time periods making it an excellent choice for an all around off-hand shield.

Highlight Price $56 + $20 shipping and handling

We would also like to announce a new dagger the



Aunlaz is a term used for a short dagger carried by English Infantry in the 14th Century. This dagger is based on one attributed by the Royal Armouries to the 14th C and possibly English so it seemed very appropriate. This dagger style is depicted in art and example from the early medieval period right through to the 16th C. this is a classic weapon of the medieval soldier.

We also wanted to thank all you visited with us at 4W, it was a great event, we made some new friends and saw some old friends we had not seen in to long a time. It also confirmed that many in the WMA community are some of the best people around and any time one gets a chance to participate in these events they should take the opportunity. Great to see you all at the event.



Happy New Year! The highlight item for the start of 2008 is our #213 Nordland Viking Axe. This style of axe was in active use over a long period of time from the late Roman period through to the Middle Ages. The stout axe head is mounted on a custom-made hickory shaft.

Highlight Price $56 + $20 shipping and handling

While 2007 was an exciting year for A&A, it feels good to be starting a new year with lots of opportunities. We have much in the works but our main commitment for the beginning of the year is to keep our accelerated production schedule intact and improve our delivery times. This will mean more items with less waiting for all our customers. As the year develops look for some new items to make an appearance and some old favorites to get make overs.

Have a great 2008 from A&A



Happy Holidays to All! December's Highlight Item is the #048 1580 Parrying Dagger. The hilt components of this dagger were molded directly from the original piece. The ribbed detail on the pommel and dished finals are classic design elements from the end of the 16th Century. A great compliment to swords and rapiers of the period this dagger has been one of our most popular parrying daggers for many years.

Highlight Price $198 + $16 shipping and handling

Best Wishes for the Holiday Season from A&A Inc.



The Highlight Item is back! Thank you for your patience as we collected ourselves and adjusted to our new workloads. We hope this will be the only interruption in our dedication to bringing you opportunities to add to your collections with our Highlight Item Specials.

Arms & Armor's #036 Knightly Riding Sword is our special this month. This sword feels so good in your hand, it will often sell itself when someone picks it up. It has long been noted for its excellent handling ability and great cutting qualities. Based on a fine early 16th century original in the Wallace Collection in London our Knightly Riding Sword is a great example of the single handed medieval sword.

Several of our customers who practice cutting from horseback have recommended this sword for its excellence in this activity.

Overall length: 38"; Blade: 31.5" x 1.75"

Highlight price $480 + $28 shipping and handling

2007 has been a challenging and exciting year so far for Arms & Armor. You can see some of our items made the big screen and we contimue to work with museums and productions around the world.

Three of our creations are currently appearing in the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Released in October 2007, the movie is set in Renaissance England and features Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I and Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh. The most Identifiable sword is our #163 German Rapier carried by Raleigh as his personal weapon.

The Art Institute of Chicago currently has two gauntlets from Arms & Armor in an interactive exhibit BIGsmall on display. This exhibit explores, in a hands on way, how scale changes our view of objects and can be used to create new perspective.

You can find out more and check out the links to many of these types of projects that Arms & Armor is involved in on our newly updated Exhibitions and Productions page of the website.

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As a last note we would like to give a heads up that we will have an upcoming price increase in the near future. The date has not been set for this as yet but our material and service costs have continued to rise and while we strive to hold our in shop costs steady the cost to make and send our items has increased since our last price increase in 2005.



The end of the summer is our busiest time of the year. Due to a heavy workload and a desire to not impede the backlog of orders, we have been unable to do the highlight item for a period of time. As soon as we are able to bring things back to a reasonable level we will have our highlight item up and running.

Best from A&A Inc.



The May Highlight item from Arms & Armor is something a bit different. As the spring campaigns are gearing up we find ourselves with some over-runs in an econo-grade Lochaber Axe. This fighting weapon of the Scottish highlanders is the type of tool that would be used in agriculture as well as combat. The call to arms in the western highlands would have seen many of these in the ranks of the clansmen who gathered to fight.

This type of axe is first mentioned in 1501 and is referenced as an "old Scottish batale ax of Lochaber fasoun" (The Scottish National Dictionary, Grant W. editor, Edinburgh). Our clients wanted something that would fit in with the earliest days of this type of weapon and be as economical as possible for their members to acquire.

The head is approximately 14" long and 5" wide including sockets. This weapon style could be mounted on a long shaft 6 foot or longer or on something in the 3 to 4 foot range as a hand weapon. The head is roughly formed with riveted sockets and left black from the quenching of the cutting edge. This is a piece designed to have individual character and will each be slightly different.

The Highlight price has a few options:

Head only $125.00 with $18 shipping and handling
Mounted on ash pole $165.00 with $45 shipping and handling



The Arms & Armor Highlight item for April is the #034 Black Prince Sword. A medieval sword with a sharply tapering blade is seen in many of the long sword manuals of the period. This long sword is truly an excellent fighting weapon and an example of the exceptional qualities that the fighting man of the 15th century was looking for in a weapon.

This is one of our more popular swords and is a favorite of many who collect swords from Arms & Armor.

The Highlight price is $590.00 plus the standard $28.00 shipping and handling.

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In other news this month, A&A will be having a modest price increase sometime in June. The current prices have reached a point where they do not cover many of the cost increases we have received from suppliers and services. We work hard to keep our items priced at a level we feel is a great value and resist increasing our prices to often but we are afraid the time has come for such an increase.



The Arms & Armor Highlight Item for March is the #063 Tudor Dagger. This classic medieval fighting dagger of the 15th and 16th centuries has a sharply tapering blade making it effective in the thrust and the cut. This style of knife can be seen in the art of the period as well as many examples in museums.

The Highlight price is $130.00 plus the standard $16.00 shipping and handling.



For February we have a special price on one of our more popular hand weapons. Our Iberian Mace is simple in design but when in your hand it is almost impossible to avoid swinging it about to and fro. Its steel head is mounted on an ash haft and set with a wedge and rivet. We recommend opening the box it arrives in, either outside or in the garage. Appropriate targets will be more plentiful than the living room where innocent furniture may be victimized.

Overall length: 23.75"; Head length: 5.125"

Highlight price $99.00 + $28 shipping and handling



Our Highlight Item to start the New Year is the #075 Henry V Sword.

The sword of a king, Ewart Oakeshott called this the archetype of the medieval sword. This Type XV sword is an exceptional cutting sword light and fast with great control. This month our highlight item will bring an exceptional sword to your collection. The classic lines of this weapon leave little doubt in its deadly efficiency. Many of our customers say this is their favorite cutting sword.

The original sword is dated prior to 1422 (Henry's Burial) and is now in Westminster Abbey, England. We've marked it down from $545 to its Highlight Price of $480.00 + $28 shipping and handling



Seasons Greetings from Arms & Armor!

Best wishes of the season to all of our friends and customers. We hope this finds you well and in good spirits. We are happy to announce some new items and improvements to old favorites this month.

The #215 Silvered Smallsword leads the way as we introduce this new item. We have really captured the essence of these deadly swords in this replica. Light and fast, it has been an instant hit with the western martial artists who have seen it.

We have two upgrades of existing products as well this month. We constantly try to improve our products whenever we can. Sometimes they will be subtle differences. In fact, they are often not noticed but other times they are major reworks of the piece.

In the case of the #078 German Branch Sword it is a complete redo of the sword. When we first made this piece we worked from pictures we took when visiting the Tower of London and published dimensions. The dimensions were in fact incorrect so our replica was scaled down from the original. The next time we saw the piece we realized our mistake but it was already in production. Our intention was to redo the sword but seemed to always be the next project to do. Well we finally have redone the piece and now include the gold finish and it has turned out very well.

The second upgrade is an option for our classic #075 Henry V Sword. We have had many requests for this piece with the hollow-ground blade seen on the antique so we now offer this as an option by ordering the #210 Henry V Sword hollow-ground version.

We also have added three things for those of you who spend too much time hanging out on sword Web sites and realize too late you need gifts. The first is a game that incorporates fun and learning. It is #961 Medieval Alliance and makes a great gift for someone with some interest in the Middle Ages. Then we have two high-quality puppets: #962 Knight and #963 Dragon. They make excellent companions and inspire imagination. Don't forget to add them to your Christmas purchases and why not buy yourself a sword as well?

But wait that’s not all! We have also added a new item to the custom section and the #959 Sword in Hand by Ewart Oakeshott book comes with a new dust jacket. This, by the way, is an exceptional gift for anyone who likes swords from young adults to full-fledged sword collectors.

So please have a safe and joyous holiday for you and yours and we look forward to hearing from all of you in the near future. As always, remember we hope you find something that brings history alive for you; something that you feel is made just for you. That is our goal at Arms & Armor: to craft something you can get nowhere else and that you can be proud to have for as long as you aspire to own a piece of history.



Our December Highlight item is the #215 Silvered Smallsword. This is a brand-new item introduced just this month. To celebrate its launch, we have decided to make it our highlight item this month. It is based on an original smallsword found in the Oakeshott Collection.

We're taking off $30 to make the Highlight price $620.00 plus the standard $28.00 shipping and handling.



Our November Highlight item is the #014 Viking Spear. This fighting spear of the Viking age is based on a 10th Century Scandinavian original. The sharply tapering head is approximately 15" long. This style of spear was effective as a throwing weapon but would have been used most often as a cut and thrust piece in hand-to-hand combat. From the northern seas of the Atlantic to the Norman raids in Southern Italy to the Varangian Guard in Constantinople this was a weapon used by some of the fiercest warriors in the Western World.

The Highlight price is $125.00 plus the standard $36.00 shipping and handling.



The Arms & Armor Highlight Item for October is the #086 Duke of Urbino Sword. This classic medieval sword with a sharply tapering blade is effective in the thrust and the cut. This style of sword is prevalent in the art of southern Europe from the 13th century to the Renaissance.

The Highlight price is $490.00 plus the standard $28.00 shipping and handling. This is a savings of $55!



September's highlight item is an introduction of a new product. A javelin of classic form excavated from the Baltic region dating to the 11th Century. This is a fun piece for throwing around the backyard or completing that infantryman kit from just about any ancient period. The piece throws quite well and if you get several it makes for a great afternoon with friends seeing who is most accurate. Please practice safe throwing!

The Javelin is priced at $46 apiece as a special introductory price and shipping is $15 for up to three Javelins, plus an additional $2 each after that.



In the last decade, the practice of western martial arts has taken huge leaps forward in the quality of research and our understanding of the period manuals. Those of us who were doing research prior to that time remember how difficult it was to track down a manual or even find someone to discuss it with who was knowledgeable about the subject. Today that is changed as we have conferences and workshops around the country every year, many schools and clubs training actively in the period styles and researchers working hard to find lost material and interpret that material we do have to its fullest.

At Arms & Armor we have always been involved in this research as it speaks directly to making a better, more authentic product. We also are truly interested in practice of the western martial arts ourselves. As we have done this, it became apparent that authentically-styled practice weapons were needed and that working in conjunction with some of the more advanced practitioners of period combat we could develop the best tools for that purpose. You can see the results in our Training Weapons section of the Website.

Now we would like to introduce our newest item in that group. We call it the Scholar Sword. It is designed as a single-handed sword blunt for working in the style of combat shown in the I.33 Manual of sword and buckler fighting and other single-handed sword styles. This will be available in two versions: our standard item and a less finished training grade piece.

Fight Safe... from A&A!



A highlight for anyone who enjoys the history of the sword. This book is a classic of the Oakeshott style, where the facts of history are placed in an appropriate context and the ease of Ewart Oakeshott's writing allows one to really enjoy the tale of the sword in history. The book was designed with large format pictures so the details and attributes in the text can clearly be seen in the historical examples that profusely illustrate the pages.

The Sword in Hand is normally $60.00, but we have it marked it down to $40.00 plus $8.00 shipping/handling for August's Highlight Item price.



July's highlight item will excite those knights looking for a side arm for the fall's campaigns on the horizon. A classic knightly dagger of the 14th century, this rondel dagger is the perfect compliment to courtly dress and armor alike. The stout blade and steel hilt is complimented by a grip of ash fluted in a graceful spiral that is comfortable to the hand.

This popular dagger is priced at $215 (marked down from $245) for the month of July. When the fall tournament season arrives make sure you have a new dagger to make the right impression.



We start the month with a bit of a setback at A&A. Our stock scabbard maker has fallen on hard times and we are currently out of any of our leather scabbards for swords and daggers. We are working to quickly fill the gap but as of this time we are unable to fill any scabbard orders and are not sure when we will be able to in the future. If you have a scabbard on order all ready the item will be sent as soon as possible.

July is also the start of the Bristol Renaissance Fair outside of Kenosha WI. If you are from the area or traveling through please stop at our both at the end of Shakespeare’s Meadow and see our wears. We look forward to seeing you there.



This has been a busy spring for us in the shop!

April started with creating several hangers for a production at The Globe Theatre in London. Then it was all hands to the forge as we crafted nine sets of breast and back plates with cabasset helmets for the sailors of the Godspeed. This reproduction of one of the ships that arrived in Jamestown 400 years ago set sail last month to visit ports up and down the east coast in celebration of the anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.

We are a bit backlogged on some pieces but have been working hard to catch up with things. We are happy to begin introducing some of our new items and over the next few weeks and months you will see several new things from Arms & Armor.

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Our highlight item for June is the prototype for our new item: the #213 Nordland Axe. This hand axe is a Peterson Type C style axe with a pronounced beard and slightly curved cutting edge. This special axe comes mounted on a raw hickory shaft ready for you to stain or finish, as you like.

These are the Mark 1 versions of this item, the regular stock axe (available in a few weeks) will look like this item but with a few tweaks to the finished piece. There are a limited number of these axes available.

Overall length: 19"; Cutting edge: 4.5" long

This axe can ship today with a highlight price of $45.00 and $20.00 shipping and handling.



This month's Highlight item is our Round Targe.

The Highlight price is marked down $10 and is now $55.00 plus the standard shipping and handling!



The snow has finally melted away in Minnesota and we are having a busy spring at Arms & Armor. We are looking forward to a great year and have several new things in the works that we will be unveiling in the next few months. Look for a sneak peak or two in May and June.

This month we will be concentrating on catching up on some custom orders that are underway. If you have not browsed our custom section before I would recommend a surf through this section of the Web site. You can see the diversity of items that Arms & Armor can craft for you and check out the new additions this month.

Also be sure to scan over our Exhibitions and Productions page. See where some of our products have been seen on display and used in performance. We always enjoy supporting those who exhibit, perform and teach about our past and its importance to us today. If you can bring a spark of authenticity and realism to the representation of weapons and armor in the modern world it increases the publics understanding and makes the context of their use pertinent to our lives today.

The new items we would like to introduce today are the perfect compliment for the Elizabethan man about town who is looking to spice up their appearance.

Two elegant rapier hangers based on surviving examples of these elaborate suspension systems. Turn heads, as your favorite rapier is complimented by the scallop shell motif or the stylized griffin depicted on these stylish period dress accessories.



The highlight item for April will actually be two items. Your choice of the #058 Classic Medieval Dagger or the #130 Crusader Dagger.

Each is priced at $135 (marked down from $160) for the month of April. What says spring more than a new dagger? They also make an excellent graduation present for that tough to buy for niece or nephew.



This month's Highlight Item is: The #003 Spiked Flail. The Highlight price is marked down $50 and is now $180.00 plus the standard $28.00 shipping and handling.



January has been busy at the shop with several commissions for pole arms. Several of these have been added to our custom gallery. European pole arms provide as much diversity as any weapon type in the world. In many cases there are so many examples that it may be impossible to catalog all the variations of a type.

Here we have added recent finished commissions of a classic halberd, a partisan and two examples of glaive in the French vouge style. Many of the pole arms crafted at A&A are custom pieces. This allows the customer to use history as their catalog, finding items that appeal to them particularly, as opposed to having a choice of only one or two items from the thousands of examples that have survived. The immense range of creativity that was shown by the craftsmen of old is a far better range to choice from.

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Arms & Armor would like to announce a new opportunity for our customers. We wanted to express our appreciation to our faithful customers who have shown us so much support and appreciation. It will also provide new collectors the occasion to start their collection with a piece from Arms & Armor and get a great deal at the same time.

We will be listing a Highlight Item from our line approximately each month. This item will have a reduced price for a limited time. We plan to have each highlighted piece in stock at the beginning of the special price period. This will help those sword lovers who wish to full fill their need for instant gratification.

The first Highlight Item is: The #082 Schloss Erbach Arming Sword. This is a classic German long sword with excellent handling characteristics and lots of presence in the hand. The Highlight price is $560.00 plus the standard $36.00 shipping and handling.

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We have added a list of In-Stock Items Ready for Immediate Shipping.


We hope the season finds you well and in good spirits. Our fall was spent hard at work in our research and development corner of the shop so we have some new items to offer. If the new pieces strike you, don't forget to add them to your Christmas list. The other big news is we have started offering a training grade finish on our western martial arts practice swords. These are the same materials and construction but priced for the budget conscious and for those groups and schools looking for class weapons.


Here is a list of our new items:

Spada da Zogho #205: A "practice sword" for the western martial artist with an Italian design to the hilt and with a tapered blade.


The Lombardy Rapier #211: From the birthplace of the great Italian masters of the rapier this rapier is a classic swept hilt from the North of Italy.


Serenissima #212 Rapier: An early 16th century sword of the Venetian Republic, ready to conquer the known world or defend the Republic against all threats.


Best to all and may the season bring you joy.
From the gang at Arms & Armor



It has been an age since we updated and we are several operating systems (is this a new measure of time) beyond the bones our old site was built upon so we decided it was high time a total redo was needed. We hope you find it easy to navigate and fun to explore. Our aim was to eliminate clicks, where possible, allowing our items to speak for themselves, as you surf the site.

We hope you find something that brings history alive for you; something that you feel is made just for you. That is in fact our goal at Arms & Armor: to craft something you can get nowhere else and that you can be proud to own for as long as you aspire to own a piece of history.

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We have a new sword in the line to help kick off the site, the #203 Fechterspiel Sword. Fechterspiel translates from German as "assault of arms". We thought this an apt name for this Western Martial Arts training sword. It has some of the same attributes as our #187 Fechtbuch Sword but is lighter and better suited for unarmoured combat.

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There are a few new pieces in the custom section that are both recent completions and things we completed some time ago but are still quite proud of. So please check out this section, as well as all the others, as many of the photos have been updated throughout the site.

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We also have included a section on our custom scabbards. These have always been available from Arms & Armor but the desire for period construction in scabbards has grown immensely in the past few years and we have had many requests for pictures of our pieces.

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To redo a site of this size from top to bottom is a big project and we hope that you enjoy viewing it as much as the old site. There are several things that will be added in the next few weeks so check back often.

A note of great thanks needs to be mentioned to Nathan Robinson for his excellent work and great ideas. We would not have been able to accomplish this without him.


Best to all from the guys at Arms & Armor.