Weta's Master Swordsmith's Collection

[The_Antiquarian]

Hello,

This is my first time delving into the world of collecting LOTR and the Hobbit related film prop replicas.
Although I am no stranger to collecting film prop replicas, as I have been collecting Star Wars related replicas for quite some time now, I joined the forum to ask sage advices from the Flame of Udun hardcore collectors, regarding Weta's Master Swordsmiths Collection.

First of all, I understand that the hefty price tag comes from the man-hours attributed to the sword being made by Peter Lyon himself. However, is there "twenty-folds" increase in quality compared to the UC and Noble swords that are "twenty-folds" cheaper?

Second, has anyone here at the forum purchased any of the Master Swordsmith's swords? If so, are you guys satisfied with the swords, or were you guys hit by buyers' remorse?

Third, the initial price is super expensive compared to other prop replicas. Were these swords able to hold their value throughout the time?

Lastly, I am anxious to add Anduril as part of my starting collection, but how is the price compared to when it was first issued? From my understanding, the sword was sold for $4,999.99. If I were to buy Anduril from secondary market (and it seems like this is the only venue now) in pristine condition with all the original packaging and documents still intact, how much should I expect to dish out? Where can I expect to find collectors who are interested in selling em?

Thank you!

[Idril]

Hi The_Antiquarian. Jumping in at the deep end

2nd hand market is your only option for a MSSC Anduril. I believe there were only 10 made - or was it 15. They come up for sale VERY rarely so basically they ask whatever price they like. It certainly wouldn't be less than the original cost and likely at least double. Be aware that the scabbard is worth as much as the sword and could only have be ordered at the same time the sword was ordered - on the off chance you find one.

There is no point in any sort of comparison between these swords and anything else. It takes Peter 2 months to make one sword and that is without the scabbard. Peter Lyon now has the British Royal seal (I believe) and is the only living swordmaker with swords permanently displayed by the British armoury in Leeds. I also heard the British Royal family personally own his swords.

Of course they need to be polished regularly. Ensure you inspect any blade you buy in case the owner didn't keep up the maintenance. So saying - be careful of rust on the blade on any 2nd hand purchase.

[Stig]

I am neither that high end nor die hard collector that I can answer your questions. But I want to welcome you to our little forum nonetheless

[Aragorn]

Hi Antiquarian and welcome to the community! There are 3 or 4 of us here who purchased one of these Peter Lyon. I myself have glamdring.

1) In relation to your first question, this is difficult to answer as it is very subjective but I will attempt to try to answer as best I can. I own united cutlery LOTR swords and used to own a few noble collection ones. The UC and NC glamdring and even the museum collection glamdring are mass produced approximations of the real weta Glamdring. Everything from the shape of the pommel to how the cross guard fits with the blade is not the same as the original thing. Even from the online pictures you can tell. In person the difference is even more striking. Added to that, the finishing and overall quality of Peter Lyon's stuff is truly very refined. I would say it is more like a fine jewellery art piece than a combat tool. Even to the average person, these pieces have a very expensive look. Now, this isn't to say the UC or NC stuff are rubbish. you really get what you pay for... which is a well made mass produced replica that requires almost zero maintenance. I own a few UCS and enjoy having them in my collection.

Now are the weta swords 20x the quality of UC & NC? No not really. When you start buying premium stuff, you tend to get dimishing returns the more money you spend. It's the same thing with luxury watches or luxury cars. Is a Bugatti Veyron worth more than ten times the price of a BMW M4? Probably not! But it's a Bugatti Veyron! There is a lot of intangible value with owning one of these WETA swords. For example, my glamdring was made by the same guy who made the original LOTR swords at the same workshop roughly during the movie production time where all the other hobbit hero glamdring were being made.

2) In relation to the second question, the answer is no. Absolutely no buyers remorse. In relation to the third question, over the last few years, only a handful of these switched hands and all of these sales took place within the first 12 months. I only ever saw 3 Andurils listed for sale online. I know that 2 possibly 3 glamdring s also switched hands. All this was more than 2-3 years ago. I've not seen any new listings in a very long time. I do not know how much they were sold for, but ive had 7 or 8 people contact me via the various forums over the years and they have offered very good prices.. I have no intention of selling but some of these prices were a little tempting.

3) As for your final question, I would say that it is probably unlikely you'll be able to get your hands on anduril, strikers sword and glamdring at this point in time as I have not seen any of them listed online in a very very long time. Sting and orcrist might still be available if Peter Lyon can be convinced to make them as they did not sell out and of course there is the Boromir Sword.

What I would suggest is maybe look at getting the museum collection glamdring. It is a decent piece. There is no museum collection anduril however so you'll have to settle for the regular anduril.

Hello,

This is my first time delving into the world of collecting LOTR and the Hobbit related film prop replicas.
Although I am no stranger to collecting film prop replicas, as I have been collecting Star Wars related replicas for quite some time now, I joined the forum to ask sage advices from the Flame of Udun hardcore collectors, regarding Weta's Master Swordsmiths Collection.

First of all, I understand that the hefty price tag comes from the man-hours attributed to the sword being made by Peter Lyon himself. However, is there "twenty-folds" increase in quality compared to the UC and Noble swords that are "twenty-folds" cheaper?

Second, has anyone here at the forum purchased any of the Master Swordsmith's swords? If so, are you guys satisfied with the swords, or were you guys hit by buyers' remorse?

Third, the initial price is super expensive compared to other prop replicas. Were these swords able to hold their value throughout the time?

Lastly, I am anxious to add Anduril as part of my starting collection, but how is the price compared to when it was first issued? From my understanding, the sword was sold for $4,999.99. If I were to buy Anduril from secondary market (and it seems like this is the only venue now) in pristine condition with all the original packaging and documents still intact, how much should I expect to dish out? Where can I expect to find collectors who are interested in selling em?

Thank you!

[SolidLiquidFox]

They should do Thranduil's sword while his statue is hot.

[joogle]

has anyone bought the Boromir sword?

[Idril]

I know someone who is getting one.

[joogle]

I know someone who is getting one.

are they on the forums - would love to see some pictures

plus i wonder how may they have already sold

[Blue Book of Eastmarch]

Hey bro I'm in the same boat but my object of desire is Glamdring. I'd say neither of them will ever come on sale on the secondary market. Tough luck

[The_Antiquarian]

Hi Antiquarian and welcome to the community! There are 3 or 4 of us here who purchased one of these Peter Lyon. I myself have glamdring.

1) In relation to your first question, this is difficult to answer as it is very subjective but I will attempt to try to answer as best I can. I own united cutlery LOTR swords and used to own a few noble collection ones. The UC and NC glamdring and even the museum collection glamdring are mass produced approximations of the real weta Glamdring. Everything from the shape of the pommel to how the cross guard fits with the blade is not the same as the original thing. Even from the online pictures you can tell. In person the difference is even more striking. Added to that, the finishing and overall quality of Peter Lyon's stuff is truly very refined. I would say it is more like a fine jewellery art piece than a combat tool. Even to the average person, these pieces have a very expensive look. Now, this isn't to say the UC or NC stuff are rubbish. you really get what you pay for... which is a well made mass produced replica that requires almost zero maintenance. I own a few UCS and enjoy having them in my collection.

Now are the weta swords 20x the quality of UC & NC? No not really. When you start buying premium stuff, you tend to get dimishing returns the more money you spend. It's the same thing with luxury watches or luxury cars. Is a Bugatti Veyron worth more than ten times the price of a BMW M4? Probably not! But it's a Bugatti Veyron! There is a lot of intangible value with owning one of these WETA swords. For example, my glamdring was made by the same guy who made the original LOTR swords at the same workshop roughly during the movie production time where all the other hobbit hero glamdring were being made.

2) In relation to the second question, the answer is no. Absolutely no buyers remorse. In relation to the third question, over the last few years, only a handful of these switched hands and all of these sales took place within the first 12 months. I only ever saw 3 Andurils listed for sale online. I know that 2 possibly 3 glamdring s also switched hands. All this was more than 2-3 years ago. I've not seen any new listings in a very long time. I do not know how much they were sold for, but ive had 7 or 8 people contact me via the various forums over the years and they have offered very good prices.. I have no intention of selling but some of these prices were a little tempting.

3) As for your final question, I would say that it is probably unlikely you'll be able to get your hands on anduril, strikers sword and glamdring at this point in time as I have not seen any of them listed online in a very very long time. Sting and orcrist might still be available if Peter Lyon can be convinced to make them as they did not sell out and of course there is the Boromir Sword.

What I would suggest is maybe look at getting the museum collection glamdring. It is a decent piece. There is no museum collection anduril however so you'll have to settle for the regular anduril.

Hello Mr. Aragorn,

Wow! Thank you very much for your comprehensive response!
I have neglected checking the Flame of Udun forum shortly after my original posting because judging by the responses, I figured not many folks here have delved into collecting Master Swordsmith's Collection! Now I know that there are passionate collectors like you who still cherish the "niche" of this noble hobby!

I sent an email to WETA and they said new swords are in the works atm. I did suggest having "Narsil" issued as part of the Master Swordsmith's Collection and they graciously stated that they will put that into consideration!

At the moment, I have attuned my focus on collecting actual Tolkien books, but when there is a chance on acquiring Anduril or Sting Master Swordsmith Collection from the secondary market, I will try to buy it as long as my wife allows me (and as long as the price is "reasonable.")

I thought about buying Boromir's Sword or Orcrist, but I deemed Boromir's Sword design to be on a dull end and Orcrist, too eccentric in design for my taste.

[ghettodactyl]

I’ve debated on possibly getting Orcrist since it’s such a unique sword. I have been debating on if I would want to have the sword and scabbard aged or not. I’m wondering what others would normally go for if they had the choice between new or aged.

[Blue Book of Eastmarch]

I’ve debated on possibly getting Orcrist since it’s such a unique sword. I have been debating on if I would want to have the sword and scabbard aged or not. I’m wondering what others would normally go for if they had the choice between new or aged.

one aged and one new, depending on your mood you can display either one

[ghettodactyl]

one aged and one new, depending on your mood you can display either one

I wish I could afford to get two swords and sheaths. I’ve been leaning a bit more towards new than aged. I’ve somewhat felt that 1st age elven weapons should look new no matter how old they get. I’m not sure if there is any lore like that or not though.

[Ithildin]

Aged would be the look for me to go with. I really couldn't imagine having a new Ringwraith sword. It just wouldn't look right to me.

[Blue Book of Eastmarch]

I wish I could afford to get two swords and sheaths. I’ve been leaning a bit more towards new than aged. I’ve somewhat felt that 1st age elven weapons should look new no matter how old they get. I’m not sure if there is any lore like that or not though.

I was just pulling your leg and yea I am leaning towards new as well, mainly because Orcrist is elvish and elvish kinda screams 'perfectly clean and shiny' But also because I feel the whole 'swords look rusty' thing has been pushed by hollywood movies too much and in the real world they would never let it come that far. But both editions are awesome, big congrats and post some pics once you get it

[Idril]

I hope to get one and only one of these swords one day - an elvish one. For me, the elvish swords would be mirror polished, any other sword aged and if it was a Ringwraith sword - corroded.

[ghettodactyl]

I was just pulling your leg and yea I am leaning towards new as well, mainly because Orcrist is elvish and elvish kinda screams 'perfectly clean and shiny' But also because I feel the whole 'swords look rusty' thing has been pushed by hollywood movies too much and in the real world they would never let it come that far. But both editions are awesome, big congrats and post some pics once you get it

I ended up deciding on going for new with a sharpened edge. I can't wait to get it even though I won't get to see it until close to March of next year. I went ahead and got the sword and the scabbard/belt. The scabbard is so unique for Orcrist even though it costs more than the sword I couldn't not get it. It's also nice that it will be the Dwarf sized version which is the largest of the Orcrist swords that were made for the film. Due to that it will be a lot bigger than all of the UC and other cheaper collectible Orcrist versions that are out there.

I was semi debating on the Witch-King sword though it seems a bit bland. I'm thinking of holding off and hoping they decide to release some other swords for the master swordsmith's line in the future.

P.S. If anyone that has any of the other master Swordsmith's collection (Sting, sword of Boromir, Glamdring, Anduril ) and you decide to sell them. Please let me know, depending on the price I might be interested in purchasing it. I know it's unlikely anyone would want to part with one at this point but I figured I'd at least put it out there.

[Aragorn]

Congrats on this fine purchase! Orcrist is one design that I’ve really grown very fond of over the years. I wasn’t sure about it when the hobbit first premiered as in my own mind, I had always imagined orcrist to look similar to glamdring. But now, I actually quite like it. I mean for sure it doesn’t quite fit into the Tolkien lore, but it is one sword that somehow manages to be both elegant and brutal looking all at once!

As an aside, I would actually recommend against a sharpened orcrist and scabbard combo. The orcrist scabbard is designed with a slit that exposes the blade as you draw it from the scabbard. If you’ve got a sharpened edge and you’re gripping around the scabbard while pulling the blade out, you can injure yourself.

It is an accident waiting to happen. Maybe not now, but who knows...maybe in 10 years time when someone is playing around with it and this little detail slips their mind.

Usually when it comes to the question of whether or not to sharpen a blade, I take the view that it is really up to the person. But in this particular instance I do see a serious safety hazard.

I ended up deciding on going for new with a sharpened edge. I can't wait to get it even though I won't get to see it until close to March of next year. I went ahead and got the sword and the scabbard/belt. The scabbard is so unique for Orcrist even though it costs more than the sword I couldn't not get it. It's also nice that it will be the Dwarf sized version which is the largest of the Orcrist swords that were made for the film. Due to that it will be a lot bigger than all of the UC and other cheaper collectible Orcrist versions that are out there.

I was semi debating on the Witch-King sword though it seems a bit bland. I'm thinking of holding off and hoping they decide to release some other swords for the master swordsmith's line in the future.

P.S. If anyone that has any of the other master Swordsmith's collection (Sting, sword of Boromir, Glamdring, Anduril ) and you decide to sell them. Please let me know, depending on the price I might be interested in purchasing it. I know it's unlikely anyone would want to part with one at this point but I figured I'd at least put it out there.

[ghettodactyl]

I know how dangerous having the sword sharpened will be due to how the scabbard is designed. Even watching the movie you can see they would have had their hand cut if the sword had been sharpened when they intially show it being taken out. I plan to use chain mail gloves with an outside cotton lining when handling the blade for both safety and to make sure to get no oils on the blade.

I think I’ll also end up picking up a United Cutlery version of it as well. I’ve wanted to see a side by side comparison of them, but since so few people have Master collection swords you rarely see video or pictures of them in general.

Also congrats on owning Glamdring! I doubt you would ever sell it but if you ever decide to, please keep me in mind. Since it’s the companion piece to Orcrist, it’s my number 1 piece that’s sold out that I will be hopelessly attempting to get.

Congrats on this fine purchase! Orcrist is one design that I’ve really grown very fond of over the years. I wasn’t sure about it when the hobbit first premiered as in my own mind, I had always imagined orcrist to look similar to glamdring. But now, I actually quite like it. I mean for sure it doesn’t quite fit into the Tolkien lore, but it is one sword that somehow manages to be both elegant and brutal looking all at once!

As an aside, I would actually recommend against a sharpened orcrist and scabbard combo. The orcrist scabbard is designed with a slit that exposes the blade as you draw it from the scabbard. If you’ve got a sharpened edge and you’re gripping around the scabbard while pulling the blade out, you can injure yourself.

It is an accident waiting to happen. Maybe not now, but who knows...maybe in 10 years time when someone is playing around with it and this little detail slips their mind.

Usually when it comes to the question of whether or not to sharpen a blade, I take the view that it is really up to the person. But in this particular instance I do see a serious safety hazard.

[omearmi]

After doing some research on MSSC Glamdring, I'm finding that it's unlikely I'll be able to find that item for sale. But I understand that the UC1425 Glamdring Museum piece may be a surrogate (although not up to the same standard as MSSC). Would anyone have any recommendations on where I might be able to find someone willing to part with UC1425. Alas, it seems that item is equally challenging to locate! Thanks for your thoughts and advice.