Weta's Master Swordsmith's Collection

[asko]

I received my Eowyn Sword: satin finish and sharpened
It looks stunning, much better than on picture, not easy to take good pictures...

Congratulations on receiving your sword! Truly a grail piece for a Rohan fan!

[omearmi]

I received my Eowyn Sword: satin finish and sharpened
It looks stunning, much better than on picture, not easy to take good pictures...

this really is beautiful. outstanding piece.

[Stig]

It's beautiful

[bishop]

Beautiful. Congratulations wargrider

[Plat]

Great piece,congrats.

[MikeyTheHobbit]

The Orcrist sword is very nice, but don't count on getting the scabbard for it. They break very easily during shipping.

Your Eowyn's sword looks so awesome all polished up. Did you do it on a stand-up buffing wheel or a small one on a drill?

[Elestalrog]

The Orcrist sword is very nice, but don't count on getting the scabbard for it. They break very easily during shipping.

Hey Mikey. These aren’t UC swords, the MSSC swords and scabbards are made by Peter Lyon and Weta Workshop. They aren’t made with lower grade materials used for mass production, no offense to UC or UC sword owners which the UC swords are nice of course, these are high quality hand made reproductions using high carbon steel for the swords and Kevlar for the scabbards. The MSSC Orcrist scabbard is very unlikely to break in fact I haven’t heard of any ever being damaged.

And the mirror polish on the MSSC Eowyn sword is done by Peter Lyon using his grinder/grinding belts and hand sanding.

[Theo1123]

I hate how they used “hero” version in that auction since that specific sword is not considered one of the actual hero pieces. Yes Eowyn used it however it’s not one of the actual close up “hero” props. That one is one of the aluminum props so only the blade would be metal. All of the aluminum props had the guard/grip/pommels all cast out of poly and painted. If you read the description it basically tells you beside the blade the rest is colored to look like bronze/etc. Weta used 3 types of swords for filming. Stunt swords that are all poly. Aluminum that were used for some fight scenes. And the hero pieces were fully done heat treated spring steel pieces all steel/bronze/leather just for close ups or promotional pics/etc. Weta/Peter Jackson still owns most of the few hero spring steel swords Peter made for the film. Most of the actors were gifted a sword as well. The only actual spring steel hero sword that I know of that ever went up for sale sold for around $100k but that was many years ago. I don’t know of any of the actual spring steel hero pieces selling recently.

I’m sorry if this has been mentioned in later comments but I read this one and figured I would shed a little light as a prop collector myself. I believe the reason the aluminum sword was listed as “hero” is because the term itself can vary between specific films/props. Yes, there are the high end hero pieces that were crafted to be legitimate functional weapons with the highest quality materials. However, I do believe among LOTR original prop collectors, the aluminum swords are still considered “hero” of a sort. Unlike the actual rubber stunt versions, the mid level aluminum pieces are probably used the most by the actor and resemble the highest quality version. Again, I know it’s no where near the the top level hero versions but until prop collecting enters the realm of rare art or coins, the terminology won’t be standardized across all pieces. But! It’s always up to the buyer to look beyond the listing title and read what the prop is made out of so it’s not like they lied in this case.

As to the hero sword that was auctioned, we’re probably talking about the same thing but the hero Anduril that was given to Christopher Lee sold for almost $500k I believe.

[omearmi]

The Orcrist sword is very nice, but don't count on getting the scabbard for it. They break very easily during shipping.

Your Eowyn's sword looks so awesome all polished up. Did you do it on a stand-up buffing wheel or a small one on a drill?

As an FYI, I believe MSSC Orcrist is no longer sold with scabbard (no longer available). You can still get the sword, but not belt or scabbard.

[TheWhiteHand]

I’m sorry if this has been mentioned in later comments but I read this one and figured I would shed a little light as a prop collector myself. I believe the reason the aluminum sword was listed as “hero” is because the term itself can vary between specific films/props. Yes, there are the high end hero pieces that were crafted to be legitimate functional weapons with the highest quality materials. However, I do believe among LOTR original prop collectors, the aluminum swords are still considered “hero” of a sort. Unlike the actual rubber stunt versions, the mid level aluminum pieces are probably used the most by the actor and resemble the highest quality version. Again, I know it’s no where near the the top level hero versions but until prop collecting enters the realm of rare art or coins, the terminology won’t be standardized across all pieces. But! It’s always up to the buyer to look beyond the listing title and read what the prop is made out of so it’s not like they lied in this case.

As to the hero sword that was auctioned, we’re probably talking about the same thing but the hero Anduril that was given to Christopher Lee sold for almost $500k I believe.

Hi Theo,

The aluminium ones were used by the actors for battle scenes and wear/tear scenarios. They were essentially the backup 'hero' swords (there were many identical copies of them, not just one). The 'true' hero swords were actually steel and many of them still reside in Peter's workshop which is where he also draws reference from for his MSSC swords. The others floating around are held by the actors themselves. I hope that clarifies things a little bit. Basically what ghettodactyl said was spot on.

[Aragorn]

I’m sorry if this has been mentioned in later comments but I read this one and figured I would shed a little light as a prop collector myself. I believe the reason the aluminum sword was listed as “hero” is because the term itself can vary between specific films/props. Yes, there are the high end hero pieces that were crafted to be legitimate functional weapons with the highest quality materials. However, I do believe among LOTR original prop collectors, the aluminum swords are still considered “hero” of a sort. Unlike the actual rubber stunt versions, the mid level aluminum pieces are probably used the most by the actor and resemble the highest quality version. Again, I know it’s no where near the the top level hero versions but until prop collecting enters the realm of rare art or coins, the terminology won’t be standardized across all pieces. But! It’s always up to the buyer to look beyond the listing title and read what the prop is made out of so it’s not like they lied in this case.

As to the hero sword that was auctioned, we’re probably talking about the same thing but the hero Anduril that was given to Christopher Lee sold for almost $500k I believe.

Hi Theo,

Actually that is not correct. The term “hero” swords for the Peter Jackson films are reserved for the spring steel ones made by Peter Lyon. The aluminum ones were always referred to as stunt swords. That is the terminology used by Weta workshop themselves.

And as I understand it, the term “hero” as used by them means the particular prop is made to a higher quality that looks good for camera close ups. And also due to Peter Lyon’s commitment to sword making, he endaveroured to make these hero swords as close to authentic functional weapons as possible.

[asko]

Anyone here heard any rumours about the next MSSC release? Can we expect another sword available for pre-order this year?

[Earnur]

Anyone here heard any rumours about the next MSSC release? Can we expect another sword available for pre-order this year?

I would need to win the PowerBall Lottery to even consider buying one of those. $13,000 for Orcrist! Wow! Were Boromir, Eowyn and Wiki Swords the same prices? Props to the wealthy! Ah!

I am just happy I own The Limited Edition United Cutlery Anduril #61.

[Stig]

I think Orcrist is the most expensive of them, but the other aren't exactly cheap either. The sword of Éowyn was $9990 I think

[Gwindor]

This is the info I have collected for my list from newsletters and people on the forum, they should be correct Perhaps I can fill in some missing info now as well. They are starting prices as ageing and sword sharpening costs extra.
- Sword finish like aged/polished is about US$950-999 extra
- Sword sharpening is about US$100-150 extra
- Scabbard ageing is about US950-999 extra, at least for Orcrist

Anduril	US$6,000
Anduril Scabbard and Belt	?
Striders sword	US$5,750
Striders sword Scabbard and belt set, including knife	?
Glamdring	US$6,300
Glamdring Scabbard and Belt	?
Sting - the Sword of Bilbo Baggins, Movie Version	US$5,500 (Vinyl transfer on hilt)
Sting - the Sword of Bilbo Baggins, Fine Art Limited Edition	US$7,999 (Silver inlay in hilt)
Sting Scabbard and Belt	?
Orcrist	US$9,900 later increased to US$11,550 later increased to US$12,990
Orcrist Scabbard and Belt	US$13,000-13,500
The Sword of Boromir	US$5,999
The Sword of Boromir Scabbard and Belt	?
Sword of the Witch-King of Angmar	US$8,499
Sword of the Witch-King of Angmar Scabbard and Belt	US$6,500
Sword of Éowyn	US$ 9,999
Sword of Éowyn Scabbard and Belt	US$ 9,999

[Earnur]

This is the info I have collected for my list from newsletters and people on the forum, they should be correct Perhaps I can fill in some missing info now as well. They are starting prices as ageing and sword sharpening costs extra.
- Sword finish like aged/polished is about US$950-999 extra
- Sword sharpening is about US$100-150 extra
- Scabbard ageing is about US950-999 extra, at least for Orcrist

Anduril	US$6,000
Anduril Scabbard and Belt	?
Striders sword	US$5,750
Striders sword Scabbard and belt set, including knife	?
Glamdring	US$6,300
Glamdring Scabbard and Belt	?
Sting - the Sword of Bilbo Baggins, Movie Version	US$5,500 (Vinyl transfer on hilt)
Sting - the Sword of Bilbo Baggins, Fine Art Limited Edition	US$7,999 (Silver inlay in hilt)
Sting Scabbard and Belt	?
Orcrist	US$9,900 later increased to US$11,550 later increased to US$12,990
Orcrist Scabbard and Belt	US$13,000-13,500
The Sword of Boromir	US$5,999
The Sword of Boromir Scabbard and Belt	?
Sword of the Witch-King of Angmar	US$8,499
Sword of the Witch-King of Angmar Scabbard and Belt	US$6,500
Sword of Éowyn	US$ 9,999
Sword of Éowyn Scabbard and Belt	US$ 9,999

Thanks for that! This explains why they still have Orcrist in stock. That's some kind of inflation from $9,900 to $12,999! I know you are talking about a real sword forged by a master swordsmith, but wow.

Seems to me the $6,000 range seems more palatable. Congrats to those who obtained them. I am a huge Aragorn fan, so Anduril would have been the one for me.

I am a huge sword fan overall, as I have many of the UC Swords from LOTR including Shards of Narsil, Narsil, Anduril, Glamdring and Sting.

[omearmi]

Thanks for that! This explains why they still have Orcrist in stock. That's some kind of inflation from $9,900 to $12,999! I know you are talking about a real sword forged by a master swordsmith, but wow.

Seems to me the $6,000 range seems more palatable. Congrats to those who obtained them. I am a huge Aragorn fan, so Anduril would have been the one for me.

I am a huge sword fan overall, as I have many of the UC Swords from LOTR including Shards of Narsil, Narsil, Anduril, Glamdring and Sting.

Also, you may want to note that the Orcrist scabbard and belt are no longer for sale for any new orders. They were discontinued and will not be offered for any purchases of the remaining Orcrist swords.

[Earnur]

Also, you may want to note that the Orcrist scabbard and belt are no longer for sale for any new orders. They were discontinued and will not be offered for any purchases of the remaining Orcrist swords.

Yeah, but didn't you have to pay extra for the belt and scabbard? That scabbard was really sweet though! Very impressive to have all 3, def!


Seems odd to inflate the price, and discontinue the accessories!

For my Narsil, I had a custom scabbard made, with the letter N in Elvish inscribed. So for anyone that does buy Orcrist alone, you might be able to find someone to make a scabbard for you. Etsy also has tons of medieval style belt makers out there.

[ghettodactyl]

Yeah, but didn't you have to pay extra for the belt and scabbard? That scabbard was really sweet though! Very impressive to have all 3, def!


Seems odd to inflate the price, and discontinue the accessories!

For my Narsil, I had a custom scabbard made, with the letter N in Elvish inscribed. So for anyone that does buy Orcrist alone, you might be able to find someone to make a scabbard for you. Etsy also has tons of medieval style belt makers out there.

The belt/scabbard price was more than the sword for Orcrist. Think I paid around $14,500 for the belt/scabbard but I can’t remember.

For someone to make a scabbard for the MSSC Orcrist they’d really have to have the sword in hand since it’s significantly larger than the UC version.

5AF174D0-C533-471F-8D81-3CC6A03038B8.jpg

[AmberDwarf]

The belt/scabbard price was more than the sword for Orcrist. Think I paid around $14,500 for the belt/scabbard but I can’t remember.

For someone to make a scabbard for the MSSC Orcrist they’d really have to have the sword in hand since it’s significantly larger than the UC version.

5AF174D0-C533-471F-8D81-3CC6A03038B8.jpg

Magnificent tho. It must be lovely to be able to hold something like that (I like working with my hands). Like truly having been in Middle Earth.
Plus the craftmanship. I always fret knowing one day - hopefully not soon - folks who worked on the Hobbit and LOTR will retire, and any chance of getting their work will gone. Unfortunately that is a fact that encourages me to spend more money.