Now, if you’re looking for really good collectibles and memorabilia from the Harry Potter series then the first type of collectible that you’re looking for is definitely the Harry Potter wands. These are the very wands that were used in the movie as props for every character in the movie series, and it shows that they were also made in consonance with how Rowling described them in the novel.

As the story goes, each wizard has a different wand based on his or her magical personality. Because of this, no two wands are exactly alike. This means that you will have a lot to collect from wands only because there are so many characters in the movie. Harry Potter’s wand is the one with the Phoenix feather, and ironically the only other person who has this wand is his arch nemesis, whose wand had the feather that belonged to the brother of the Phoenix whose own feather is in Harry’s wand. You also get to check out the individual Hermione Granger wand and Ron Weasley wand, Harry’s best friends throughout the story.

So if you plan to make new additions to your Harry Potter collection, you can now go beyond books, volumes, and posters because there are great Harry Potter Wands for you to collect. No avid Harry Potter fan should be without them.

Practice swords are most likely needed by those who are practicing Iado or the Japanese traditional martial art of using the sword. The art basically revolves around learning how to use the sword from drawing it from its scabbard, delivering strikes and cuts in the proper form, removing blood from the blade, and putting it back in its scabbard in a smooth and controlled manner.

Students of Iado are called as Iato. Some of them start off using a wooden sword, but it is usually recommended to use practice swords, which have blades with unsharpened edges, like other students would do. Practice swords are generally lighter and therefore not meant for any kind of real contact. The only downside to practice swords is that they might be restricted in some parts of Japan by the same law prohibiting the production and possession of swords in some parts of the state.

Because of this, the practices in different dojos for Iato vary with respect to the sword that they use for training. Some dojos will train the student to use the Iato first and make sure that he or she has mastered the skill consistent enough to safely use a sharpened sword, either a nihonto or shinken. There are some schools which take extreme rules. On the one hand, there are those that allow students to use the actual swords immediately. On the other hand, there are those that prohibit the use of these swords at any point in the training of the Iato.

Aside from that, practice swords are also ideal for reenactments in case you need a sword as a prop. They are basically safe and easy to use and are not as expensive as the fully sharpened swords.

In a short definition, Japanese swords are basically those bladed weapons traditionally made in Japan. These swords are also known as the nihonto to the locals as well as the more experienced sword users. What made Japanese swords stand out from the other sword categories was that the blades of the sword were single edged and curved somewhere near the tip, which is a strong contrast to the thick, and straight blades of the medieval age that could be sharpened on both sides. And because of their thin blades, the Japanese swords were naturally much lighter than their western counterparts. Nevertheless, these blades were very deadly in the hands of a well trained samurai or some other warrior trained to wield the nihonto.

Two of the more popular types of warriors of Japanese origin that used the Japanese swords were the ninja and the samurai. The samurai were more known to be the Japanese counterparts of the military in ancient Japan, while on the other hand ninjas were those who practiced a particular martial art which involves versatility in weapons and the use of stealth in their fighting technique. Nevertheless, both types of warriors used Japanese swords and were disciplined in using them.

The hobby of collecting Japanese swords may have come later compared to the other classes of sword collections because after World War II Japanese swords were banned from being produced and nobody was allowed to possess these swords without a government issued permit. Fortunately, people started lobbying for the ownership of Japanese swords for their aesthetic and artistic value, which eventually led to the amendment of such law.

Avid fans of movies like the ones mentioned above are also most likely interested in collectibles that are associated with the movie, specifically movie swords. These swords are authenticated replicas of the actual props used in the movie where they can be seen so that a movie fan can have one in his or her collection.

There are lots of sought after memorabilia movie swords in the industry today, such as the Conan sword, which is actually based on the movie Conan the Barbarian. This sword is an authenticated replica of the actual prop used in the movie, which is what many collectors of movie swords or hobbyists take value in. Other movie swords include the Richard the Lionhearted sword, based on the classic story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as well as the Anduril Sword from the famous and officlialy licensed Lord of the Rings swords collection, which was adapted from R.R. Tolkien’s novel.

One thing that you have to remember when you buy movie swords is that the movie swords you get are definitely authenticated replicas of the movie from which they were based on. Some of these swords even come with personalized a plaque or certificate of authenticity with the set to certify that this is the case. You are also assured that these swords are of great quality and come with great bargains – all these plus the fact that these movie swords make quite the additions to anybody’s collection of movie swords.

Terms like: Pommel, Cross-guard, fuller, strong (Forte), Central ridge etc…

In order to help you better understand all these terms, i have found a useful page on Wikipedia. Instead of re-writing everything here, here is the link: Swords Terminology.

Japanese swords, however, were not without variety. The Wakizashi were a bit shorter than the average length, an example of which is the Hanwei – Golden Oriole Wakizashi. The Tsurugi, on the other hand, were double-edged, instead of having only a sharp edge on one side. There are also weapons like the Yari and the Naginata which are actually pole-mounted weapons but still under the Japanese sword family because of the way they are forged.

After World War II, Japanese swords were actually banned both in terms of possession as well as its production. The only exception was that if the person was a member of the police or has a government-issued permit. This was, however, eventually amended such that swords that had artistic and aesthetic value were allowed.

This opened up the number of sword smiths that produced civilian swords. Eventually, the likes of Paul Chen and Masahiro have become popular brands of modern Japanese swords, known for their accurate imitation of the traditional methods of making these ancient weapons and adding a little modern touch to it. Some of their works include the Elite Fuji Katana and the Hanwei Bamboo Stick Katana. These swords were appealing to all consumers such that they were both practical and artistic.

Under Japanese swords are also the Ninja Sword variety, which are actually a wider range of weapons other than the katana which were also traditionally used by Japanese warriors, though not necessarily Samurai. While sometimes these weapons no longer had any resemblance to the nihonto, they are nevertheless equally powerful weapons in the right hands and are weapons attributed to Japanese weaponry all the same.

The High Elven Warrior Sword should be a serious contender for your collection. This sword is slightly curved with the tapering end pointing upwards. This majestic looking sword that comes with a wooden plaque has an overall length of 50” with the blade being 25” long. The handle which is as long as the blade has a leather grip and is made of metal.

The Sword of the Witchking is the sword that was forged in the dark land of Mordor. This sword is as evil looking as the people who forged it. The overall length of the sword is 53” long and the blade which is ¼” thick measures 40”. This sword that comes with a wooden plaque has a handle made of metal with a genuine leather grip.

The Hadhafang sword is the sword that Princess Arwen wields when she helps Frodo escape from the Ringwraiths who come looking for him. This unique sword has an overall length of 38”. The handle of the sword is made of wood and has an elven design pattern on it. The sword comes with a wooden plaque and has a blade measuring 30” with a thickness of ¼”.

The Glamdring sword is used by Wizard Gandalf who helps Frodo Baggins fight against the evil forces. The blade of this sword is 36” long and has an inscription in Elven language that the sword was forged of the king on Gondolin. This sword has an overall length of 47” and comes with a wooden plaque.

The Boromir sword is the sword wielded by the king Boromir in the movie. This sword is a straight sword which is 39” long. The blade of the sword is 30” long and has a blood groove. The handle and pommel of the sword are made of metal and the handle is provided with a genuine leather grip.

The Sting sword is the sword carved by the Elves in the movie and given to Frodo by Bilbo Baggins. This is a straight sword and the blade of the sword has an etching in Elvin language. The handle of the sword is made of hard wood and is adorned with elvin vine patterns. The sword which is 22” long has a blade ¼” thick and 15” long.

The Anduril sword is wielded by Aragon in the movie. This sword is a straight sword with an inscription on its blade in the Tolkien’s language. This is a long sword with a length on 53”. The blade of the sword is ¼” thick and measures 41”. The pommel of the sword also has inscriptions in runes.

Military swords are still used as ceremonial artifacts..If you woul like to learn more about Military swords, you should read my small article. Learn more about military swords.

You see, me and my wife are getting ready to move into our new house, so we are making boxes and preparing for the move…I though everything was going pretty well until i got into my Sword collection room…

The second i put my feet in with my boxes i realized that i had a problem…How the Hell am i suppose to pack all of these swords (37) into boxes and keep them intact? First i don`t have any boxes that fit for these weapons and secondly we are not talking about simple display swords, we are talking about 37 High Carbon steel swords with some that are worth more than a $1000…

Now i need to figure out a way to move all that including the display stands in a secure way, i only have 2 weeks left…any ideas?

There are different designs for fantasy swords. The most popular ones are those patterned from a movie or an epic tale like the Exotath - Non Limited Edition and the Heavy Metal F.A.K.K Sword. There are also limited edition fantasy swords like the  2009 Annual Dragon’s Lair Limited Gold Edition and the Avoloch Mithrodin Sword (autographed edition) – there are only 1500 of these.

Another popular theme in fantasy swords are the katana or the samurai swords used by fearless samurais. The most popular from this collection is the Samurai 3000 katana – this plasmium sword is constructed with extreme technology using a secretive form of physics.  All fantasy swords are designed by reputable designers and crafted by master smiths.

Sword was a life or death decision.  Everything about it was designed for warring function.  But because we have replaced them with firearms – swords have taken into the art form.  The designs of fantasy swords have gotten creative and artsy and are now for aesthetic pleasure – thus its popularity.  Fantasy swords are more opulent, extravagant and loud.  Check out these designs to understand the concept: Dragon Lord Fantasy Sword and Kilgorn II - Sword of Darkness Limited Edition by Kit Rae.

Swords fulfill the fantasy of knighthood, romance and heroism.  We are in a world where technology rules over any armor.  We engage in mind warfare and endless discussions – gone were the days when we settle our disputes over a decent, competitive duel.  The need for swords was eradicated by modern times and evolution.  But the power and the appeal of swords remain. 

Most enthusiasts opt to collect fantasy swords, as they have their own artistic and creative genre. Fantasy swords are more exotic looking, futuristic, sci-fi, legendary, strange and sometimes gothic looking. There are various types of Fantasy Swords to choose from which would delight your senses – each collector will definitely find something to fit his taste and likeness.