# Does anyone have replica Tolkien swords from the movies?



## Elassar (Jun 25, 2022)

I have narsil but no others I would be interested to see if anyone else had a collection of Tolkien's weapons.

This is the only sword in my collection


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Jun 25, 2022)

There have been a few threads on the subject. This one's not very helpful, I'm afraid, but you might enjoy it:









What weapons do you own?


What Middle-earth weapons to you own? Either private or renditions from the movie? I own the prop of Anduril, with scabbard, but looking to get Aeglos and one of Gimli's axes. Maybe Celeborn's knife too.




www.thetolkienforum.com


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Jun 25, 2022)

Elassar said:


> I have narsil but no others I would be interested to see if anyone else had a collection of Tolkien's weapons.
> 
> This is the only sword in my collection


Nice sword! I think it is Anduríl however, not Narsil. It was forged from the shards of Narsil, yet it's title is:
Anduríl; Flame of the West.


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## Elassar (Jun 26, 2022)

Yes it is anduril but I call it narsil and have got a habit now.


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## Elmoth (Jul 7, 2022)

Glamdring. It is horribly balanced. I have it at my parents house, so no pictures available


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Jul 7, 2022)

Elmoth said:


> Glamdring. It is horribly balanced. I have it at my parents house, so no pictures available


What do you mean horribly balanced?


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## Elassar (Jul 7, 2022)

The weight of the sword in your hand?

I was thinking of buying glamdring but perhaps this shall put me off.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Jul 7, 2022)

Elmoth said:


> Glamdring. It is horribly balanced. I have it at my parents house, so no pictures available


Is this the one you have?









Hobbit Glamdring the Sword of Gandalf


This licensed Hobbit collectible sword from United Cutlery is presented with a wood wall display and includes a certificate of authenticity.




www.museumreplicas.com


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Jul 7, 2022)

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Is this the one you have?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is a beautiful sword. I have made several bows and arrows that have a very Elvish appearance, however I have never bought nor attempted to make a sword. Are these handmade, or are they bought?


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Jul 7, 2022)

I don't know what the process is, but you can probably find out more by perusing the website.


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Jul 7, 2022)

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I don't know what the process is, but you can probably find out more by perusing the website.


I see... I am not usually the greatest in craftswork, and yet I have made many things for my Tolkien/Middle-Earth themed areas. I will have to look into the website further. Thanks.


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## Elassar (Jul 8, 2022)

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> That is a beautiful sword. I have made several bows and arrows that have a very Elvish appearance, however I have never bought nor attempted to make a sword. Are these handmade, or are they bought?


I have bought one and made two myself, the one I shared at the top and these two are bought.


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## Deimos (Sep 6, 2022)

[Does a two-month lag constitute necro-posting?]  😬

I own quite a few of the United Cutlery (UC) licensed "Weapons".
Weapons is in quotations because there is no way these things are anything but "wall-hangers".
From a viewing distance they look real enough, i.e., like real swords and not just decorations.
But they weigh a lot and are not balanced. 
Good for Ren Faires, Cons, and Cosplay (and hanging on a wall), but that's it. 

I have Elrond's sword Hadhafang (It's Arwen's, too , in the movies, but that is not canon), Narsil (unbroken), Isildur's sword, Anduril, Harugrim, Guthwine, Eowyn's sword, Sting (LOTR version, not Hobbit version which has no runes on it), Glamdring, two of Gimli's axes, Boromir's Sword, the"Movie Sword" of Strider (which is really a very beautiful, elegantly designed sword-- I wouldn't mind owning the real one of which 10 were made by Peter Lyon. ) and Legolas' Knives. ,
Orcrist from the Hobbit movie was a pathetically laughable thing 😆, so I passed on it as I did not want it to sully my display.
No bows/ arrows as they look fake, nor spears, for the same reason.

And before anyone asks for pics, there aren't any. I took everything down when I painted the walls and have yet to put them back up.
I may sell one or two, and will have to re-arrange the display, so re-hanging them is not [yet] a priority.


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## Elassar (Sep 6, 2022)

I would love to see the swords if you are able to post a picture when they get back up.


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## Deimos (Sep 6, 2022)

Elassar said:


> I would love to see the swords if you are able to post a picture when they get back up.


HAHA, My man, do not hold your breath. We are talking about 6 months hence.
However, I may just pull them out of their boxes and take some pics.
I wouldn't want to do all of them, but if you have preferences (not too many 😁) I will see about getting them out.
But, again, it may be several months.
My favs are Striders's Sword (is that one in your pic?), Eowyn's because it really is quite elegant, (and dammit she used it to kill the Witch King!)) , Guthwine because of the horsehead hilts, and Boromir's because... well, just because. It's a hand-and-a-half sword, plain to look at (no runes) but again, very elegant.
I've loved swords since I was about 6 years old.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Sep 6, 2022)

Pics of the United Cutlery stuff can be seen on their website:





__





United Cutlery: Lord of the Rings







www.unitedcutlery.com





I don't remember if they're the same as those by Museum Replicas. MR usually specify if their blades can be sharpened, which, if they can, would mean they're not the same. That's why reviews in collector magazines and forums talk about the "false edge" -- meaning it's not a "real" blade.

BTW, anyone thinking about buying would be well-advised to shop around. You can find these for less. For example, the Horn of Gondor I posted on the "Things" thread is offered by Amazon for $175 US -- a far cry from the UC price of $320.

This is not to speak of the knockoffs, of which there are many.


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## Deimos (Sep 6, 2022)

I do not know if the MR ones are licensed, which doesn't bother me one way or the other (It DOES bother some UC collectors I know).
But if I am not mistaken the MR sword blades are actually made from carbon steel, which would make them a lot lighter, and so much nearer to the real thing.
I think they are made in Pakistan; and if they are better for having blades made of carbon steel, they are worse (often much worse) in overall quality.
Years ago I bought a "movie" sword that was made in Pakistan and it was a waste of almost $350.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Sep 6, 2022)

Oh, sure; I've seen a "Sting" for $25. OK for a wall-hanger.

It's been a while for me, but it used to be a general rule that, in the category of cheap knives and, I suppose, swords, those made in China were superior to Pakistani ones.

Museum Replicas is usually considered pretty reliable.


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## Deimos (Sep 6, 2022)

It's sort of not a "real" blade. I don't know about the newer ones from UC (I may have read that they are really dulling the edges of the blades) but I can tell you with absolute certainty that with every one of my swords (or "sword-like objects" 🤣as one collector of Albion swords calls the UC ones) that should you drag that blade across your skin you will get a nasty gash... not deep but it will break and lacerate skin.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Sep 6, 2022)

Interesting. Checking the Museum Replicas site, it appears theirs are the UC items -- and are AU 6 stainless steel.

They also state that the license agreement prohibits them from sharpening any of the UC blades, which is a service they offer for some of their products. I'd imagine that's due to liability concerns on the part of UC.


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## Deimos (Sep 6, 2022)

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Interesting. Checking the Museum Replicas site, it appears theirs are the UC items -- and are AU 6 stainless steel.
> 
> They also state that the license agreement prohibits them from sharpening any of the UC blades, which is a service they offer for some of their products. I'd imagine that's due to liability concerns on the part of UC.


Oh...my bad....I didn't mean that they don't carry UC items ( I had forgotten that), but that at least some of their products are made from carbon steel and made in Pakistan (or were... might be China now) . Kult of Athena carries LOTS of Pakistani and (I'm guessing) Chinese [prop] "weapons" that are made from carbon steel (but otherwise have horrible quality).

And yes, I'm sure that UC is now dulling the blades even more (liability reasons) IIRC some folks who have gotten the new Glamdring and Herugrim have compared them to mine, and the edges on theirs make mine look deadly sharp


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Sep 6, 2022)

I didn't know that. But I haven't bought blades of any kind for years, TBH. 

MR stuff seems to be variously sourced; it appears the parts for this come from India, for example:








Royal Stag Seax


This massive Seax has a high carbon steel blade engraved with Norwegian interlace and a Sambar Stag crown handle. Brass trimmed leather sheath with brass rings.




www.museumreplicas.com




I always wanted a decent gladius, for some unfathomable reason; I do have one of the cheap replicas you can find for 25-50 dollars (picked up in my case for $10 at a flea market), but the ones MR has are especially nice.

Anyway, the "official" ME film replicas seem overpriced to me, though I wouldn't criticize anyone for wanting them.

Of course, it's possible to commission a craftsman to make a "real" sword or knife-- but that's going to cost you.


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## Deimos (Sep 6, 2022)

The unlicensed knockoffs are all over the map with respect to quality.
And when the quality is bad, it is usually really bad....blades wobble, grips are loose, pommel and hilts are misaligned, finishes are already wearing through, fullers are ground crooked or uneven; and, I kid you not, all those defects would be _on one sword. _

UC is not as great as it was 20 or 30 years ago, but I'm very happy with all my UC replica "sword-like objects" (sorry but that phrase just kills me 🤣 🤣 🤣), and I paid, on average (incl shipping) about $150 per sword. I think they are well worth the price.
Guthwine was the last one I bought because it was a brand new UC issue in the last year or so, and I think I paid close to $200 for it .
All the others I bought between 2004 and 2010 . 

However, just like with a car or electronic eqiupment, you should never pay MSRP.... You shop around.


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