Taste and Collection

Iain · 11th April 2011, 11:29 AM

I've always had the bug for military history. Swords are also of course every boy's dream. I started off in my teens with the European Medieval scene - of course antiques are bit out of the question here, so I was into reproductions and the odd bit of sparring. But I noticed I had a tendency to just admire the swords hanging on the wall.

Then I started to realize that for the money I was dumping inside reproductions I could have some reasonably nice originals from different parts of the world. It's been a long time but I think I started off with a kukri, bolo and a very rusty (but authentic) Chinese jian with a dao guard fitted to it.

From my Medieval European tastes it was a logical jump to start into takouba and kaskara. For some reason the takouba stuck with me more and along the way I developed a fascination for the local culture and history. The fact that it's a period and local relatively unknown in Europe and N. American just drew me in further. I also had exposure in my university years to a few professors interested in African history and I got something of a bug for the mostly unknown kingdoms and empires of the continent. I'm not quite sure how to describe why I find it interesting, since it's obviously not my history or my culture, but I guess part of it for me is that the scale and extent of the civilizations in the region largely go unrecognized.

I won't say how long I've been at it, but at this point the collecting is mostly a conduit for my historical interests and purchasing the items is more or less a way to try and do my part to safeguard the artifacts. To this end I try to document and put photographs online. I would think all of us to a certain extent would see ourselves as guardians for these objects. I think there is still a lot to be gleaned from hands on examination of artifacts and we are fortunate enough to live in an age where so much period documentation is available in digital form that there is still some room for learning and contributing to the general knowledge base.

Also my living room makes for a nice conversation piece.

11th April 2011, 11:29 AM	#2
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,708	I've always had the bug for military history. Swords are also of course every boy's dream. I started off in my teens with the European Medieval scene - of course antiques are bit out of the question here, so I was into reproductions and the odd bit of sparring. But I noticed I had a tendency to just admire the swords hanging on the wall. Then I started to realize that for the money I was dumping inside reproductions I could have some reasonably nice originals from different parts of the world. It's been a long time but I think I started off with a kukri, bolo and a very rusty (but authentic) Chinese jian with a dao guard fitted to it. From my Medieval European tastes it was a logical jump to start into takouba and kaskara. For some reason the takouba stuck with me more and along the way I developed a fascination for the local culture and history. The fact that it's a period and local relatively unknown in Europe and N. American just drew me in further. I also had exposure in my university years to a few professors interested in African history and I got something of a bug for the mostly unknown kingdoms and empires of the continent. I'm not quite sure how to describe why I find it interesting, since it's obviously not my history or my culture, but I guess part of it for me is that the scale and extent of the civilizations in the region largely go unrecognized. I won't say how long I've been at it, but at this point the collecting is mostly a conduit for my historical interests and purchasing the items is more or less a way to try and do my part to safeguard the artifacts. To this end I try to document and put photographs online. I would think all of us to a certain extent would see ourselves as guardians for these objects. I think there is still a lot to be gleaned from hands on examination of artifacts and we are fortunate enough to live in an age where so much period documentation is available in digital form that there is still some room for learning and contributing to the general knowledge base. Also my living room makes for a nice conversation piece.