Sta.sh
For those of you that don't remember the original Silvia circa 2010, here's a reminder:
Part of the reason we started Longship Armoury was to bring some of John's most recognizable designs to market at lower-than-custom prices. The Morrigan and the Verrimus were the first steps towards that goal, being derivatives of their original inspirations. With the Silvia, we wanted to bring a design even closer to the original. The fittings will be darkened bronze rather than pattern-welded damascus, but it will be very much like the Silvia that people remember.
The Silvia will be a Longship Armoury "Legends Line" sword. As previously discussed, the Legends Line is a slightly higher priced tier than our standard fare but with much more exclusivity. That means outside of the in-house prototype and the review prototype, there will only be 20 of this sword made. After that, the design will be retired, and even custom Silvia requests will be declined. We are hoping to finish the prototype and get a review out late May and start taking pre-orders at that point.
Pricing and what you get:
Pre-orders will be $1,600, with half down to secure a spot and half upon completion. Pre-orders have the choice of the standard tip or a clip point, fuller or no fuller, color of the leather wrap, and option of the original etching design (+$600). Pre-orders also come with a free Longship Armoury t-shirt.
Once we close the pre-order period, the remaining swords will simply be made to whatever John feels like doing and be sold at $1850 without the etching.
All Silvia orders, pre-order or not, will receive an 18"x24" poster of Rhea wielding the Silvia as pictured above, which will have the numbering of your Silvia and act as your certificate of authenticity.
Production Time:
Two months for the entire project. Stuff happens and the deadline might get pushed back a week or two, but with castings and standardized models/materials, we have scheduled the entire project to be executed within two months of closing pre-orders. How? We'll be waterjetting all the blanks and have molds made for the fittings in advance so that we'll be ready to go as soon as pre-orders close.
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State of Longship
We've had a tough 2012. Production was lower than expected, costs increased, and damage from the fire and Hurricane Sandy set us back quite a bit. You'll also notice on our website (longshiparmoury.com) that the price of the Landlord went up ten dollars, the Shenlong went up to $850, and shipping is the contiguous US is now $40. The other swords ought to go up as well, but we are refusing to do so, taking a loss on them, and probably introducing even more models later this year at the same price point.
What are we doing about it? We'll be seeing more "Legends Line" runs if the Silvia works out. We've had people tell us that 100 pieces is not limited edition. We've had others say they'd gladly pay more for more unique designs or more niche swords. The "Legends Line" is our answer, and profits made from Legends Line runs will go towards subsidizing the loss from our standard lineup so that it can continue. Why? Because we formed this company in part to change the industry, give easier access to high end swords, and preserve history and the arts. This is our commitment to the community, and we're sticking to it.
In other news, custom pieces (Odinblades territory) will be folded into our "Odin Line." These also include one-offs not ordered by anyone specific. Since our focus will be the Legends Line, the Odin Line orders will be highly limited. There will probably be no more than 10 next year and will continue to drop down.
Makers' Line
The final line in Longship that we are proud to announce is the "Makers' Line." We will be teaming up with promising smiths/artisans to sell their wares to a larger market under our banner. Our goal is to provide the funding needed for these smiths to continue doing what they love while growing their personal brand name. We already have one person lined up for the Makers' Line. Any smiths/artisans interested can shoot a line to swords@longshiparmoury.com
