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Decorative and commemorative cutlery is a luxury category of merchandise and, as such, its sales have been affected by the weak economy. Nevertheless, both replicas and authentic items, while not as strong as they were several years ago still sell in significant numbers.
Scott Nelson of Collector’s Armoury reports an increase in sales of replica Civil War swords as more people visit national parks where the swords are sold in gift shops.
But Nelson emphasizes that cutlery represents only about five percent of his business, the bulk of which is replica firearms.
“The most popular swords for us are those associated with a specific war, battle or person,” Nelson said. An example is the Bunker Hill sword, commemorating the battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Retailing for approximately $84, with a 24-inch carbonized steel blade and 30-inches in overall length, the sword is popular item in museum stores. It is authentic looking, but not antiqued, said Nelson, and its blunted edge cannot be sharpened.
History lessons
Collector’s Armoury’s success had been mainly in replicas of American historical items. The company is not involved in reproduction of European or medieval weapons.
One of its most popular items is the Bowie Knife, of which it produces in several styles, including the standard version and a Civil War Confederate version. All are for collection or display and have blunted edges, said Nelson.
“They sell fairly steadily. When people are buying Old West items, a Bowie knife is a nice piece to hang on the wall with a replica gun.”
Replica cutlery comprises a significant segment of Wuu Jau’s business. The Oklahoma company produces and distributes a large number of World War II German and Allied knives and swords.
Scott Harris, the company’s art and design director, notes that the most popular items are replicas of World War II German knives, daggers and bayonets. The German army made many different types of knives for its various departments and services, Harris said, but Wuu Jau does not label them by original names but rather sells them generically as German officer’s knives.
Among the most popular are the German officer’s daggers and paratrooper’s knives. German officer ceremonial swords are also strong sellers.
Although World War II German replicas represent Wuu Jau’s best selling line, its single most popular item is the replica U.S. M1 bayonet.
