A Letter from Howy of Albion

We have received a fantastic response to the Benefactor's Society thus far, and for that we are truly grateful. The outpouring of support and encouragement means the world to us.

But we have also received some questions about this endeavor that I felt we should answer.

Why look to Benefactors rather than offer stock?
As we indicated above, we are talking to potential investors as well. However, as a privately held company, each investment (whether for 1 share of stock or 1,000) requires a minimum of $5,000 in legal and administrative set-up fees, and there are a number of SEC and other regulations that must be followed, as well as tax implications for the investor. That makes small purchases of stock unattainable for the majority of our customers. To remedy this, we are offering this opportunity to participate as a Benefactor, in a sense to be a "virtual owner" and enjoy some benefits from the growth and expansion of our efforts.

What is in it for you?
There are the benefits listed above, and as indicated, we may add more as we grow. But more than that, you will play a part in transforming our little niche industry into something very special.

Those of you who are long-term sword collectors remember what the sword industry was like 7 years ago, before Albion came on the scene. Historical and film sword replicas were, for the most part, heavy, clumsy, inaccurate and poorly constructed. What was considered "researching" a sword was looking at a two-dimensional photograph in a book and creating a "reasonable facsimile." Albion has played a large part in changing that and we will continue to push the edge of the envelope. We have set new standards in the industry for both historical and film recreations and will continue to challenge ourselves and others to raise the bar further.

Why should you believe in Albion?
All I can tell you is to look at what we have accomplished in the 5 short years we have been manufacturing swords and imagine what could happen over the next 5 years.

Historical recreations
7 years ago, people looked at photographs of the work of a little known swordsmith and researcher, Peter Johnsson, and wanted to be able to commission him to make them a sword. His work was beautiful, exacting, and unlike anything else in the industry.
But, though he already had researched hundreds of original swords and collected data on many more, he was only one lone smith with the ability to perhaps produce one sword a month.
Together, we conceived and executed the idea that his research could benefit sword aficionados everywhere, if we could figure out how to make swords on a larger scale and still maintain custom-level of quality, at a price that most people could afford. Recreations that would not only look like original swords and be constructed like originals, but feel and perform like them as well.

In just a few years of hard work, we now have:

5 Models in The Museum Line -- groundbreaking, exacting museum recreations like The Svante Nilsson Sture Sword and the Sword of Saint Maurice (Turin).

40 Models in the Next Generation Line -- with 25 more in development (and more in the concept stage).

We have also introduced the Squire Line for beginners (4 models) and are developing the Maestro Line (8 models) for training. We have also set new standards in the industry for what a Medieval scabbard recreation should be.

Albion gave the opportunity to hundreds of people, rather than just a handful of exclusive collectors, to own the amazing swords and artwork of Jody Samson.

Film recreations:

Brought the swords from Conan the Barbarian back from the grave. We did the research, found and bought the original studio molds, and brought the original artists back together again. The actual holder of the Conan rights at the time said "why would anyone want a sword form a 20 year-old movie?" But we knew that you wanted it (because we did) and now hundreds and hundreds of people own the exact recreation of those swords. And thousands of other people now own another company's versions of those swords, which would not have existed if we hadn't started this.

Brought the Beastmaster sword back from obscurity. Another 20 year-old movie sword, we brought Vic Anselmo out of retirement and recreated the sword that fans had been asking for in vain.

Brought the artwork of Frank Frazetta to life. The Death Dealer Helm. The Death Dealer Axe, The Bloodstone Sword, The Martian Longsword -- all of these things are available now "in the flesh," and we have many more in the pipeline -- objects that were just the stuff of dreams a few years ago.

Brought Heinlein's Lady Vivamus to life. Another much sought-after sword from the novel Glory Road that won the endorsement of the Heinlein Trust.

And we are working on much more...

All of this takes hard work, skilled artisans and, frankly, money. Because we are not content with "good enough," it often means missing deadlines because we are making and remaking prototypes several times to get it right. We have a small staff whose time has to be split between the production of finished products and the development of new ones. But we think it is worth the investment of our effort, time and money to receive the kind of testimonials we get every day.

Look at the testimonials on the Albion, Film Swords, and Jody Samson websites and count the number of times that someone has said "thank you for my dream sword" or "you have made my dream finally come true..."

Albion is a labor of love more than a business venture. There is no 50% return on investment in 5 years that most investors want. We aren't perfect, but it is what we strive for every day. Our customers are more than just faceless credit cards that buy our products -- they become our friends.

One of the first of our customers to join the Benefactor's Society said it better than I ever could:

"I'm writing to tell you that I would be honored to join. I am absolutely thrilled with what Albion is doing and consider your continued success to be a personal favor to me.
By offering swords of exceptional quality at moderate prices, you have answered the prayers of many sword enthusiasts like me, who wish to own "real swords," but for whom custom made swords are prohibitively expensive to own.
I greatly appreciate and applaud what Albion is doing and fully intend to be a customer for life."

If you have any questions that I have not answered, please feel free to call or drop us an email and we will be happy to answer them

Warmest regards,

Howy
Albion