[QUOTE=A. G. Maisey]Jens, may I suggest that the people who own the cultural artifact are the ones who decide what it is known as?
I agree in theory but sometimes this can lead to more confusion. Often the local name for a particular type of sword just translates as sword, katana is a long sword, claymore is a great sword or big sword. When you say claymore do you refer to a medieval two hander, a basket hilted broad sword, a basket hilted back sword, or a sword like object that Scotts lassies dance around?
This is what makes collecting and researching such fun. Of course you could stick to collecting European military swords of the 18th -20th centuries with their clear official pattern numbers ... unless you count variant blades
