Not all new made swords are replicas. A newly commissioned katana from a Japanese smith is a katana, no more no less. British Army Officers still buy new made swords to carry on parade. Ceremonial items... yes. Made of stainless steel... sometines. Still real swords not replicas. I like to classify swords in this way:
1.Genuine. A functional sword made and used in the way it always has been. Does not have to be old.
2. Antique/vintage. An old genuine sword, originally issued and used as intended. May now be too delicate or valuable to be anything other than an object of study or admiration.
3.Replica. A sword made to look similar to a genuine sword. May be made of different materials or constructed differently to a genuine sword, Does not have to be functional, Many swords purchased by reenactors fall into this category.;
4. Recreation. A modern made functioning sword that reproduces the look and feel of ancient blades. Can vary a lot in quality but many modern smiths are producing custom work of the finest quality. These allow mere mortals to handle swords that are normally only seen in relic condition in museums.
6. Fantasy. Modern made funtional swords made to non traditional designs. Often based around blades appearing in films or novels. Quality can range from diabolial to superb.
5. Fake. A sword sold with the intention raising more money from the purchaser by deception. A good replica swords is nor a fake until someone tries to sell it as genuine or antique.
6. Genuine fake
. I have added this one to my categories to cater for Japanese gimie blades. Genuine antique katans but with a fake signature often added by the original smith to increase value. Can be valuable in their own right.
Happy collecting
