[quote=@Shorticus] Okay, so, let me clear something up: swords weren't super duper expensive in Europe. You're right about swords being a status symbol, but it's not because they were super expensive. The first thing to remember when you talk about medieval weapons of war is most of these weapons are derived from a tool used for another purpose. A warhammer is derived from the common hammer; a spear could be used for hunting, as could a bow and arrow; a battleaxe is derived from the more common woodcutting axe. Daggers and knives could be used for more than killing, as could slings, and a shield is really just a means of protecting yourself from injury. But a sword? A sword has [i]one[/i] purpose, and that purpose is to take life away from other humans. Swords weren't especially expensive, as I said. A regular footsoldier or a peasant in the medieval era could get his hands on one. The real question is whether or not he could waltz around town wearing one without being eyeballed weirdly. After all, what's some jumped up peasant doing with a weapon whose sole purpose is to kill? Shouldn't that right belong to knights? To wealthy men? Weapons in general weren't all that uncommon. Actual usable spears, axes, shields, and, yes, swords weren't far from the hands of any army. Armor was the tougher thing to get your hands on, at least in the early medieval era. Vikings wearing chainmail were much rarer than Vikings wearing little to no armor. Footsoldiers throughout a lot of medieval history would be considered fortunate to have a gambeson or some padded cloth with metal rivets underneath. You can be darned sure, though, that a proper footsoldier would probably have a spear and a dagger thrust into his hands, or maybe a shield and something to whack someone with. [/quote] While I do agree that swords weren't super expensive. There is a difference between a good sword and a cheap sword. Proper swords, made with balance and quality materials would be far more expensive then picking one up at some second hand shop. Plus unless you were planning on a military career what does buying a sword really get you in the long run. As you said these weapons are made to kill whilst a spear or hammer have plenty of other applications. Swords like any tool can be mass produced shoddily. Grips could be loose and with many rough edges, the blade could be duller then what a combat ready sword requires. Not to mention the use of proper materials, a sword made improperly can shatter, too much carbon and it's brittle, too little and it's flimsy. All of these little things add up to a higher price tag and like modern clothing swords had name brands, well kinda. You know a Knight had his made by the Kingdoms blacksmith, while a blacksmith who primarily makes horseshoes would likely have experience with weapons smiting.