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The Albion Benefactor’s Society
Albion is at a point of expansion. As we all know, growth requires
capital. We think that the growth would be even better, even more
exciting, if our customers were a part of it. You understand what
we are trying to achieve, and will directly benefit from those investments.
We can’t yet say publicly what all of those plans are, but they
do include accelerating our research and development, making improvements
in our capacity to bring you new and exciting products faster, while
maintaining our standard of custom-level quality.
Some of the necessary capital will come from new investors, we feel
it would be even more meaningful if as many of our customers as
possible are involved.
How can you get involved and share in Albion's future?
You can join us in the Albion Benefactor’s Society. We have designed
this program so that each person can get something out of it – something
that could even exceed their initial investment. All membership
benefits are available during your membership, but expire if you
decide not to renew. We reserve the right to add further benefits
as we can make them available, but none will ever be taken away
while you are a member.
How does it work?
There are three levels in the Benefactor’s Society. Each level has
an opening amount, which is then decreased to half of the initial
amount in each succeeding year, if you sign on again on your renewal
date. The benefits remain the same in subsequent years. All members
will be welcome for VIP tours of our facility, whenever you are
in the area.
Contributor -- $500
10% Discount on all Albion purchases while a member
Extension of Collector’s Club requirement (waiving
the one year limit for as long as you are a member)
Benefactor’s Sword available for purchase at full price
(this is a special sword created just for members of the Society,
which may be a new design or a special limited edition of an existing
sword)
Free Albion T-shirt
Supporter -- $1,000
10% Discount on all Albion purchases while a member
Extension of Collector’s Club requirement
Special discounted price on Benefactor’s Sword
Free Albion T-shirt and hat
During membership, free refurbishment available on any swords purchased
while a member
No
deposits required on product reservations
Sponsor -- $2,000
10% Discount on all Albion purchases while a member
Extension of Collector’s Club requirement
Free Benefactor’s Sword
During membership, free refurbishment available on any Albion Mark
swords that you own.
Free Albion T-shirt and hat
No deposits required on product reservations
Automatic first-in-line position in the production queue
Access to Albion credit account (buy now, pay later)
If you would like to join us, or if you have any questions about
the Albion Benefactor's Society, please feel free to contact
Mike by email
or by phone Toll Free at 1-888-806-4356.
Thank you for your support!
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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
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Testimonial
from a Benefactor Society Member
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What
an amazing difference Albion has made for me this year.
It’s so easy to say, just like so many of your other
worshipful customers, that you’ve gone farther to make
my dreams come true with your awesome swords than I
ever dreamed possible.
To talk about owning Albion Swords and not use the phrase
‘dreams come true’ is simply not possible.
But, I have to thank you for another aspect of your
approach, too. You made it possible for me to buy your
swords with ease that your prices would otherwise never
have allowed. The first thing you did for me was to
accept a payment plan so that I could squeeze the most
wonderful sword in the world, your miraculous Brescia
Spadona into my monthly budget.
Opening up the box with my Beloved Brescia was one of
the most profound and spiritual moments of my entire
adult life. That would not have happened if you hadn’t
been ready to work with me the way you were.
Then, as my Beloved Brescia wound itself into my day,
every day, I couldn’t help but keep coming back to your
website, studying and arguing and fighting myself so
as to figure out how to select, when of course what
I wanted was one of every sword you make.
After weeks of this torture I discovered your Benefactor’s
Society. I’m pretty slow when it comes to web sites
and technology, so it’s no surprise it took me so long
to realize what an amazing structure you offer.
Once I found it, I studied every single aspect and here’s
what I found. I found that NOT being a member of your
Benefactor’s Society would just NOT work for me. In
fact, if you’ll recall, before I ordered my second sword
from you, that’s what we worked out.
For purely selfish reasons, I realized I had to have
a larger number of your swords than my budget was structured
to support and while yes, I could wait and save the
money on my own, that wouldn’t get me the swords I needed
this year!
Also, I really was concerned that some of your more
fabulous offerings would run out of their production
runs, and then I’d be left out. THAT was NOT OKAY.
So, by joining your Benefactor’s Society, with one fell
swoop, I wiped out all such fears.
And, the moment I joined, you immediately put one of
our most expensive and spectacular swords into production
for me, where I’d have had to wait for the better part
of a year any other way. Greed to have your weapons
is a powerful motivator, as you know.
But what is it that drives the passion to own a sword,
especially one of the finest and most expensive swords
in the world? Well of course we, your customers, we
all have to admit it is an act of pride. That it feels
more like lust is well understood. But pride, the ability
to be the man who owns such an instrument; the knowledge
that no knight or noble of old owned a finer, more powerful
weapon; such pride is a special thing.
So, what I have to share is that my membership in your
Benefactor’s Society, far beyond the pragmatic values
it offers me, gives me a type of pride of participation
that, in my adult life, I’ve never found in such a thing.
I’m a proud member of our local Historical Sword Club,
MASHS. And, I don’t mind sharing that I buy wonderful
weapons which I love from other manufacturers in our
community of Western Swordsmen. But, I’ve never joined
a company’s society, before and don’t know if I ever
will again, with any other company from whom I purchase.
But, being a Benefactor to today’s Medieval Technology
Company fills me with a special sort of pride. Yes,
it has powerful pragmatic motivations, but something
about the anachronism of a Medieval Technology Company
works for me, and my membership in your society has
its roots there, more even than in the direct values.
I guess such pride is a bit beyond normal, rational
logic, no?
That said, I proudly express that this sort of pride
is one that, for whatever reason or reasons they may
be motivated by, I honestly hope others will find and
share too.
And, I can say this with certainty: No person who joins
the Albion Benefactor’s Society will ever forget the
year they did it.
Your true fan,
-- Pasquale Scopelliti
A Lesson is a Sword. |
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