Here's a bit of a rarity I've picked up recently, a small part of GW history all the way back from when I was working there. It's a rather hefty Terminator shoulder pad belt buckle, in solid brass, and not to be confused with the much more recent 'Bulldog Buckles' pot-metal crap.
Slightly closer view.
As far as I was told at the time, these were originally commissioned to be runner-up prizes for the 1990 Golden Demon, but for some reason they were never used for that purpose. In actual fact, they ended up going through the studio where most of them, um, 'vanished', then the remainder ended up going out into the stores. The box I saw only had maybe a 20 or so in, so I don't know how many were made in total, but can't have been many. I ended up with one, (wonder how that happened :) ) Sadly that one ended up getting sold when I shifted my original entire GW collection back in the late 90's, which was a massive mistake, but hindsight's a great thing, so when I saw this crop up for sale, I had to have it.
They were made by the renowned Raven Armoury, now known for their stunning, hand-made swords, but back in 1990, they'd only been going for a couple of years, so looked like they were prepared to turn their hand to anything, but even so, I can't imagine it was cheap, just by the weight of metal!
Close up of the back, showing the '(c) Games Workshop 1990' and 'Raven' marks.
It's just a really nice piece, excellent quality, and really quite rare, so I'm glad I managed to get another one. It's also in better condition than the one I used to own, so that's nice, too!
I always wondered what happened to Raven Armory and how that relationship even got started. Do you know if they still make todays Slayer Swords?
ReplyDeleteI was told that the current Slayer Swords were made in China, but I've not seen one of the recent ones to confirm that.
DeleteJudging by Raven's prices for their other swords, I doubt they still make them!
How much did you pay for the buckle, if you don't mind me asking?
ReplyDeleteThink it was £30, posted, from memory. Nothing too extortionate, and it's probably worth that in scrap value!
DeleteCheers, I have had one since the early nineties and used to wear it a lot. Yours the is the first one I've seen and wondered if it would be worth anything. Having a clear out and might sell it that's if I get around to it:)
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