BaronXS said:
I don't understand why people buy swords. It has no real practical use in today's world.
Woe to he who comes to a sword fight with a knife is all I'll say about this one.
In all seriousness, it all depends on what you want from a sword. If you just want something that LOOKS nice, to hang on the wall or what have you, I wouldn't expect to spend more than a hundred bucks. If you want something actually suitable for theatrical use one can easily spend several hundred. If you want something that one might actually be able to use should the Vandals invade and projectile weapons suddenly disappear then price is largely dependent upon the method of manufacture. If they are mass produced, a true sword won't cost much more than a reenactment weapon. If you want a sword produced in the old way (i.e. some guy has some steel, a fire, a hammer a loads of free time) expect to pay thousands for the privilege of owning an anachronism.
Of course, it also depends a great deal on what kind of sword you're looking for. There isn't a lot of advanced (even for a millenia ago) techniques required to make a standard broad sword, but the production of a Rapier or Court sword is significantly more complex. Katana's and to a lesser extent Sabres (the only curved swords still being produced in quantity that I'm aware of) rely on a fair amount of mechanical effort to be produced as both rely on dozens if not hundreds of folds to give the blade the proper strength and flexibility.
