05-05-2005, 08:02 AM
When I had my gladius, pugio and pilum imported from the US to the UK, Fedex called asking what was in the package (it had obviously gone through an x-ray machine). I had to call the Home Office, who said it was no problem so long as it wasn't a hidden knife (switchblade e.g.) style of weapon as specified in any offensive weapons law, and reproduction swords and the like were fine.
So long as Fedex had this info and a the name of the person at the Home Office that I spoke to, they let it through. One other thing I did was email Fedex with links to websites of reenactors, and an image of each item clearly showing they were for display/historical/research usage and not concealable. The links and images helped a lot, and if you are talking to officials in advance I would advise doing a similar thing. Make sure there is no doubt in their minds whatsoever, or they will almost always default to the letter of the rules they have to work by.
If in a car and you're checked by the police, it might be wise to carry copies of Dan Peterson's book and other publications, to show they are historical reproductions and the reason you have them is for similarly genuine and legitimate purposes. If you lie, the police can usually smell a rat a mile away (they're trained to spot lies these days) and they will definitely come down on you like a ton of bricks. Their sole concern is crime prevention, but by and large they are also reasonable, though as open to other influences as anyone else and can just be in a bad mood.
Cheers.
So long as Fedex had this info and a the name of the person at the Home Office that I spoke to, they let it through. One other thing I did was email Fedex with links to websites of reenactors, and an image of each item clearly showing they were for display/historical/research usage and not concealable. The links and images helped a lot, and if you are talking to officials in advance I would advise doing a similar thing. Make sure there is no doubt in their minds whatsoever, or they will almost always default to the letter of the rules they have to work by.
If in a car and you're checked by the police, it might be wise to carry copies of Dan Peterson's book and other publications, to show they are historical reproductions and the reason you have them is for similarly genuine and legitimate purposes. If you lie, the police can usually smell a rat a mile away (they're trained to spot lies these days) and they will definitely come down on you like a ton of bricks. Their sole concern is crime prevention, but by and large they are also reasonable, though as open to other influences as anyone else and can just be in a bad mood.
Cheers.
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
