Realm Collections Blog

Reenactments of many events from all historic eras have been brought about in one way or another. Whether in theaters, films, and even social events(Like Renaissance Faires). Many groups and clubs exist with a sole purpose which is to reenact and keep history alive. Medieval Reenacting is considerably popular world-wide. These reenactments show and teach the audience the lives of historic folk. Wars, knightly games, and ceremonies are often reenacted, some scripted and some with actual competitive purposes.

The Das TeufelsAlpdrücken Fähnlein, or the Devil’s Nightmare Regiment
This Medieval Reenacting Group are an award-winning historical reenactment unit based in Crownsville, MD. The members of the Devil’s Nightmare Regiment portray the Landsknecht mercenaries and campfollowers of 16th century Europe. The Devil’s Nightmare Regiment has performed at military reenactments and renaissance festivals throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. We are available for historical reenactments and showcases, school programs, civic events, and renaissance festivals. Go to http://www.landsknechts.org/ for more information on this Medieval Reenacting group.

The Ritterhellas
The Ritterhellas are a historical-revival association, which was created on the basis of participation and organization of cultural events reffering to the most important moments of the medieval history from the Crusades to the era of the Knights of Renaissance Europe. The Medieval Reenactment group deals with the resurgences of time period from 1204 until 1530, period where in Greece existed knightly battalions. To find out more about the Ritterhellas visit www.ritter.gr.

Medieval Reenacting can teach us a great deal of history and entertain us at the same time. Going to a Renaissance Faire or a Reenactment Groups next event can be a life changing experience. You never know, you just might decide to join a Medieval Reenactment group yourself!

The number of days between now and Christmas is growing slim and the last minute shoppers are starting to emerge. Being an early bird, I already have all the presents nicely packed and ready to be delivered. The good thing about shopping during the holiday season is you know you are saving some money, especially this year with the tough economic situation. Consumers are willing to spend less so stores need to submerge their prices to catch some sales. Let me tell you, this years sales are huge. Most of the items I bought were 60-70% off regular price! Here are some websites’ sale pages to show you just what I mean:

RealmCollections-On Sale
Guess Clothing-On Sale
Bath & Body Works-On Sale

Whether on the store website or actual at the store, you are sure to be bombarded with phrases like ‘Free Shipping’, ‘X% OFF’, or ‘$X.XX Off Purchase’. The percent off or amount saved seems to be a little higher this year and the receding economy may be what we should blame, or thank. Even if you have lowered this years budget, the hefty sales and special offers are sure to let you celebrate this Christmas like in the good old days.

Kilts are customary attire that can be traced back to the sixteenth century. While it is traditional Scottish Highland garb usually for men, there are Irish, Welsh, Northumbrian, and even contemporary United States and Canadian variations. However, its roots are in the Scottish and Celtic-Gaelic heritage.

There are some useful points you need to consider when buying a kilt. This is especially true when you are buying or wearing one for the fist time.

1. You need to decide on the make of your kilt.
2. The cloth or tartan design says what clan you belong to.
3. You need to take measurements for your kilt.
4. There are optional accessories to complement your kilt and the overall “Scottish” look.

The make of your kilt should follow the traditional design, and your clan’s tartan must be used as material. Tartans are cloths that have crisscrossed horizontal and vertical patterns in different colors. Furthermore, the design of tartans represents different clans aside from their Coat of Arms.

The most popular includes the Stewart tartan, the Black Watch tartan, the Northumbrian tartan, the MacAulay hunting tartan, and the Clarkson tartan, among several others. Once you have discovered your Scottish roots (or the one you want to adopt) then you can choose and buy the tartan for your kilt.

The most important measurements that you have to take are the kilt length (measure from waist to floor whilst kneeling minus 1.5 inches or 4 cm), around the waist, and around the hips.

In addition, you can wear your kilt with a jacket or a waistcoat. This is especially important to wear as a complete suit during formal occasions and traditional Scottish events. However, it doesn’t stop with the kilt and jacket alone. There are several accessories for your kilt that you can purchase to complete the “Scottish” look. These include plaid brooches, satin bow tie, Ruche tie, Ghillie shirts, sporrans and chains, belts and buckles, kilt pins, Sgian Dhubs (black knives), kilt socks, kilt flashes, cufflinks, and sporran flasks, among many others.

Who doesn’t have dreams of becoming kings and queens who live in castles? A life of splendor, wealth and romance is what has always been depicted in stories and movies such as those of King Arthur and other medieval period films. However, according to history and real life records of life during medieval times, living in a medieval castle was not easy. This was due to the strict governance of the Medieval Feudal System over all medieval castle way of life. The Lord of the castle, his family and guests often had better life condition and comfort compared to those under their rank in the castle’s household. However, there are also those who experienced hardships staying in inadequate living quarters especially during winter or cold weather.

Everyday life in a medieval castle was also strictly observed by codes of conduct such as the Code of Chivalry. It dictates how a person should act through courtly manner and courtly love. Life in a medieval castle was often busy due to a number of people living in it depending on the status of the Lord who owns it. It was possible that a castle had hundreds of people living in it who had different responsibilities according to the needs of the Lord of the castle. Aside from the Lord and his family the occupants of the castle include the knights and the servants. The knights together with the pages and squires were responsible for serving and fighting for their Lord while the servants, from the acrobats to the watchmen, have different responsibilities and assigned quarters within the castle.

A typical day in the life of the Lord and his family living in a medieval castle includes the following activities:

• Wake up at dawn
• Hear mass in the chapel
• Have breakfast
• The Lord of the castle attends to different business matters related to his land and subordinates/tenants such as crops, supplies, taxes, complaints, disputes, political discussions and decisions among many others.
• The Lord and members of his family spend time for the arts such as poetry, music, and painting to name a few.
• Have weapon practice
• The Lady of the castle spends time overseeing household duties
• Have mid-morning prayer and meal
• The men will go hunting while the ladies do needlework
• Have evening prayer and supper
• Entertainment provided by jesters, musicians, acrobats, dancers, etc.
• Bedtime prayers
• Sleep – bedtime was often dictated by the time the Lord will go to sleep

If you would like to learn more about life in a Medieval Castle, drop by realmcollections.com.

Renaissance Faires are outdoor gatherings usually done on weekends in the United States and many other parts of the world in which this historical period is commemorated. These are usually held outdoors with some parks having permanent historical themes while others hold temporary events such as during festivals or carnivals.

Renaissance Faires’ themes are based on the era during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the reign of Henry VIII, Vikings and pirates. Attendees can join in by wearing costumes such as those worn by the fair’s entertainers and theatrical acts. There are also several arts and crafts for sale as well as festival food to enjoy during the Renaissance Faires.

In the United States, Renaissance Faires made their debut after World War II. It was during this time that Americans’ interest in the culture of medieval and Renaissance culture took flight. In the 1950s through the 1960s, traditional revels were revived through folk music and small events similar to renaissance faires were conducted. Subsequently, these small faires became one big event with the first Renaissance Pleasure Faire with around 8,000 people as attendees came for this fundraiser in 1963. It then became a yearly event in Agoura, California which gave rise to local traditions across America. Today, there are hundreds of Renaissance Faires which are operational throughout the United States and Canada.

The themed activities and acts during Renaissance Faires include jousting and swordplay. There are also themed parks and restaurants with these activities as well as medieval food to enjoy. Visitors can also have a lot of photo opportunities with stocks and pillories displays in Renaissance Faires as background. Some of the most notable fairs across the country which you can visit include the Florida Renaissance Festival, the Arizona Renaissance Festival, King Richard’s Faire, the Great Lakes Medieval Faire, and the New York Renaissance Faire, among many others.

If you plan on attending a Renaissance Faire soon, get inspired and get in costume at realmcollections.com with a colorful and faithful collection of Medieval and Renaissance costumes and accessories.

The American Civil War between the North and South from 1861 to 1865 was as significant as it was unforgettable. This is quite true with all the reenactments being staged in different historical locations as well as the continuous popularity of Civil War Collectibles as a hobby.

There are many individuals who collect Civil War Collectibles such as firearms, swords, clothing, insignia, letters, photographs, boxes, bugles, and lanterns, among many other accessories. If you are also interested in making collecting Civil War artifacts your hobby, then here are some tips on how to start your collection.

1. 1. Decide on what Civil War Collectibles you want to have in your collection. You can have different items but you can also just concentrate on one specific kind of artifact like clothing or firearms.
2. Research the different relics that you want to include in your Civil War Collectibles. It is important for you to be knowledgeable on which items are authentic to avoid scams.
3. You also need to be aware of the value of an artifact. The price range for Civil War Collectibles are from $1 to over $100,000.
4. Purchase items only from reputable dealers. It would be better to ask for referrals from other collectors of Civil War artifacts. There are many groups you can find online that specialize in book collecting, surgical equipment, and more.
5. Do not buy items that will bust your bank account. Civil War Collectibles can be a very good investment but you should also know your financial limit and which items can be sold at a higher price in the future. 
6. Make sure that you only buy items that you are really interested in and that you will truly appreciate and enjoy. As a hobby, it should give you satisfaction as well as a promising lucrative investment.

Ready to start your hobby in Civil War Collectibles? Visit the Civil War Collectibles section for more great ideas. You can even start your collection today.

Airplane spotter cards (pictured left) are playing cards which were designed to feature the different aircraft used during World War II. By playing card games using the airplane spotter cards soldiers easily learned and memorized which aircraft belonged to an enemy or an ally. Members of the civil defense during World War II were able to identify different aircrafts on sight because of this unusual but fun way of studying them.

A deck of airplane spotter cards is composed of 52 cards divided into two sets, one set for the enemy aircraft and the other for the allied aircraft. Each suit represents one country’s different types of airplanes. Spades featured the American aircraft, Hearts had the British aircraft, Diamonds had the German airplanes, and Clubs had the Japanese aircraft. Each card was divided into three parts with the top featuring a picture of the airplane’s frontal image, the middle with the side view of the plane and the bottom with a brief description about the aircraft – its name, country of origin and other vital information.

Purchasing a deck of airplane spotter cards was not only a source of fun for playing poker, go fish, black jack or solitaire but also functioned as a learning tool covering the different aircrafts of World War II.

Today, you can use these cards to teach yourself or your children about World War II aviation. After a few rounds of playing cards, you and your kids will for sure have memorized most of the names of the aircrafts and which country they belong to.

Learning history can also be fun and easy. To pick up a deck of World War II airplane spotter cards, click here. You can also find other World War II collectibles in the World War II products section.

Collecting things has been a passion of every person since a little kid. Parts of the collections have been shared, borrowed and kids begged their parents to get that latest piece to complete their collection. It was nice to have a hobby and lots of these adults continue such hobbies and their practice may even be shared among the long lost friends with whom they meet after years because of their passion.

Collecting things is very valuable to one and makes people happy as they enjoy every day relaxing by exploring them and its competitors. There are many advantages to collecting things as they may become pretty valuable and expensive after years, sharing and seeing the specimen of their collection. Although after years pass, some people may feel akward about collecting their valuables because they may seem silly. Then these collectors take a look back at the happy moments they had and enjoyed their valuables and how much they were worth to them: http://www.rateitall.com/t-13211-things-people-collect.aspx.

It becomes a new trend whenever a movie, like the recent “300,” “Tristan and Isolde,” “Rambo” comes up and has a big demand for the pieces their collection but the things and ideas like the stamps, feathers, artwork, albums, CDs, postcards, money, baseball cards are also a very common although are an “ancient” collection: http://www.realmcollections.com/c129/movie-replicas.html, http://www.realmcollections.com/search.html?search_type=AND&searchfor=card.

Now, there is a wide variety of collections to choose from and each is quite unique and almost everybody at least once in his or her lifetime was passionate about collecting valuables.

Who would’ve thought that a simple comic strip could become a box office hit and a legend in movie history.  In the opening weekend alone 300 grossed about $70.9 million and was the biggest IMAX debut completely killing Superman Returns which previously held the record! http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2268&p=.htm  I personally don’t like movies like this, I’m more of a horror film type of girl.  To be honest I had no interest in watching this movie what so ever until I started working at my current job and noticed that the replicas of this movie sell like crazy.  The movie recently premiered on a movie channel so I was like I have nothing better to do right now I might as well watch it and find out what the big hype is.  So I watched and completely fell in love with it, this is now one of my favorite movies!  It has this hold over you that just makes you want to watch it over and over again.  Needless to say I’m going to buy the movie!  I may be a year late but hey better late than never!

For those that agree and like, or love, the movie as much as I do, check out our full line of 300 movie replicas.  http://www.realmcollections.com/c317/300-the-movie.html

The new “Rambo” movie provides the users a new comeback. After a long pause of 20 years, the new Rambo IV movie aired in the theaters on January 25^th, 2008. Not long since its release, the movie has already earned millions of dollars for its quality of action, adventure, thriller and sequel to compose into a fantastic way of entertainment.

The movie is full of action and adventure with its interesting plot common for the Rambo movies. The action already starts with a fun-filled adventure starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo. He spends his time capturing snakes and chauffeuring locals where is afterwards taken up the river with the missionaries and takes an honored position as the liberator of the survivors. For more information from the viewers, visit: http://imdb.com/title/tt0462499/plotsummary.

There are some interesting facts about this movie which make it as much interesting and full of passion. Stallone originally set out to make his film before Rocky in 2006, it has a kill count of 236, Kotcheff acts as a technical consultant http://imdb.com/title/tt0462499/trivia. And, of course, the movie is directed and features Sylvester Stallone as the main character so it must be a great one to watch. The cast for the movie was also carefully chosen to make it a great success: http://imdb.com/title/tt0462499/fullcredits.

The movie itself is very outstanding for its great action background and the adventures happenning one after another.  The movie is just as exciting as any “Rambo” movie and is a great comeback for Stallone.  It is great for anyone who likes the action, adventure and Sylvester Stallone combined!  It is easy to get into the action of teh movie, so I really enjoyed it! http://www.realmcollections.com/c383/rambo.html

Many great weapons have been already composed in honor of the this fourth movie series “Rambo.” Just like critics have been busy with their reviews, the weapon makers also tended to make some business and create the most authentic “Rambo” weapons.