Authenticity Ratings

Our team of experts at Imperium Ancient Armory have devised an authenticity rating system to assist the discriminating collector and the serious reenactor in obtaining the most historically accurate replicas commercially available.  We take pride in what we offer for sale and as such will only offer items that pass our rigorous and stringent tests of historical accuracy and quality of manufacture.  We are able to offer the entire range of products from Deepeeka, as well as select items from other companies as well.  However, we attempt to steer our clients in the direction of the most historically correct renditions of items.  As such, we offer a relatively subjective scale of authenticity for the items we offer. 

A score from 1-6 will generally disqualify an item from being sold by Imperium Ancient Armory.  This would definitely include items made from plastic, aluminum, and other modern materials, or simply manufactured with little or no regard for the appearance or design of the original.  These would be better suited to stage productions for grade school children than for collectors of the caliber of our clentele.  Examples of this might include items that never existed historically, such as leather versions of a lorica segmentata, a Greek muscle cuirass made of leather, or versions of helmets and armor that were developed exclusively for motion pictures, but with no attention to the original armor of that period.  Beware: Most of the "historical replicas" commonly found on eBay, other internet sites, and even offered by companies supposedly specializing in historical arms and amor falls into this category.

A score of 7 would barely qualify an item for sale by Imperium Ancient Armory.  Only in certain cases, or at the explicit request of a valued customer will we see fit to offer such an item for sale.  Such items will be accompanied by a caveat to the buyer as well as some suggestions for improvement and retrofitting.  If the item is able to be corrected easily enough, and in a cost-effective manner, we will be able to offer services of retrofitting and correction for items that do not stand up to our usual rigorous standards.  We do offer these services to our valued customers for an additional fee. 

 A score of 8 would cover most items that are generally fashioned in an historically correct manner, with attention to the overall appearance of the original archaeological examples upon which they are based.  However, this score accounts for certain features that we would advise the manufacturer to attend to, such as certain elements that require replacement in order to bring the manufacture up to our discriminating standards, as well as incorrect sizing or incorrect, but period-appropriate, metals used. 

A score of 9 would indicate an item that is a generally accurate representation of the original archaeological example.  It may, however, incorporate minor variances that we would suggest be fixed or replaced.  It also may incorporate such features that cannot be changed, such as using brass instead of bronze (both period metals), but which do not detract substantially from the overall accuracy of the item. 

A score of 10 would be applied to an item that carries our highest level of evaluation.  Such an item would be fashioned in a nearly perfect manner so as to replicate the original archaeological example upon which it is based.  A few minor variances may be permissible, in keeping with the natural variation that is seen in all ancient world craftsmanship, being hand made, and would not detract in any substantial way from the overall beauty and rendition of the item.  It is these items, scoring a perfect 10, that we seek to carry and toward which we steer our clients.