Sold, full Mercenary Tailor Plate Suit

[crimsonldr]

I have a full Mercenary Tailor Plate Suite with a Historic Enterprises Arming Doublet for sale.

Historic Enterprises XXL Green Linen Arming Doublet
Mercenary Tailor Breast and Back with Faulds & Tassets & Gussets
Mercenary Tailor 15c Gorget
Mercenary Tailor Upper 15c Legs and Greaves
Mercenary Tailor 15c Arms w/ Integral Spaulders

All mild.

I paid $1200 in Dec of 2010 here on the Archive. The original set came with half-gauntlets but those have gone to a sword brother. I am starting to sell of armor to gather funds for a spring stainless suit. Asking $1000 plus shipping.
I am 5'10" 230lbs the body armor is just a hair too long and a hair too wide on me. Arms and legs fit well. Exact measurements (of me) can be had for the asking.

Post from when I bought the suit:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=120154


William Hawke of Effingham
Kingdom of the West
Squire to Sir Cedric of Dorchester, Called the Just
Trimaris

[crimsonldr]

No one? Bump...

[JaiTBourgeois]

Al sure makes beautiful stuff. If I hadn't already gotten a harness from him I would be all over this, as we're almost the exact same size. I wish you luck with your sale, sir.

[Lloyd]

Give it time, William, Al makes solid armour - someone will pick it up. Also, let folks know if you are willing to piece it out (like for the arming pourpoint for example...)

[Caius705]

Yeah, I might want that pourpoint as well.

*glares at Lloyd*

[robstout]

Looks really nice, but no way would it fit me.

Robert The Stout

[crimsonldr]

I have had requests for better pics and measurements so here is what I have.

all in Inches
Cuirass
* In middle, from neckline to bottom of breastplate (on the inside, not counting faulds)16.5
* Distance across breastplate, gussets collapsed in 11.5
Cuisses
* Middle of knee to top, from front14.5
Greaves
* Calf circumference 17.5
* Ankle circumference 14
* Top to bottom in front 12.75
* Top to bottom in back (lames uncompressed) 11.25
Arms (while bent 90*)
* Top of spaulder to middle of elbow 19
* Middle of elbow to end of vambrace 11
* Circumference @ bicep 16 - 3/4 rebraces
* Circumference @ forearm 14
* Circumference @ wrist 10.5

Rolled edges with brass rivits
My measurements are
5'10"
230 lbs
Chest 46
Waist 42.5
Bicep 16
Wrist 8
Thigh 25
Calf 17
Ankle 10

Fits me except a little long in the body and a little wide across the upper chest as noted above.
Pics as soon as I find my camera cable.

William

[crimsonldr]

Pic of me in the set.

[JousterAlan]

If you decide to piece it out I'd be interested in the breast and back.

[seanjohnson1]

and i would take the arming doublet....

price?

[Knight Sir James]

I made an offer via PM a few days ago on the whole plate set; the arming doublet won't fit me, so I didn't want that. Looks like quite a few people interested in just the arming doublet....

Crimson / William, interested in selling me the whole plate set and selling them the arming doublet? You have my offer price in PM for all of the plate, so if one of these fine gentlemen is willing to pay for just the doublet, I believe you may have your sale.

[Caius705]

I am. How much would you like for it?

[Lloyd]

William, it is not in the cards for me - but thank you for letting me know.

[Caius705]

How tightly does it fit around your waist? Mine is 40" but I like tight fitting arming garments.

[crimsonldr]

Willing to sell the arming doublet separately.
Have begun PMing people in order they spoke up
Fits my 42.5in waist fine, can go smaller due to design of garment.

William.

[Caius705]

I'm going to pass. Something else came up and I jumped on it.

[Sir Nino]

I'm interested in the arming doublet. If it's still available, please PM me with price/payment method details.

Thanks.

nino

[Knight Sir James]

I'm interested in the arming doublet. If it's still available, please PM me with price/payment method details.

Thanks.

nino

^ he's at an event this weekend and should get back to you after he returns (he told me via PM on Friday)

Just wanted to let you know if you haven't heard from him, he's not ignoring you - he's away.

[Sir Nino]

Okay, thanks! I'm in no hurry.

nino.

[crimsonldr]

Sir Nino, PM sent

[Knight Sir James]

I waited a few weeks, and never heard back after I messaged the seller about receiving the armor and the condition it was in. Every single piece was rusted. Every. Single. Piece. I spent about 3 or 4 hours (split over a few days so I don't know exactly) with an electric wire wheel cleaning *just* the outside surfaces; I haven't cleaned & painted the inside yet. I'm sure it would have taken twice that (or more) to do it all by hand with scrubbies. It looked nothing at all like the first pictures posted. It wasn't solid brown with rust, but it sure wasn't anywhere near as clean or polished as pictured.

• There was new orange light rust (*maybe* during shipping - benefit of the doubt here, even though I've *never* had anything I bought from AL / MercTailor arrive rusty). This might have been from handling it for the picture and then not cleaning it after.
• There was darkened brown rust. It had been oxidizing for a while, and the second picture shows the dull appearance and splotchy discoloration (I had chalked that up to poor lighting and a cell phone camera since it was never disclosed as rusting & pitting).
• There was substantial rust - including pitting - on the back of the greaves. The greaves were the worst. That isn't repairable, of course - so that's basically junk plates and will have to be replaced. I managed to clean the other plates to suitable condition.

I got my first suit of mild steel plate armor over 15 years ago, so I know what new rust and old rust looks like, as well as poor/no maintenance. This stuff had been rusting for a bit and wasn't well cared for. I'm not talking about the inside, I know people often let that go and I anticipated having to possibly clean and paint it. I'm only talking about the condition of the outside.

Given the number of pieces of armor, the time spent cleaning it (when pictured as clean and never mentioned as rusty or pitted), and cost of replacing the pitted plates, I wouldn't have paid what I did. The seller didn't respond for weeks, even a simple "Sorry, I didn't know it is pitted and/or rusty" would have been nice, but I got no response at all.

It is what it is, and, moving on...