European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Oledo swordsman a amps photos by l. Emmett Lewis or. Master swordsman Oscar Koto Batovich studies the Gold plated Hilt of one of his swords. By Vince Crawley staff writer the cinder Block building outside Toledo looks like a place that rebuilds carburettors and Lawn mowers not a workshop where craftsmen hand forge some of the finest swords in Spain. Owner Oscar Koto Batovich says his shop turns out the world s largest variety of replicas of classic weapons with painstaking attention to detail. Quot there was an unscrupulous character in Chicago who used to rub off my hallmark and sell them As originals Quot says the 70-year-old Swordmaker. Quot i like to make my things  a fencing master for 40 years Koto Batovich has spent most of the last 30 visiting museums from Moscow to Mexico City he studies collections and takes Wax impressions of the workmanship so that his copies will be As faithful As possible. He designs his shop s weapons. His six employees All natives of Toledo Quot the Cradle of the sword Quot do the forging lathing grinding and minute metalwork. Quot they have More intelligence in their fingers than most people do in their brains Quot he says. Who wants an authentic handmade sword these Days the entertainment Industry for one. The Duel that finished last year s movie 6 stripes Magazine March 1, 1990 Oscar Koto Batovich 70f inspects weapons being finished in his Toledo shop. Related Story pages 8-9 dangerous liaisons featured Kolombatovic s swords. Opera companies routinely use his weaponry especially the new York metropolitan opera where George Koto Batovich has taken Over his father s former title of fencing master and combat choreographer. Koto Batovich also Sells a lot of weapons to revolutionary and civil War re Enactor in the states. The people who debate the exact Hue of each other s uniforms and Wear historically Correct underclothes Are also willing to Shell out the Money it takes to buy Kolombatovic s kind of Quality. He has a poor opinion of most other Toledo sword shops which he says Are stamping out cheap inferior merchandise to satisfy the tourist Trade. Quot they Don t even bother polishing them Quot he says. Koto Batovich compares a Quot tourist sword Quot with one of his own Quot i could sell a hell of a lot More if they were cheaper. I say if a Cadillac was the Price of a Ford then everyone would own one Quot the metaphor is not too forced. In the heyday of swashbuckling Spanish style swordplay roughly Between the time of Shakespeare and Napoleon a Man s Choice of sword and its Cost made the same kind of statement that modern men can make with their cars. Quot the Symbol of a gentleman was the elaborate sword he carried Quot Koto Batovich says Quot like having a Gold plated  a visit to his factory in Toledo or his private office in Madrid is a journey through the history of hand held weapons. Quot this was the sword that made the romans go Back Quot he said holding up the Strong simple Blade that teutonic warriors 2,00q years ago used to keep Caesar s legions from crossing the Rhine. For another thousand years or More swords remained sturdy brutal things. Quot in the Days of the knights of old the strongest Man was also the Best swordsman Quot Koto Batovich says. It was t until the Renaissance and the use of Gunpowder that manual dexterity came into play. Courtly manners preferred style Over brawn and Gunpowder meant that some Goliath swinging a sword the size of a Buick drive Shaft was no longer the deadliest Guy on the Battlefield. As guns got better swords grew smaller and More ornamental. As late As the civil War officers still had their portraits made with sabers on their belts but this Century the Blades can Only be found at fencing meets museums More pompous ceremonies and places like Kolombatovic s workshop. Quot people say it s like a museum in Here Quot he says. Quot i say god forbid we have to peddle this stuff Quot but there Are still he adds a few old fashioned people willing to pay for a Good Spanish sword. Craftsmen file an ornate hand guard top and grind a Blade. March 1, 1990 stripes Magazine 7