How Can I Get a Gold Sword?: A Guide to Types of Gold Swords

You wouldn’t need a gold sword to kill a dragon, but let’s be real: It would be pretty rad if you had one. Gold swords have been featured in anime and movies for their connotations of nobility and heroism. A golden sword tells you a character is destined for greatness, serving the role of King Arthur’s Excalibur in whatever media it shows up in.

That said, finding a gold sword online is rare as stainless steel is a more common material for replica swords, especially battle-ready swords. So, we’ve put together some of the coolest katana swords and European medieval swords available online ranging from the purely decorative to the duel ready.

Gold Swords Aren’t Always Gold

As the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold or at least, real gold. When it comes to gold swords, a lot of them are really just gold-toned or gold-plated stainless steel. Gold toned swords are achieved by mixing yellowish metals and/or pigments during the forging/casting process. The ‘gold’ you see may be copper, bronze, or, if you’re lucky, a small amount of gold.

Meanwhile, cheaper swords are typically gold painted. This is accomplished by painting the sword or its details with metal-friendly gold paint, often done by hand. This makes having a gold sword blade affordable, but you won’t see it in battle-ready swords as the paint will chip in a real fight.

Lastly, there’s the rare gold-plated sword. These swords may have sterling silver hardware, meaning the crossguard, pommel, and hilt are plated in gold. A more cost-efficient way to get a gold-plated sword is to opt for plated stainless steel.

Solid gold swords, however, are hardly created unless for purely decorative purposes. This is because gold is a soft metal, so soft that pure gold isn’t used for jewelry because of how bad it is at standing up to wear and tear. This is why gold is typically rated from 10k gold to 18k gold to 24k gold with higher karats indicating higher gold purity. The higher the purity, the softer the gold.

Gold Swords For You to Choose From

There are tons of options for making a knight sword or Japanese samurai sword look more sumptuous, like opting for a custom rosewood scabbard or a rose gold sword pommel. But for the flashiest swords on the market, these yellow gold toned swords are the ones worth adding to your wishlist.

1. Gold Hilt Lightsaber

The lightsabers of the Star Wars universe have a reputation for being able to cut through anything with their plasma blades, so a gold bladed lightsaber is going to be out of the question simply because it wouldn’t be a lightsaber if that were the case. This gold hilt lightsaber  gives you the power of a Force-sensitive’s weapon together with all the class and style of Naboo royalty. 

The replica is made with an aluminum alloy hilt with a gold tone on the surface that emulates the color of yellow gold. This hilt can be separated from the 1-foot long blade, so you can carry it around in fan conventions without the blade getting in the way. If you do equip it, you get access to 4 different sound effect sequences and 3 lighting effect sequences.

• Material: Aluminum alloy
• Length: 92 cm

2. Gold and Bamboo Themed Katana

Bamboo is a material known for its flexibility and affordability, which is why it’s often used in making replica swords. But in this Gold and Bamboo Themed Katana, bamboo gets elevated onto the same level as gold, another flexible material reputed for its prestige and rarity. 

This replica katana features all the traditional Japanese katana parts such as a sword tsuba, a type of decorative handguard, and a saya, the lacquered scabbard used for storing the katana when not in use. All elements of this sword are brought together visually with bright yellow tones and a bold yellow lacquered sheath.

The sword is made of high carbon stainless steel tinted with zinc alloy to give casual onlookers the impression of a real gold sword. This substitution with a stronger metal allows the sword to be battle-ready, meaning you can take it off your wall mount and use it in a fight.

• Material: 1095 High Carbon Steel
• Length: 103 cm

3. Gold and Dragon Themed Katana

If the bamboo theme and bright yellow scabbard of the earlier sword isn’t for you, this Gold and Dragon themed katana has all the regalness you may expect a gold sword to look like. The sword is made from tempered high carbon steel, meaning this is a battle-ready sword made for cutting through wood and foes alike.

You know it’s the real deal because this sword boasts a hamon line, indicating it was forged, not casted. Connecting the blade to the tsuba is a lattice gold patterned section that instantly elevates the sword’s visuals while complimenting the rest of the hilt’s design. This gold toned sword comes with an equally believable golden scabbard decorated with a gold and red band to invoke the air of imperial Japan.

• Material: High carbon stainless steel
• Length: 103 cm

4. Gold Damascus Pattern Katana

East meets west in this gorgeous black and gold Damascus steel katana. The sword features a beautiful Damascus pattern on the surface made possible with a combination of Manganese steel and electro-plated gold. This plating method and the base metal allow this sword to be used in a  fight, a purpose further supported by the full-tang blade.

If you’re not familiar with full-tang blades, this means the sword’s blade reaches into the handle’s interior, making the blade and handle firmly attached to each other. Speaking of the handle and hilt, this katana has an intricately decorated black tsuba with a gold stitching pattern around the edge. Like previous katanas from Hero Sword, it comes with a scabbard that has a subtle black and gold snake-skin like print.

• Material: Manganese steel and Electroplated gold
• Length: 103 cm

5. Gold Hilt Battle Ready Longsword

Katanas are great, but if you want a gold blade that looks like an antique sword passed down from generation to generation of your family, this Gold Hilt Battle Ready Longsword from Kult of Athena is the way to go. 

The sword is patterned after a 15th century German riding sword, a type of sword used specifically for fighting on horseback. Because of this, the sword’s blade is longer and is designed for leveraging the high ground of a fighter on horseback to add more force into thrusts and stabs.

Made of 6150 high carbon steel, the sword is hand-forged for the serious sword enthusiast. While it’s no costume accessory, the sword delivers on the aesthetic front with its twisted gold crossguard and gold decorated  wood handle that, when taken together, make the sword’s handle look like a gleaming tree branch.

• Material: 6150 high carbon steel
• Length: 109 cm

6. Gold Decorative Templar Sword

For a more flashy European gold sword, this Gold Decorative Templar Sword is worth having a look at. The sword has a gold tinted blade decorated with the templar cross together with swirling patterns similar to the cinquefoil and fleur de lis motifs that were used in the margin design of medieval manuscripts.

The sword has a heavily decorated crossguard with heraldry symbols placed on the flank and at the center where the handle aligns with the blade.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Length: 119 cm

7. Gold Detail Battle Ready Longsword

Functionality, decorative quality, and historic significance rarely meet in one replica sword, but this battle-ready copy of Edward III’s sword is a rare example of that. The sword is a replica of the sword rumored to have been used by the 12th century king of England in his campaigns during the Hundred Years war. Since he was known as the Black Prince, this blade is designed with black and gold as its primary colors.

The sword has a golden cross guard and pommel as well as a black leather wrapped handle. The full tang high carbon steel blade is riveted into the handle and features an engraving in the shape of a ring with a slogan written into it. This logo corresponds to the badge of the Order of the Garter, a knightly order established by King Edward himself, making it the first knightly order sponsored by the English crown.

• Material: 6150 high carbon steel
• Length: 109 cm

Conclusion

Real gold swords are difficult to come by, mostly because the soft metal isn’t a practical choice of material for an item made to be heavily used. However, many replica swords on the market get around this by mimicking the look of gold with stronger metals or electroplating their swords with gold. This makes gold swords affordable and practical on both the decorative and battle-ready sword market.