Items chosen for display at the Orange County Historical Museum in 2023. This was part of a larger exhibit focusing on collectors who live in Orange County.
These show the items in place in the museum exhibit.
This was the last staging before moving the items into the case for the show.
Proposed information and images to be used to describe Wade and the collection in the publication written for the exhibit.
Wade Allen blames a visit to the Tower of London when he was seven years old for his interest in armor. His imagination was sparked by the vast display of armors built for everyone from the common soldier to kings. He wanted to learn everything he could about armor. Fortunately, his father was a medievalist. Family travel allowed Wade access to books and the opportunity to visit collections around Western Europe. In the 8th grade, Wade began collecting books on armor after a personal tour of the Musee de L'Armee in Paris.
During high school while living in Milwaukee far from the major collections of armor he decided to continue the study of armor through building armor with the assistance of a best friend Aaron Toman and an understanding metal shop teacher who encouraged them. During college he could only work on armor during beaks, but he and Aaron established Valerius Armouries, turning their hobby into professional work. Wade still continues to build armor using hand tools in his little personal workshop.
When his son was a child, Wade made him a suit of armor every year as a Halloween costume.
While in high school Wade purchased his first piece of historic armor to enhance the growing library and inform his construction of armor. This piece was a single elbow from the mid 16th c. By the time he graduated from college the collection had grown to 5 pieces. Building armor was a great way to learn about armor, but it did not pay well since very few people can afford to pay for the time required to make authentically shaped and functional armor. After earning a Master's degree in computer science, Wade worked for IBM for over 30 years, allowing him to build his collection. In addition to books, armor and weapons, he also owns antique spurs, knives, and miscellaneous trinkets. Now he has hundreds of items in the collection ranging from the 3rd through 19th centuries. Having grown up in a household of educators, Wade shares his collection through the internet and personal educational sessions with enthusiasts and school presentations.
For anyone interested in building a collection Wade advises "Decide what interests you and what kind of collection you want to build. Learn as much as you can through primary and secondary sources. Books and museum trips are cheaper than fakes.In my case, I am really interested in the construction, form and function of armor. This means that I look for pieces that illustrate styles and forms, and not pieces associated with specific historical figures. This broad interest means that I tend to keep more pieces than many collectors."
The following display the items in different ways.
Introduction and small images of each item