Quote Originally Posted by Sean_the_Kilted View Post
Other than bragging rights, what good is a coat of arms? If I have a registered coat of arms in scotland or england, what does that enable me to do?
The American College of Heraldry has this to say about the value of heraldry, Sean:

Armorial bearings contain a quality of intangibility which is most significant to the family. Lands, monies and properties may be lost because of economic changes, wars and other disaster, leaving ensuing generations without inheritance. However, a coat of arms is a recorded design of identification which is fully able to survive change and loss. It can even endure a dormant period only to be reclaimed by rightful descendants at a later time. At the armiger's demise, he leaves an armorial estate to his descendants throughout all future generations. It is a legacy which can never be depleted, devalued, lost or stolen; rather, the arms of just and honorable persons singularly increase in their meaning, significance and value as they are taken up and borne by those descendants in each generation who proudly claim their birthright by registering to bear the ancestral arms.

-- http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/
I think that sums up the value of heraldry quite nicely.

If I was a UK resident (which I'm not),whats to prevent me from designing my own coat of arms and putting it on all my letterhead and other things without registering it? As long as its not owned by someone else, is there a penalty for doing so?
An answer to this question can be found on the Heraldry Society of Scotland's web site:

Displaying arms which are not registered to you, or which you do not have a right to, can lead to prosecution in countries such as Scotland, where heraldry is carefully regulated. In other countries you could just look foolish.

-- http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/beginners.html
Regards,

Todd