Japanese Sword Value???

pics?

Also, don't try to fix it, and a light coat of mineral oil on the blade about once a year. very light though.

 

Go here: http://www.bladeforums.com/index.php

 

The Japanese WWII military swords are not rare and, consequently, not nearly as valuable as the actual Samurai ones. Their quality is similar to most military bayonets. That said, they are still more valuable than the reproductions. Look around your area to see if there are any collectors. You could get a could deal, but in that arena, it could be real easy to get overly optimistic about a purchase.

 

I saw something on tv where they were assessing the value of a Japanese military sword. Some of them were privately owned by the soldier and traditionally crafted(valuable) swords. But many times the traditional sword had to be cut down(the handle end to fit military specifications. The handle end of the steel is where the maker would mark the sword identifying its origin. If the steel under the handle bears the legible name of a maker(you would need an expert to check) then it could be very valuable. If this data has been cut off it is not identifiable and therefore not as valuable.

 

www.usmilitariaforum.com

 

Not to kill the excitement, but do yourself a favor now and start by assuming it's either a total fake or a decent replica. There's been so much popularity for these things in the last 20 years, and the guys who manufacture fakes and replicas have gotten really REALLY good at what they do. With that said....

The next step would be to go through as many low cost appraisals as possible. Do your research, get lots of feedback. Eventually you should be able to get an honest, realistic idea of what you have. As far as collectibles are concerned, the Japanese sword is a sticky, complicated mess. Lots of people get screwed in the transactions with these things, and you need to proceed with caution. But you should do what it takes to find out what you have. Good luck.

 

There was one on that Pawn Stars show on History.

They said that after WWII there was more Samurai swords in US then in Japan. If it was Japanese officer sword it was probably cut down (to regulation size) version of traditional sword. They lost most of the value by doing that. Only uncut, traditional swords worth good money.

 

get some steel wool and clean it with some metal polish... it will be worth more .

 

Why didn't you tell him to take a file to the edge to sharpen it.

 

everyone knows its better to use an stone and some oil to get the proper edge on it!

 

DO NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!!!!!

An ARFCOM member has one in the family. {His Granddad got it off a North Korean who apparently got it off a Japanese officer.} It was in the World War II military fitting, but the blade turned out to be from like the 1700s or earlier, and is worth $10,000+

The link is in my bookmarks on the laptop, unfortunately.

 

+87


Polishing/sharpening is done by EXPERTS and costs around $1,000 for a pro to do it for a reason.

 

With the tang having the Kanji on both sides it is either a true a collector's item old blade or a modern fake, IIRC. I do not believe the tangs were marked on the military WWII blades. IIRC

Seriously, if the OP has an ARFCOM account, there are actual experts on there. The thread about the good blade the guy had went like four or five pages.

 

PLEASE do not give such false information. The OP might not know you are joking.

 

I should probably get some pictures of the one I've got. My grandmother got it from a man who she dated, who got it off a Japenese officer. Would be interesting to find out the value.

 

Still no pics.

 

It's been eight hours. He might not have meant first thing this morning when he said he would try to get pics "Tomorrow."

 

I am actually a bit of a fanatic Nihonto collector myself.
I would most definately advise you to post your question and any possible pics of tang (nakago) length (nagasa) and any other information on "nihontomessageboard.com". If the mei (signature) is still visible the guys on this forum can let you know if it is a showato (sword made for war, mostly machine made and not from tamahagane, japanese iron)
Also if you see a small stamp on the upper side of the tang that is usually an indication that it is a sword made for the war.
Also the patina/rust on the tang can give you some indication with regards to age. If it is very dark rust and the yasurime (file markings) on the tang are no longer visible, it is most likely an older sword.

The chance that you have a true Nihonto (Japanese art sword) is small, but it most definately happens that true nihonto have WWII Koshirae (mountings)

Good luck, post your pics and questions on Nihontomessageboard.com and all will be fine....

J.W.