drbvac

Good eye to realize the potential as other Nihonto restored and saved from oblivion = some lucky collector and all who love these objects are better for your efforts. Makes us all more liable to take a chance on a rusty blade.

Must be longer than 10 - I joined in 2007 and thought it had been here for eons = anyway -= get your dollar ready Stephen !

I tried to open the link and spent the next 1/2 hr trying to get rid of the ADWARE and other s**t that the link put on my computer - be careful opening the downloads and if anyone finds a site where there are a direct link to the TV station or show let me know : http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sarah-beenys-four-rooms/on-demand/62809-004 that may be better NOPE + cant get it to play !!@@

The blade is certainly worth some study but I have to say the mounts are a little odd for the blade itself or maybe I am looking at them with the wrong attitude. They almost look cast but I know less than nothing about these things - just thought they really didn't go with a blade like this one ?????????

Enough have said no good = no need of me to repeat it !

Good idea Barry: Thanks to Brian and all the moderators and I don't want to start naming them because sure as hell will miss someone. There have been some great posts and topics and characters on the board - tremendous knowledge shared willingly - famous and I mean famous authors on Nihonto and world reknowned experts. Quite amazing - Doc LIss, CLive SInclaire, Markos , unbelievable and then you can also contact them off the board and they continue to help. It should almost cost an annual membership to access !! BRIAN _ remind us again how to donate to the address with PayPal please

I have one of the electric heater rods in the bottom of my storage / display case and the humidity is never above 50% and it seems to be fine - too dry and you will have problems with the saya as they get too dry they can twist and warp or crack. I found for the cost they work very well. Why the stupid pic is sideways is beyond my computer skills

When considering provenance and rarity as mentioned in an earlier post - the indication that3 were available and 2 sold is not a good thing

Unless it is VERY special, original, one of a kind and attractive to a huge audience of collectors - any art item people keep will not usually increase in price much beyond inflation and for normal ( not ungodly rich) very subject to the economy in general. Over 45 years of buying and selling, unless from someone who has NO Idea what they have most purchases cost double whatI could sell them for the next day. If a speedy sale was needed - worse. I held on to a blade for 30 years and got what I paid for it when sold. People who are into collectibles to make a LOT of money are usually very high end and/or interested in many different types. Cars to blades to coins - rarity and condition

Getting around the site is important but as you say it is what is on it that is the real treasure and as always - must congratulate you on both. Your ability to pick up some very interesting pieces when everyone says all that comes out of Japan is stuff they can't sell is amazing. Your keeping to offering only papered blades also goes a long way to making the newbies more comfortable and your pictures leave nothing to wonder about. What you see is what you get - well done my friend.

Nice blade - The Iehera hamons are quite spectacular indeed. This is mine and I am quite fond of it as well

If you don't want to take on the responsibility of keeping it in the shape it is then you should really sell it to someone who will and keep it for future generations. In terms of value I won't even go there but I would place a bet that you paid a lot less than it may bring in a sale. You could always pick a number that is a fantastic return on your investment as long as it doesnt get into a ridiculous are live 5 figures and list it on this forum under for sale with a price. I suppose you could do the same on e-bay but it can be a dogs breakfast for buying and selling. In any event you really did luck into it if the person selling it couldnt tell you ANYTHING about it. Any more where that came from??

Not even close to an acceptable fake that could "possibly" trick people who know a little bit about Japanese Swords. It is almost laughable except for the fact that some poor soul that doesn't know nihonto from rice cakes may actually pay something for this bad. For some more knowledgeable folks it actually makes a lot of the other products they DO NOT know about, questionable as well. and the entire site is off the radar for me to even look for anything = ruins the sites credibilty. Too bad the sponsors and owners of the site do not care if they are party to this type of fraud on its customers.

The breadth of knowledge in the forum again is amazing and just in a conversation members will impart more information than one could research in hours because there - it is not in context - worth the price of admission in and of itself - Thanks Darcy, Arnold and others.

Even without being really adept at figuring age of blades from the shape or picking particular hamon patterns - I do know what I like the appearance and feel of a sword and appreciate the art of the mounts. I can tell if it is nihonto or not so that is a biggy but then = if it is what I appreciate and like the look of = then the mei is either a bonus or something that isnt missed.

Good for you - and as I always say = we don't own them - we simply pay to rent them during our lifetime and then pass them on. The main thing is to preserve them and/or restore them being a very high calling indeed. From my experience - show the wife the postage cost and tell her thats what it cost

That is a tougher question and it would in all liklihood cost more to have it properly polished than it would be worth when all done. It would probably look fine but I would not be in a rush nor expect almost any sword purchased to be worth much more than it cost in the first place. Great hobby but special "finds" are getting harder to come across all the time = all more reason to have a pretty good idea what you should look for.

I would second that opinion and if you get positive remarks from Chicago it is likely VERY much worth your time and money to send it to Mishina SSan = all will top notch and he could probably arrange a shinsa while there if he thought it worthy. I may have missed but where exactly did you come across this blade and obviously the seller who could not remove the tsuka had no idea what he may have has so no doubt you were very please with the price = jealous I am

The blade looks like you made yourself quite a buy = will you let us know when it arrives from Japan .??

You really should not have to move the same to get at the mekugi just push the wrapping aside but if the rayskin has dried out or been pushed and distorted it would have to be replaced in any case. The horimono that goes up underneath the habaki would make me also think that the blade had been shortened so even if you remove the tsuka there may not be any signature. Still an interesting find and personally would not be too concerned about preserving the tsuka. The little wooden pegs are not cemented in so a light tap from the right side will pop it right out and then you can tap the tsuka off = guess I am just excited to have you remove it

Nick Ricupero sells on E-bay and also on his own site Nihonto art. Part of the reason is the audience that e-bay will attract for the reputable dealers since even a Google Search may not show up the site and especially for Canadians the number of collectors would be about the same - no they would be fewer than in New York City. 99% of the blades, mounts etc that Nick sells are also papered which does give you some more faith in what they sell. All other comments are certainly accurate and buyers beware as with any collectible purchase from swords to ships. It is much better as well to search for Nihonto with lots of details, antique, before a certain date, Papered, etc and then apply all the same criteria for any seller - satisfied buyers etc. We all get burnt one time or another but as long as you don't lose your shirt but I would be leary paying much more than a couple thousand on E-bay

Well - obviously if of equal quality or close in terms of condition - myself - I would always choose a Koto blade and a Katana and the papers would be secondary unless there is something to make you worry about the description offered by the dealer. Older Katana's are always a little harder to find and all else equal are usually worth more than a wak.

Just home from holidays and received my " Tsuba" only one unmounted I have and it looks great - thanks - also sent the book to my friend in the Philippines - may take a while to get there

You can always throw it down a set of concrete steps in the rain and leave it sitting outside for a week = that will make it look beat up pretty quickly ;)

The point Jean is making is that the pictures are of a real sword but you can almost bet the one you receive after paying will not be the same one. He probably stole the pics from another site