Can anybody identify this unknown knife?

[Not2Sharp]

My nephew is a patron of this board and suggested that I use it to get an educated guess for both the identity and value of an inherited knife.

 

He said that the most important thing would be any markings on the tang. I can't find any, but maybe your eyes are better than mine.

 

Anybody care to give it a stab?

 

N2B

[Brian]

Hi (don't forget to sign all posts with a real first name)

This is a late Meiji period "tourist" type export piece. They were made to appeal to the West. The blade isn't traditionally made, and is more mass produced for that market. Can be ivory or bone..I suspect yours is the latter. Sometimes, if the carving and scrimshawing is really mindblowing, you can expect a better quality of blade, but in this case it is the former.

Missing the front end..it would only have value as a trinket. Maybe $60-100 if lucky.

 

Regards,

Brian

[Marius]

I think Brian is being quite generous in his assessment of the value. It is almost worthless, a trinket, as already stated. Sorry.

 

Just for fun, please read this short article. You won't fid your "knife" there, but it might be a good reading (at least you will see a real nakago and some nakago similar to that of your item):

 

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html