Please take care with these 2...

[Brian]

All,

 

Call me scheptical, but when browsing ebay today, I came across these 2:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-Samurai-Sw ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-ANTIQUES-S ... dZViewItem

 

Something about the auctions is ringing alarm bells for me, maybe you develop a 6th sense when you have been on eBay long enough. None of the usual indicators...the sellers will take other payments besides Western Union, and are in the USA supposedly. Language is decent English, and they seem to know the terminology.

 

However the random eBay names made me suspicious, and looking at the feedbacks shows that they registered many years ago, with no recent activity for the past few years. Always a possible stolen ebay account.

Sellers who know Nihonto will seldom list items like this with no reserve.

 

Do I did some digging. A Google search for the Nobufusa pulled up this page:

http://www.antiquesartfloorsandswords.com/sword2.htm

Same registration certificate number! Same dimensions. I somehow doubt a sword selling for $7500 would end up on ebay for a no reserve price? The seller knows swords too...he manipulated the pics a bit, and added kanji on the photo. He also scanned the book write-up on Nobufusa, so he must have the book and know Nihonto.

Hmm..... please be cautious. eBay doesn't even let us warn the buyers anymore, so someone is maybe going to be conned.

 

As for the Yoshifusa, google turns up a listing for one written the same unique way (TAN-BA-no-KAMI-FUJI-WARA-no-YOSHI-FUSA) here:

http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=en&q= ... arch&meta=

But it is no longer on that page, probably having been sold. But with that way of writing, I am also suspicious about it. No proof on this one, but I am posting it anyways as a caution. I am sure I have seen that style of pics and commentary somewhere before. Hmmm.

 

Again, not conclusive proof of anything, but be careful. As we point out, eBay is a minefield, and not every danger comes from fakes or the usual China auctions.

 

Brian

[Don]

..and both sellers are from Spokane, WA.

Hmmmmm.....

[Joseph P.]

That is so weird Brian, I had those items on watch so I could observe them. They looked very suspicious to me too! :?