Faked Nbthk Papers A Problem?

[Chango]

Look what's on Ebay today:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NBTHK-TOKUBETSU-KICHO-Certificate-GASSAN-SADAYOSHI-paper-only-for-study-/272380034208?hash=item3f6b1d7ca0:g:FIAAAOSwmfhX3VpX

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NBTHK-KICHO-TOKEN-Certificate-OSAFUNE-KIYOMITSU-paper-only-for-study-/401190351444?hash=item5d68cef254:g:P90AAOSwmfhX3VtZ

 

For sale, NTBHK papers only, "for study"

 

It seems like it would be very easy to scam someone with authentic looking papers... especially if buyers didn't read Japanese and the fact that there's no way to verify origami outside of Japan. You wouldn't even need to luck into a similar sword; just scan them, do a little bit of photoshopping, get some similar paper and you could make the origami to any sword you want.

 

Is this a problem for collectors? This makes Ebay seem like a very scary place to buy "papered" Nihonto...

[paulb]

Ebay is a very scary place to buy swords papered or otherwise. This site is littered with mails from hopeful newcomers who think they have bought a national treasure for peanuts.

To buy on Ebay you need:

a. To be very comfortable with your level of knowledge (I'm not)

b.  have money you are prepared to risk losing because you stand a greater chance of being screwed than you do of finding a bargain.

With so many people selling here and links to very many reputable dealers there are far better places to buy than Ebay

Also the idea of selling papers for "study purposes" seems wierd. What can you learn from a paper without the sword being there. the information is extremely limited and basic unless you get to Juyo level.

[Jean]

Listen to my friend Paul, I could not have expressed it better.

[Curran]

Almost all these are old green papers.

Moreover,

    this one is for a tsuba I once owned: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NBTHK-TOKUBETSU-KICHO-Certificate-NISHIGAKI-sccool-paper-only-for-study-/272380023192?hash=item3f6b1d5198:g:ywwAAOSw8gVX3Vfp

I don't know who is the current owner, having sent it to Europe many years ago.

 

I wondered about fake papers long ago when I first started collecting, but I do not recall it having been a problem in all my years collecting. Falsely signed modern works purporting to be the work of famous modern smiths have been more of a problem.

[Darcy]

The problem as always is greed.

 

People want nice things but don't want to pay for them.

 

So someone uses greed judo against them. Old saying is that you can't cheat an honest man. Present him gold coins at $50 each and he knows it's not a fair price and won't buy. Present them to a thief and he will take them thinking he's cheating you out of treasure.

 

So goes eBay.

 

Judo all the way.