Show Us Your Best ..........

[kissakai]

Hi

I have seen a couple of posts 'Show us your best ........

Looking at a post about an eBay purchase a couple of days ago I wondered if members were willing to:

Show us your best Nihonto eBay purchase?

 

Years ago there were good bargains to be purchased on eBay but now you have to be so careful

Bearing this in mind would you only show items bought in the last five years

 

I'll start with these two tsuba

I've added as much info as I know including the price

Other members may not wish to display the price so it need not be shown

None of us are looking for favourable comments it's just that I like to see good Nihonto items

 

Fist shape: bougnt in 2015 by Kunisaku (Aizu in Iwasiro) ref: H03648 from Hintendo. Cost £282/$350

Karigane: bought in 2013 school is Umetada or Owari, dated around 1750 also from Hintendo. Cost £82/$105

 

 

 

 

As an aside by friend was very excited about buying a katana on eBay as he was into martial arts

I asked to see it when it arrived but he kept putting me off - strange

One night after a few beers he embarrassing told me it was a small letter opener - he hadn't noticed the size!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Grev UK

Edited December 9, 2016 by kissakai

[Curran]

Ebay has changed a lot over the years.

Frankly, I consider it a good place to buy and a lousy place to sell. But you must dig through tons of garbage to find the good buys. I rarely have time.

 

Since 2014, I haven't looked often. Too many Chinese fakes and coffee coaster grade tsuba.

But I have had at least two ebay finds drop into my lap.

Both came from USA antique shops and sold to me at about 25% of the Japanese dealer selling prices. I was the only bidder on both.

[kissakai]

Any chance of seeing these items?

[Curran]

Grev,

 

Sorry- No.

Both are mumei and required some knowledge, though I was surprised to be the only bidder. Neither is for sale, nor will they probably be for years- but I learned my lesson years ago from a wealthy collector.

That experience has made me not willing to discuss price on an item, unless I intend to sell it. Even then, nothing is gained by sharing whether I overpaid or underpaid for it. My loss or gain is my business, and I've certainly had both.

 

--Once Yahoo!Japan was a good place for bargains, but it has gotten overrun with shills (apparently not policed very well, to the point of being borderline legal) and other weird manipulations of prices. Even with our $USD very strong now, I've largely given up on it. I bookmark things there for practice and study, but I've bought little to nothing from there this year. After currency and intermediary costs, many of the items end up being more expensive than negotiating with a dealer or buying from here in the USA.

 

I figured I'd step up, in that Yes there are some good buys on eBay. Largely due to time constraints and how difficult it is to filter out all the Chinese and other junk- I rarely check it, but I had to greatly struggle not to pick up a very good Owari the other month. It isn't the place to find an undiscovered Juyo tsuba, but I have had ones get TH papers after buying them from eBay. I currently don't have an agent in Japan, so haven't bothered papering anything the past year or so. And NBTHK moving next year, so probably not going to paper anything then either.

[kissakai]

Hi Curran

I thought it may be a problem post so I understand your comments. 

If we manage against all the odds to bag a bargain then that is only down to experience that someone may have to pay for

With my two I was OK to add the price as they will never be sold, well only over my dead body - the kids inheritance

I was keen to show that it was possible to buy the odd good item from eBay if you are careful

[ggil]

All my items but the yari, and a nice copper tsuba Mr. T. Bernanrd sold me are from eBay. Most have been good deals but I've spent some serious time searching and 'watching'. The best deals are from US antiques resellers that don't specialize in nihonto as mentioned earlier. I have a really decent dragon (the fuchi has one dragon in gold and one in shakudo, with clouds) F/K set that I paid $55 for a couple years ago that I'll post this evening. They were covered in verdigris when they arrived. Also a decent koshirae that I paid $400 for from a well known Japanese eBay seller that often has much junk. the mino Tsuka and the saya pine needle lacquer inlay are quite nice. I'll post pics of This Stuff, This evening after work. eBay is the place for me but the better my collection gets the less I want to buy on eBay. It just takes too much time to find the OK items. Also I have certain examples now so less things there to get me exited about. Plus I'm just ignoring all the medium grade (low end for many here) stuff and bottom feeding. If you guys wanna see my best deal check out the 7 lucky gods tsuba I found for $1000 (started a topic here that lead to its glorious restoration).

[drbvac]

I picked up this Higo Donatuki Naginata many years ago on E-bay from a well known seller who may not even be there. It was not papered nor is it now

but I am good with the mei and the cost was much less than it is worth now.

 

Happy with it indeed

 

[obiwanknabbe]

My Best ebay pickup by far. Got it from a mom and pop antique shop who happened to sell on line.

 

Late edo/turn of the last century (i think)

Shakudo/darkcopper (not sure) Nicely carved with gold inlay.

Cormorant fishing depicted on the obverse

The poem in gold on the reverse sold me immediately.

 

Not sure if it was a deal or not (because I dont know what its worth), but I sure like it and it happens to be one of the nicer Tsuba I have.

 

Kurt K

[Dave R]

My best Ebay win. A Yari for the price of a KFC family bucket. It was a one of, from a guy who thought it was a machine made trade item for the African market.

[kissakai]

Some very nice examples

It does go to show it is possible to bag a bargin from eBay

The cauctionary side is (bearing in mind how many NMB members there are) these 'bargains' are few and far between

I like many others have sought advice prior to buying from eBay etc and this has saved many members from an embarrassing buy

Swords are usually expensive so always it's worth asking before buying but even before this check the NMB for sale section especially the additional comments

I thought about adding a new post 'my worse eBay purchase' but it may overload the NMB message board!

[rkg]

My best ebay find ever - a nerikawa tsuba dating to the mid-muromachi period (at the latest):

 

 

Its been around the block a few times, but they're pretty rare (seller thought it was late edo I think), so... 

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

[Dave R]

 

.....I thought about adding a new post 'my worse eBay purchase' but it may overload the NMB message board!

 I have a couple of those as well!

[kissakai]

Jealous as I don't have a nerikawa example

I do have a nice lacquer tsuba but that was from the NMB

[dominnimod]

Something i got yesterday. An Edo-Meiji Mumei special work tsuba,Copper with silver alloy? (Toso-kinko schools). Dragon on clouds theme with some inscriptions on the back. Masterpiece quality engraving, too bad is missing the patina, but i will most likely pay to get it restored keeping in mind i got it for 30 bucks   The pictures on the listing are down so sadly i can only show you the front. Can't wait to see it in hand!

[dominnimod]

Also, another good find (similar to what happened to Dave). I found this kaiken being sold as an eastern knife some days ago. Bought for 120$. Unusual koshirae where the habaki function has been replaced by the koiguchi, and the space where the habaki should have been was used to store something(which is missing). The best part, i don't know yet if it's signed, god i need to remove that tsuka 

[Tanto54]

Dear Jose,

 

Hope I'm wrong, but your tsuba looks cast from the picture - let us know how it turns out when you receive it....

[dominnimod]

Hi George

When the listing was up, there were close up photos available, i saw the strokes, the lines, and seriously, cast pieces doesn't have that definition. Maybe it got so little bids because the pictures went down. I would like to show the tsuba now, unfortunately it will take a couple weeks .What makes you suspect is cast?, and also thanks for your concern 

[Tanto54]

Dear Jose,

 

Using vulcanized molds and vacuum casting methods, even a home casting enthusiast can get incredible definition (lines, strokes, etc.).  However, what is often lacking is the cleanup work to remove other signs of casting (flash, mold seams, bubbles, porosity, patina, etc.).  While the picture of your tsuba is very unclear (so I hope I'm wrong), it appears to have many of the signs of casting to me.  For example, usually the ocean spray ("dots") would be separately inlayed on a tsuba like this; however here, they do not appear to be inlayed and are "smoothed over" in appearance (like cast and then polished).  In addition, the "spray" dots at the top of the rocks really shouldn't be there and look more like casting bubbles to me.  On castings, these air bubbles are often found in deep crevices like the top of your rocks where air bubbles get trapped in the casting process (and I believe that I can see these casting bubbles in the clouds and around your dragon too).  In a few places, the high parts of the waves are missing (this could be damage from being used, but it appears more like casting flaws to me).  The surface also looks like a poorly cleaned-up casting (but this could also be a damaged patina).  Finally, the tegane punch marks appear too smooth (indicating cast and then polished instead of being punched into this tsuba).

[dirk marshall]

Ebay $350 for both.

[Chango]

This is posted elsewhere on the forum but I bought an interesting Muromachi era katate-uchi on Ebay last year in the sub $1k price range. It's not in the best shape but is a good candidate for restoration and has a more than passing resemblance to Magoroku's work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still waiting for my Masmune to show up for sale for 500 bucks though...

 

[Jimmy R]

Silver koshirae from a wakizashi. Bought from Danny Massey. Every piece has amazing carving all over it. One of my best.

[Surfson]

Picked up two nice Shinto blades on eBay, a Sukehiro and a Kanesada.  Sent both to Mishina San.  

[Surfson]

Another from eBay.  Before and after photos, though the after doesn't do it justice......

 

[seattle1]

Hello:

 Your two tsuba are nice Dirk, particularly the one with the sukashi crests for if I see correctly the devices are integral with the surrounding rings. Many of these are just slipped in a ring a as corner cutting production device.

 Arnold F.