Upcoming estate auction

[Katsujinken]

A friend sent this to me for my point of view: https://jacksonsauction.com/catalogs/2021/SEP/

 

286 has an interesting shape, but I don't see any diamonds in the rough here.

[ChrisW]

Agreed, nothing that blows my mind.

[Stephen]

actually a little something for everyone.

 

Mantetsu, Starstamp Masashige, ect

 

https://jacksonsauction.com/catalogs/2021/SEP/search/

[Katsujinken]

26 minutes ago, Stephen said:

actually a little something for everyone.

 

Mantetsu, Starstamp Masashige, ect

 

https://jacksonsauction.com/catalogs/2021/SEP/search/

 

Yes, fair point, Stephen! But not the older stuff, I'm afraid.

[Stephen]

Yes one would really want a long labor of love for saving old soldiers.

[Kaigunto230]

I also saw 286 and thought the same thing! Glad my eyes are catching sugata others too thought were worth catching. 
 

I tossed some modest bids on a couple hoping the smaller auction house would fly under the radar (I’m from IA and was hoping I could sneak a win). I did lots of research and narrowed down my selection and placed my bids….But then I also learned they’d partnered with both LiveAuctioneer and Invaluable…. And I’d already been outbid before I’d even placed my own bids directly on the site 🤦‍♂️🙄
 

Did anyone else have a suspicious eyebrow raise on this one? Something about the tsuba, mei and kanji spacing, and horimono have me nervous for a potential buyer: https://jacksonsauction.com/catalogs/2021/SEP/detail/default.aspx?ID=286

[Bruce Pennington]

5 hours ago, Stephen said:

Mantetsu

Thanks for the tip, Stephen!  It's a new one that I didn't have in the database.

 

And that Masashige is one of those dang RS with an NCO tassel. 

[Jussi Ekholm]

I would think 286 might be signed Tsuguhiro - 次広 (old form of hiro kanji 廣) even though it says it is unsigned.

 

I think 292 would be my personal favorite but I won't be bidding anything.

[SteveM]

Yes, for sure its Tsuguhiro. And the tsuba is 長州住　正定 (Chōshū-jū Masasada), but the catalogue mistakenly speculates that it says Bushū-jū Masa-something).

 

These feel like amateur mistakes that shouldn't be happening at an auction house "with a reputation based on honesty, expertise, reliability, scholarship". 

[Kaigunto230]

@Jussi Ekholm Others had the same read: 

 

its currently at $600: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/111347277_vintage-Japanese-katana-sword

It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.

[Mark S.]

I initially thought 307 might be interesting simply due to the more unique style of blade but rest of that individual package is nothing to speak of.  Taking a chance would only be at a very low bid and appears to now be at $500.  Also noticed that the tip of kissaki is broken off(?) and the shape/sugata seems ‘off’???  So hard to tell from those pics and probably not worth the gamble.  
 

The lack of more detailed photos leads me in a certain direction.  If they were interested in selling, they would provide more and better info/pics… unless they REALLY want these gone and don’t want ‘details’ muddying up the sale

[Katsujinken]

It’s really a shame the owner wasn’t able to take better care of this stuff. 
 

I also noticed the mei on 286. Sadly this removes any possibility that it is an older koto treasure hiding in plain sight (imho). 
 

And yes, the auctioneer seems a bit lackadaisical. 

[Kaigunto230]

On 9/12/2021 at 8:53 PM, Bruce Pennington said:

And that Masashige is one of those dang RS with an NCO tassel. 

Noticed that too. But depending on how the bidding goes, not a bad deal for a late-war saya and star stamped gendaito and the buyer could recoup some of the money by selling the tassel.

 

Got overly excited by 300, but then I studied a bunch of oshigata side by side with the mei, and I think it’s gimei.

 

Regarding the auction house’s goofs, they do have over 600 lots and just 30ish swords in not wonderful shape, so priorities probably went elsewhere.