Is this sword worth getting professionally appraised?

[3ggorofls]

My wife received this from her uncle and we know it's old and the blade is in pretty good shape. Relevant reddit post attached with more information.

If it is worth getting appraised (just for insurance purposes) how do you go about it in the US south carolina.

 

[John C]

Michael:

To start your answer, you should post a picture of the signature in the "translation" section. You can get more info with the smith name, overall condition of the blade, and relative rareity. 

 

John C.

[vajo]

Before starting. There are a lots of fingerprints on the blade. Remove them with isopropanol. And oil the blade. Not the nakago!(Tang). 

Your sword will rust in hours with that fingerprints. Its not stainless - its carbon steel.

Rust and scratches will reduce its value.

 

Edited Monday at 08:36 PM by vajo

[Tcat]

Hi Michael,

 

Your sword is signed 平安城藤原國次 - Heianjo Fujiwara Kunitsugu. He was a smith who worked in Echizen province during the 1600s Shinto era of swordmaking, and there were several generations of the smith.

 

There is some repairable damage to the blade and fittings. The fittings are corroding and the metalwork of the fuchi, kashira, tsuba and seppa require stablization and repatination. The scabbard seems to be lacking some of its hardware and the lacquerwork is damaged, these would need to be repaired in order to preserve the condition of the blade and prevent further deterioration.

 

It can be difficult to give a definitive valuation when work needs doing. Realistically, your best bet is to look at action results, such as ebay, and compare the hammer price for blades of a similar type, age and condition. Alternatively, ask yourself what it would cost to replace according to what you see offered on the market. Replacement value and sale value are often not the same thing in the world of art and collecting.

[2devnul]

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53181-echizen-fujiwara-kunitsugu-dated-1632-with-nbthk/#comment-567197

 

Echizen Fujiwara Kunitsugu, dated 1632, with NBTHK Hozon and prefect polish for 3300$ USD. 

 

In that forum thread you will also find links to SOLD swords from this smith (prices around 4k USD). 

 

PS. Proper Koshirae restoration with purchase of decent fittings/Tsuba is a cost around 2k USD. Of course price can go higher, depending on fittings/Tsuba etc...