First time buyer! Help needed.

[Antandshar]

Hi everyone! I'm a first time sword buyer and was hoping to get your opinions on one i am currently looking at. I'm hoping it may be an Edo blade perhaps? The doesn't appear to be any Armoury stamps.

[Geraint]

Dear Anthony.

 

Welcome to NMB.  You are right, this is not a Shingunto but a civil mounted sword that has had a combat cover added to its existing saya.  Forgive me if I state the obvious but the sword is out of polish which means that you will have a hard time seeing much in the blade.  Whatever you do, do not attempt to polish this yourself as that will destroy any value the sword might have.  Getting this one polished is an expensive and problematic process and may reveal flaws in the blade that could really spoil your day.  The nakago/tang looks to have been shortened, something that is quite common but always done at the nakago so that the hardened edge in the kissaki/tip is retained.  The auction house photographs really do not show enough to be sure that the blade does not have any fatal damage such as hagire/cracks. I quite understand the urge just to own one and if this is cheap enough then why not?  However I think most of us would advise a little caution and perhaps get to know a bit more before you jump in.

 

Feel free to ask any questions and whatever you decide,

 

All the best.

[Antandshar]

Hi Geraint,

                    Thanks for your kind welcome and the information. I appreciate your advice on not rushing to buy a sword. I had read that you shouldn't polish a blade yourself, which is quite understandable, especially after watching videos of real polishers in action with sharpening stones. From the auction statement that was provided to them by the vendor, it was surrendered by an officer, so i'm hoping it was in good condition. They state its been in the same family since then so hopefully the blade will not have been used to chop wood! I'm not too bothered by the fact that the blade is out of polish as it's more of the history of the sword than having it looking like new. It's also at around £420 at the moment and my max is £600. I'm not sure if that's a good deal, but the sword in general looks in reasonably good condition from what i can see of it. I#ll contact the auctioneer and see if they can send some close ups of the blade.

                    Many thanks again for your kind words and advise. I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully if everything's ok, i'll post some pictures if i'm lucky with the auction.

[John C]

15 hours ago, Antandshar said:

my max is £600.

Anthony:

Personally, I think you could do better for 600 pounds. If it's history you are interested in, would that be Japanese history, samurai history, ww2 history? I think once you settle on that answer, it will guide you to a nicer, or more meaningful, blade in your price range. This one is a bit of a mash up between civil and military. Many of us have started out with a less-than-desireable sword, only to do more research and then wish we had spent that money on something better. I only mention this because this hobby is expensive and kind of like a Moray eel - once it bites into you, it doesn't let go.

 

John C.