how to tell old nakago vs poor maintenance

[JeanEB]

Hey everyone, when looking at a nakago that's in rough condition/advanced patina, how can you tell if that's due to venerable age vs just poor upkeep in damp conditions? attached is an example of a situation like that

 

https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1205420688?allow=1

[SteveM]

The link is sending me to a login screen for Jauce. Possible to post a picture of screen grab of the item?

[JeanEB]

[JeanEB]

[SteveM]

It's hard to say anything other than "looks unusual". I mean, those chunks missing from the tang don't look anything like poor maintenance OR typical aging. Normally, even a tang that has been greatly shortened looks cleaner than that. But, I don't know how significant it is for this particular blade. Anything beyond that and we get stuck in the weeds without knowing more about the blade. 

[Lareon]

do you have pictures of the blade itself?  looks like there is no machi

[JeanEB]

only limited pictures were made available as part of the listing, which doesn't help in formulating an opinion. it does seem like there's a mune machi though