I find Japanese swords locally from time to time. But... none of the Japanese sword collectors ever tell me the truth about a sword.
It's always: "It's a common war time sword made of captured Chinese rail road steel" and "not worth much, maybe a few hundred dollars."
These are the same folks that don't place price tags on their items at shows!!
I give it to a friend to sell for me... and it's worth a $1000, and over 150 years old?
What's the big mystery with you guys??
JUST A COMMENT FROM A GUY WHO SERIOUSLY COLLECTED JAPANESE SWORDS FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS. I WAS SO SERIOUS I EVEN LIVED IN JAPAN FOR A WHILE TO BE ABLE TO STUDY THE BEST STUFF. I NEVER CLAIMED TO BE AN EXPERT BUT CONSIDERED MYSELF IN THE TOP TWENTY YANKS WITH KNOWLEDGE. LAST TIME OVER, I GUESSED SIX OUT OF SEVEN SWORD MAKERS CORRECTLY ON THE FIRST TRY WITH A BLIND JUDGEMENT OF THE SWORDS WITH THE SIGNATURE COVERED. THE OTHER I GOT THE RIGHT SCHOOL AND ERA BUT THE WRONG SMITH.
HERE IS THE PROBLEM. IN THE MANY YEARS I COLLECTED, I WOULD TRY AND BE HONEST WITH GUYS ON THEIR SWORDS AND ASK THEM TO BE HONEST WITH ME AND GIVE ME RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL TO BUY THE SWORD. WANT TO GUESS HOW MANY GUYS HONERED THAT PROMISE IN 30+ YEARS? ZERO, NADA, NO ONE. IT TAKES A GREAT AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT TO LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY APPRECIATE AND JUDGE JAPANESE SWORDS. THE PROBLEM IS, IF YOU HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE, IT INTIMIDATES PEOPLE. EXPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH A COMMODITY THAT NECESSITATES LEARNING HOW TO READ ARCHAIC KANJI. THE RESULTS OF HELPING WERE ALWAYS USED BY THE OWNER TO USE MY NAME TO SELL THE SWORD ELSEWHERE AND ATTEMPT TO UP THE PRICE.
MAYBE, YOU HAVE RUN IN TO SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF WHO IS TIRED OF TAKING THEIR MANY YEARS OF HARD STUDY TO BE USED FOR NO GAIN TO THEMSELVES. THEIR ARE LIKELY LESS THAN 50 AMERICANS WHO I WOULD CONSIDER KNOWLEDGABLE ON ANTIQUE JAPANESE SWORDS. WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF KNOWLEDGE, YOU CAN CUT THAT FIGURE IN HALF. A DEALER WHO USED TO GET A LOT OF JAPANESE SWORDS WOULD NEVER OFFER ONE TO ME IN THE FEAR I WOULD CHEAT HIM. I SAW HIM SELL MANY SWORDS TO AN OVERSEAS BUYER FOR FAR LESS THAN THEY WERE WORTH, ONE TIME, OUT OF FRUSTRATION, HE BROUGHT AN OLD SWORD TO ME TO READ THE SIGNATURE. HE WAS AMAZED I READ IT AS ONE OF HIS EXPERTS, WHO WAS NATIVE BORN JAPANESE, COULD NOT READ THE ARCHAIC, SELDOM USED KANJI CHARACTERS. I OFFERED TO BUY AND NEVER SAW THE PIECE AGAIN.
THERE ARE UNLIMITED NUMBERS OF BOZOS WHO LEARN A FEW TERMINOLOGY WORDS IN JAPANESE AND THEN TRY TO PRESENT THEMSELVES AS "EXPERTS" AT ALL THE LOCAL GUN SHOWS. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE RUN IN TO ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE TYPE PEOPLE I HAVE DESCRIBED. I RECENTLY HELPED A GUY ON ANOTHER FORUM WITH HONEST INFORMATION REGARDING SEVERAL DECENT SWORDS HE OWNS. I EVEN OFFERED TO HELP HIM HAVE THEM RESTORED IF HE WISHED TO KEEP THEM. PRESENTLY, HE IS RUNNING A THREAD ASKING FOR HELP IN FINDING A COMPETENT APPRAISER AND SOME ONE WHO COULD HANDLE RESTORATION AND SALE OF THE ITEMS. DOES THIS SOUND REPETITVE?
It's always: "It's a common war time sword made of captured Chinese rail road steel" and "not worth much, maybe a few hundred dollars."
These are the same folks that don't place price tags on their items at shows!!
I give it to a friend to sell for me... and it's worth a $1000, and over 150 years old?
What's the big mystery with you guys??
JUST A COMMENT FROM A GUY WHO SERIOUSLY COLLECTED JAPANESE SWORDS FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS. I WAS SO SERIOUS I EVEN LIVED IN JAPAN FOR A WHILE TO BE ABLE TO STUDY THE BEST STUFF. I NEVER CLAIMED TO BE AN EXPERT BUT CONSIDERED MYSELF IN THE TOP TWENTY YANKS WITH KNOWLEDGE. LAST TIME OVER, I GUESSED SIX OUT OF SEVEN SWORD MAKERS CORRECTLY ON THE FIRST TRY WITH A BLIND JUDGEMENT OF THE SWORDS WITH THE SIGNATURE COVERED. THE OTHER I GOT THE RIGHT SCHOOL AND ERA BUT THE WRONG SMITH.
HERE IS THE PROBLEM. IN THE MANY YEARS I COLLECTED, I WOULD TRY AND BE HONEST WITH GUYS ON THEIR SWORDS AND ASK THEM TO BE HONEST WITH ME AND GIVE ME RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL TO BUY THE SWORD. WANT TO GUESS HOW MANY GUYS HONERED THAT PROMISE IN 30+ YEARS? ZERO, NADA, NO ONE. IT TAKES A GREAT AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT TO LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY APPRECIATE AND JUDGE JAPANESE SWORDS. THE PROBLEM IS, IF YOU HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE, IT INTIMIDATES PEOPLE. EXPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH A COMMODITY THAT NECESSITATES LEARNING HOW TO READ ARCHAIC KANJI. THE RESULTS OF HELPING WERE ALWAYS USED BY THE OWNER TO USE MY NAME TO SELL THE SWORD ELSEWHERE AND ATTEMPT TO UP THE PRICE.
MAYBE, YOU HAVE RUN IN TO SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF WHO IS TIRED OF TAKING THEIR MANY YEARS OF HARD STUDY TO BE USED FOR NO GAIN TO THEMSELVES. THEIR ARE LIKELY LESS THAN 50 AMERICANS WHO I WOULD CONSIDER KNOWLEDGABLE ON ANTIQUE JAPANESE SWORDS. WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF KNOWLEDGE, YOU CAN CUT THAT FIGURE IN HALF. A DEALER WHO USED TO GET A LOT OF JAPANESE SWORDS WOULD NEVER OFFER ONE TO ME IN THE FEAR I WOULD CHEAT HIM. I SAW HIM SELL MANY SWORDS TO AN OVERSEAS BUYER FOR FAR LESS THAN THEY WERE WORTH, ONE TIME, OUT OF FRUSTRATION, HE BROUGHT AN OLD SWORD TO ME TO READ THE SIGNATURE. HE WAS AMAZED I READ IT AS ONE OF HIS EXPERTS, WHO WAS NATIVE BORN JAPANESE, COULD NOT READ THE ARCHAIC, SELDOM USED KANJI CHARACTERS. I OFFERED TO BUY AND NEVER SAW THE PIECE AGAIN.
THERE ARE UNLIMITED NUMBERS OF BOZOS WHO LEARN A FEW TERMINOLOGY WORDS IN JAPANESE AND THEN TRY TO PRESENT THEMSELVES AS "EXPERTS" AT ALL THE LOCAL GUN SHOWS. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE RUN IN TO ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE TYPE PEOPLE I HAVE DESCRIBED. I RECENTLY HELPED A GUY ON ANOTHER FORUM WITH HONEST INFORMATION REGARDING SEVERAL DECENT SWORDS HE OWNS. I EVEN OFFERED TO HELP HIM HAVE THEM RESTORED IF HE WISHED TO KEEP THEM. PRESENTLY, HE IS RUNNING A THREAD ASKING FOR HELP IN FINDING A COMPETENT APPRAISER AND SOME ONE WHO COULD HANDLE RESTORATION AND SALE OF THE ITEMS. DOES THIS SOUND REPETITVE?
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