I will soon come into possession of a Katana style Samurai Sword and need to know the value. The date of manufacture is between 1875 and 1890 It is hand made Damascus with a mother of Perl handle but has a copper sheath it is in excellent condition but has 3 names carved into the blade the value will determine weather I sell it or keep it.
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Katana Samurai Sword Value
- Thread starter gtmerkley
- Start date
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E5RANGER375
Shooter
provenance will affect value too. was it a war trophy? do you have documentation of the bringback, perios letters, photos, etc. how was it attained? in a store or off the battle field (big difference to a military collector). who are the makers? (if you can even identify them) whats the quality of the piece?
I AM NO EXPERT ON THOSE SWORDS, but i have a German Luger that is a G.I. bringback and when i was searching for one to buy, all those are questions that experts told me to ask and have proof of. no matter how great the story is ... its worthless to a collector or potential buyer without documentation. OF COARSE the sword will have its own value and it being that old could be a lot, or maybe not??? but the story to this you will find will add a lot of value to it, if you can document it. even (if its being inherited) and the people who aquired it are still alive, get their story of how it cam to their possetion NOTARIZED!!!! first person, not second hand as passed down. first person, with documentation (a bring back letter, or original shipping package, etc) is what is gonna bring in the $$$$
Good luck. and if you can share any details with us, or pictures, im sure it would be awesome and appreciated by all of us on INGO!!!!
I myself am a history nut!!!
I AM NO EXPERT ON THOSE SWORDS, but i have a German Luger that is a G.I. bringback and when i was searching for one to buy, all those are questions that experts told me to ask and have proof of. no matter how great the story is ... its worthless to a collector or potential buyer without documentation. OF COARSE the sword will have its own value and it being that old could be a lot, or maybe not??? but the story to this you will find will add a lot of value to it, if you can document it. even (if its being inherited) and the people who aquired it are still alive, get their story of how it cam to their possetion NOTARIZED!!!! first person, not second hand as passed down. first person, with documentation (a bring back letter, or original shipping package, etc) is what is gonna bring in the $$$$
Good luck. and if you can share any details with us, or pictures, im sure it would be awesome and appreciated by all of us on INGO!!!!
I myself am a history nut!!!
Kirk Freeman
Grandmaster
Always get it appraised by someone who knows this stuff!
I've had two divorces where "authentic katanas" were an issue. One turned out to be a knock-off complete with forged aging, the other was a manta-ray wrapped real deal with a value that caused my client to spit coffee across the room.
Whether you keep it or not . . . that's always your call.
I've had two divorces where "authentic katanas" were an issue. One turned out to be a knock-off complete with forged aging, the other was a manta-ray wrapped real deal with a value that caused my client to spit coffee across the room.
Whether you keep it or not . . . that's always your call.
It was a world war 2 bring back but there is no evidence of this. I did some work for a elderly woman that said her late husband got it wail playing poker. They never had kids. She will bring it over when she comes back in about three weeks I will post pitchers if everything goes smoothly. I have known her since I was about 5 and take her at her word but i have only had it described to me as I described it to you. I have yet to see it with my own eyes. She said he had it for the past 50 years so it is at least that old even if it is a fake.
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your help!
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Dude get that checked out seriously.Katanas that have the actual makers on them are highly sought after,that will authenticate it .Swordsmiths are very well regulated in japan & there is a record of every swordsmith & family .If it isnt a knockoff (which someone would go to a lot of trouble for that detail ) You could have a substantial find.please post up some pics ,swords were a passion of mine for awhile & the old katanas were hard to come by ,A lot of military swords were collectables until the japanese military well militarized them by shortening the handles & in doing so cut off part of or all of the makers name.
Bushido Devil Dog
Expert
I'd be leary of any opinion I was given at a gun show regarding its value. Any sensible businessman interested in buying the sword (if it is an authentic sword and is in decent condition) is likely going to quote you less than its real value.
I live in Japan and train in Iaido and bought my own real-deal Samurai steel last year. I have contacts and friends that can give you a ballpark figure regarding its value. Even 100% authentic swords are a major headache to get registered, so the logistics of getting a blade into Japan take away any incentive for anyone I know here to not give you an honest assesment. Of course a full apprasial needs to be done hands-on, but we can at least get you within grenade range of the blade's value.
Post some *high quality* pics of the blade and fittings, and especially the nakago. --> The nakago is the tang, AKA the part of the sword that fits into the handle (tsuka). However, unless you are absolutely sure you know how to remove the tsuka or know someone who does know how, it is best to not attempt to remove it. High quality pics of any and all markings on the blade, any damage, and the sword's fittings will result in a more accurate assessment of its value when I show them to my peeps here, so try to take them with a DSLR camera if you can.
Your description of the fittings leads me to believe that it is a Gunto (military sword). The "three different names" may in fact be one name, the maker's family name, followed by his given name (most family names use 2 Kanji). Or it could be the maker's name on one side on the nakago, and the year and date it was made on the other, which is a common practice. The "mother of pearl" handle makes it sound like it may have been an officer's sword, but without pics this is all
, so I look forward to seeing them. Please PM me if you have other questions in the meantime... 
I live in Japan and train in Iaido and bought my own real-deal Samurai steel last year. I have contacts and friends that can give you a ballpark figure regarding its value. Even 100% authentic swords are a major headache to get registered, so the logistics of getting a blade into Japan take away any incentive for anyone I know here to not give you an honest assesment. Of course a full apprasial needs to be done hands-on, but we can at least get you within grenade range of the blade's value.
Post some *high quality* pics of the blade and fittings, and especially the nakago. --> The nakago is the tang, AKA the part of the sword that fits into the handle (tsuka). However, unless you are absolutely sure you know how to remove the tsuka or know someone who does know how, it is best to not attempt to remove it. High quality pics of any and all markings on the blade, any damage, and the sword's fittings will result in a more accurate assessment of its value when I show them to my peeps here, so try to take them with a DSLR camera if you can.
Your description of the fittings leads me to believe that it is a Gunto (military sword). The "three different names" may in fact be one name, the maker's family name, followed by his given name (most family names use 2 Kanji). Or it could be the maker's name on one side on the nakago, and the year and date it was made on the other, which is a common practice. The "mother of pearl" handle makes it sound like it may have been an officer's sword, but without pics this is all
, so I look forward to seeing them. Please PM me if you have other questions in the meantime...
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E5RANGER375
Shooter
I'd love to see pictures as well. You mentioned Damascus, which isn't a technique that Japanese smiths employed (so far as I know). They did use a technique called mokume that sort of resembles Damascus, but it would have only been used on the habaki or maybe the tsuba. Get an expert opinion, not something from one of us clowns!
I got my prize today, unfortunately it was not a katana Samurai Sword. After speaking with her I found that she had something far more valuable to me. Her husband and I were distant relatives he's Grandfather was my Great grandfather. He came over from Switzerland and brought with him a Stainer fiddle and I now own that fiddle.
Althow I will not be selling this fiddle anytime some in 1989 it was appraised at $850 for insurance. May be some time in the future I will be able to buy that katana of her. It may sound like I made a dumb move but a chance like this only comes along once in a lifetime. I do have some pictures if anyone wants to see them.
Althow I will not be selling this fiddle anytime some in 1989 it was appraised at $850 for insurance. May be some time in the future I will be able to buy that katana of her. It may sound like I made a dumb move but a chance like this only comes along once in a lifetime. I do have some pictures if anyone wants to see them.
grunt soldier
Master
not a dumb choice at all sir, if that means more to you than the sword i say you made a good choice. enjoy the fiddle
It's NOT for sale...
Bushido Devil Dog
Expert
Bushido Devil Dog
Expert
Nice pics mammynun!
Looks like you Dad snagged a standard-issue Gunto (military sword). Judging by the nakago and the fittings, it is an Officer's model, probably no more that 70-80 years old, and may be one of the thousands of hastily made blades produced before/during the war, either a Type 94 or 98. Due to the time and expense involved, some of these blades were made out of non-traditional steel, including iron from India, and even leaf spring steel. The color of the rust leads me to believe that this may be the case for this blade; the rust of traditional steel (tamahagane) is darker/not as red (and actually turns black as the sword ages) as the rust in these pics.
Regardless of where/how the sword was made, it is cool that you have a piece of history like this. I'd love to see more pics of the blade/hamon even if it is not pristine...
Looks like you Dad snagged a standard-issue Gunto (military sword). Judging by the nakago and the fittings, it is an Officer's model, probably no more that 70-80 years old, and may be one of the thousands of hastily made blades produced before/during the war, either a Type 94 or 98. Due to the time and expense involved, some of these blades were made out of non-traditional steel, including iron from India, and even leaf spring steel. The color of the rust leads me to believe that this may be the case for this blade; the rust of traditional steel (tamahagane) is darker/not as red (and actually turns black as the sword ages) as the rust in these pics.
Regardless of where/how the sword was made, it is cool that you have a piece of history like this. I'd love to see more pics of the blade/hamon even if it is not pristine...
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