Posted 13 years ago
stephk
(1 item)
about 3 ft long with handle wooden handle wrapped in leather with leather case could be from ww2. my grandfather hid it in his wall and has been there for about 30 years just recently found it
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The key is the blade. It may very well be in WW2 fittings, but many of the blades were family weapons that dated back hundreds of years. Early hand forged blades can quickly escalate values.
Scott
I would quickly add that the lacing does not have to be undone to get the handle off, usually there is a peg that runs through the handle and the whole thing should slide off as a unit (but it's been there for decades, so probably easier said than done). I mention this because someone actually did think they had to unlace the handle.
I picked up my katana in a second hand shop in the mid-1970s for $95. In the mid-1980s I had a Japanese sword expert examine the sword and the signature on the tang, and although the handle, scabbard, etc. were all WWII, the blade was over 200 years old - so yes, it does happen!
Chris-- I had a similar find about 12 years ago.
I would add, that all of this is best done by someone who deals in Japanese swords. As you say some are hard to separate and meaningless unless you know what to look for on the blade. Additionally, the blade shouldn't be touched-- fingerprints will leave a residue that will quickly rust the blade. You can probably determine if the blade is hand forged (it should look like wood graining) and then go from there.
Scott