Gentlemen
Hi from Sydney, Australia. I'm delighted to be able to start absorbing the depth of knowledge that is on this forum. I am in no way a serious collector, I have accumulated various military blade artifacts in the past (Japanese, German and Commonwealth) and then disposed of them as I get bored. I know you are all very serious collectors, dealers and experts, so I'm "confessing" in advance, in time I hope to evolve...
I literally stumbled into Japanese swords a while back whilst still living in South Africa when I acquired an interesting but flawed blade as a curiosity. I gave this sword to my cousin as a gift and it turns out it may have been quite special, albeit flawed. It is a Bishu Osafune Kagemitsu, as evaluated by Victor Harrison at the British Museum. It was an Australian Army pickup and seems to have been a senior officer family blade. It has a special place for me, and although it was given away as a gift, it still influences my thinking and preferences.
Having spent some time again with my cousin in Africa my curiosity and respect for the genre has reared up and I’m now looking for one or maybe a few quality items. I’ve been “watching” what’s happening on eBay, but I’m never too confident of what I’m really looking at and whether it’s genuine. Pricing seems quite random.
My interest is almost always skewed towards anything military, so I'm probably looking for an interesting blade(s) in military fittings. I like the idea of Army and Navy as a starting point.
Kind regards and respects
Aubrey
