Spartancrest

It is very odd! The seller has a huge range of what appear to be genuine pieces - this one?? [He has a few cast pieces but a lot of sellers do!] https://www.jauce.com/auction/q1114141529 https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1136120953 https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1144835699 https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1145227526 https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1128823426 I will pop this last one over onto "Wild things" thread.

This image is a little better, the patina and colour come across a little less pitted.

Woops! looks like I devalued my tsuba - what value would the chewing gum in the sukashi have added? Have I missed out on the big bickies? [Large sum] Anyone got a a stick of Wrigley's? The flavour that lasts and lasts!

Three Kanayama - - 0ne Owari - I am no expert but they look very hard to tell the difference? This one is described as Yagyu - but if we are judging surface texture or the cut of the mimi - good luck with that in this condition!

One for Sam and Matt https://www.tosogu.d...omiya-sadanaka-tsuba

I have several of Gary Murtha's books but not that particular one. His books are very helpful - it is sad he is no longer with us.

Well this is the result when you ask AI AI Overview "The price of a tsuba, a sword guard, during the Edo period varied widely, from around $30 to over $8,000, depending on the quality and design." It then goes on to auction prices or sales figures of current tsuba $29.99: A tsuba with raised gilt decorations of bamboo, a lobster, or dragons $122.50: A signed dragon sukashi tsuba $135.00: A signed daikoku lucky god tsuba $225.00: A high grade Choshu school fine carving landscape tsuba $345.00: An antique Japanese Edo era samurai iron tsuba sword hilt guard in frame $8,019.60: A tsuba with gold and silver inlays of cranes ¥4,000,000: An Edo period Bakumatsu antique tsuba for a samurai sword - so basically it has not got a clue! But we will soon be under its complete control so get use to the bullshit!

A find on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/296846175117

I don't usually stray over to the Nihonto side of the forum but I had a chance today to see a copy of Paul Martin's new book. Forgive me if it has already been posted. Nice slick piece of work on thirty of some of the best blades - but for me as a tsuba collector - not so much, I think it had all of two or three? It may be just fine for blade collectors and it appears to be available in several languages and just in time for Christmas.

Just be wary of these - Common and there is a reason why - mass produced. Some of the biggest museums in the world hold one of these, but that only proves most museums don't know what they have! One museum, the Rijksmuseum has an authentic frog tsuba and one of the cast fakes. AK-MAK-1077 & AK-MAK-1063 It is all in the Sekigane - the fakes are all identical and have simulated sekigane, the tagane-ato are also cast in. Tat's enough of Tat !

A similar style guard here https://www.jauce.com/auction/l1163054633 Bushu 武州 school? Not the same individual.

I am not sure the plant can make up its mind - generally two lobes but variations have many lobes or just the one - must be many "cultivars" particularly in China and Japan and they could vary with the age of the tree. I have one, which I am looking forward to trying the fruit [in about 20 years!]- The fruit has a strong, unpleasant odor somewhere between rancid butter and dog faeces [yum ]. The nuts resemble a pistachio. Only a few seeds should be eaten at a time. The nut, you see, contains bitter cyanogenic glycosides. These break down when the nut is cooked, but it retains the compound 4-methoxypryridoxine, which depletes vitamin B6 and is especially toxic to children [good for the neighborhood - keep the population under control .] So if your children come home with dog faeces breath get them to hospital fast - probably a mental hospital for eating something that smells like faeces to start with!

Fair enough not everything will appeal to everyone - I am not a huge fan of skulls either, but a few head or face ones do tick my boxes. [not fond of the decapitated designs] I like Mempo ones as well, but they are few and far between [not to mention expensive]

"Backyard Blacksmith" has a new guard ready for the unwary https://www.jauce.com/auction/r1163312575 File or bench grinder? It could be yours for as "little" as ¥30,000

I might be straying from the original intent of this thread but what do people think of these - - things - - and the prices paid or hoped for? [My opinion, total zero worth]

Just an image from an old book - museums what do they know anyway?

As you can see this one is attributed to Kyo-Shoami image from "Catalogue of Tsuba in the permanent collection of City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery." 1940.

Well I thought it had an Umetada "look" - but it would just be a guess. Aoi leaves were as you say, a staple for Kinai. Although I found some similar shaped pieces they don't necessarily look the same workmanship - hard to tell the school but I do like the style and the quality. [Not much help sorry!]

I think there are at the very least three metals in the inlay - patina might be hiding more? Hard to judge on a screen.

Sort of - maybe? If you look a little hard you might see three long arm monkeys in the design [strain- strain!!]

Hey Deanna, how many of these do you have? https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/395949588982 Are they starting to breed lately? https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1162744741 They come in a nice chocolate flavour as well. Now this is getting silly https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1136083150 12 lobes!

Grey Doffin seems to have had a lot of these plugged sukashi tsuba. Most also have the rough finished surface [Ji] a Christies auction piece

One formula of many for patination of iron tsuba - https://www.jimkelso...rials/ironpatina.htm All entail a little risk.

Not all of us - I am only here to annoy my wife and cause trouble.

You aren't selling yours are you? https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1162893289 No not enough "lobes"!