DigitalSpace

Counterfeits truly have gotten out of hand. On top of what you mentioned above, there is a huge counterfeit market for WWII memorabilia out of Poland. You can find a large number of "fake" WWII items on eBay - especially timepieces. The worst part about that is that they are taking actual antique watches and printing markings on them to sell them as military issued. They ruin the value of the antique timepieces for collectors who would find value in them so they can sell to uninformed buyers.

First, sorry about the loss of art. I've been there with a fire as well and lost a considerable number of vintage animation cels. Two months back I was able to find a cel from a sequence that was lost in the fire. First one I found that was close and it took me 23 years to find it. What you say in this post is very accurate in that you can find great deals at auction IF you have the knowledge. This is why I started this thread as I'm trying to learn more about collecting old Japanese weapons and armor.

Thank you for the information as it is indeed helpful! I do agree with you regarding auction houses. They usually take about 20-35% from the seller and then at least another 20% from the buyer (as in this case). That said, I've found some unbelievable deals over the years if you know what you're bidding on. You can win a really nice item for a fraction of its value all because it had an inaccurate description and the bidders at the time weren't knowledgeable enough. On the other hand, sometimes an auction is filled with people who just bid prices way up beyond the value of the items. It's a very hit or miss thing - most of the time a miss. I would never bid in an auction without full knowledge of what I was bidding on.

Sorry, I should've explained Heritage a little better it seems. Heritage held the auction on 6/10. After the auction concludes, they automatically put that blurb on the right about taking offers. It's a way to generate more sales on their end. I have automatically received offers (very low) for previous items I've won on their site. I can see how it may help some as it keeps the parties anonymity to generate a sale while protecting both since Heritage guarantees the item. I have cookies in my browser from other Heritage sessions, so that may be why I can see the prices. In case anybody has trouble getting the prices for the links I gave, here they are: An Attractive Signed Shinto Japanese Samurai Sword Wakizashi Or O'Tanto By Daido - $2,750.00 includes Buyer's Premium A Finely Mounted Japanese Samurai Sword Katana Signed Norimitsu $3,000.00 includes Buyer's Premium A Handsome Handachi Mounted Japanese Samurai Sword Daisho [Katana and Wakizashi] $5,125.00 includes Buyer's Premium A Fine Shakudo and Gold Decorated Edo Period Fuchi Kashira $875.00 includes Buyer's Premium If you click on the pics, they will enlarge and you can zoom in. Still, not the best lighting for blades. I didn't trust too much of the descriptions. Thankfully, they did post pics of the NBTHK papers. One of the reasons I'm asking for thoughts on these sales is that 99% of this auction was US focused on the War of 1812, Civil War, and WWII. Many of the Japanese items didn't even generate bids till somebody started (the O'Tanto by Daido was the exception and I believe its starting bid was around $1300). My knowledge on the condition of these blades is beginner level (I've read more history than how to evaluate, but I'm working on it ), so I'm curious if they prices are in line with their values, or if they are low due to people in the auction not knowing enough about them. In the past, I've participated in auctions where I got very good deals because there would be a few items that weren't really in line with what the auction was focused on.

New member here - I found this forum when looking up some information on old smiths. I don't actively collect swords, but it is a topic I've read about quite a bit. A couple of days ago, Heritage Auctions had their "2024 June 10 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6291". I'm on their mailing lists for other things, so this isn't something I search for, however I did watch the beginning of it since it had some Japanese swords and armor. This auction had 10 Japanese pieces in it (all at the beginning). Most appear to come from somebody's collection as the person wrote some notes on the back of the NBTHK envelopes. I'm looking for thoughts on some pieces that sold. I am not knowledgeable enough to discern if what they sold for was reasonable or not. Most of the pieces in the auction had NBTHK Hozon papers, so I'm assuming the prices were within the range of their value. I'm just trying to increase my knowledge and learn what stood out as good and bad. Pieces I am curious about: https://historical.h...al-3-/a/6291-40008.s https://historical.h...al-2-/a/6291-40004.s https://historical.h...al-2-/a/6291-40007.s https://historical.h...shira/a/6291-40013.s The 10 pieces were all at the beginning of the auction so if you want to see everything, you don't have to scroll down: https://historical.h...ViewOfAuction-081817 Any input would be appreciated. --Charles

Hello - new member here. I've always had an interest in swords in general, but I've really focused my reading on Japanese swords and the older martial arts (koryu). Last month, I got to spend over an hour in Sohei Watanabe's forge in Date, Hokkaido watching him and his apprentice forge a sword. It was a really fascinating experience. I found this forum in my search for more information on some smiths. Looking forward to expanding my knowledge here. --Charles