I'm back. Sorry about the delay, I had to work on other projects.
I'm posting three more sets of sword photos, but I'm sorry to say that I was unable to remove the tsuka from any of them, so I don't have any nakago (tang) photos at all. The mekugi were easy to remove, and I have the correct tools for that, but in every case the tang was firmly stuck. I guess I'll have to take them to an expert who has the correct tsuka removal tools and techniques. After I get the tsuka removed then I'll be able to post the appropriate photos.
These swords are currently being stored in a rural area, so I'll have to take them to an expert to be examined. Thus, I'll be both transporting and storing them, and this causes me some security concerns.
Here's a question that I would like to see answered if at all possible:
Is it possible to tell, from the photos and descriptions that I have provided thus far, whether any of these swords might be "at risk" of being particularly valuable? If so then I really wouldn't want to store those particular swords at my house or transport them around town alone, so I'll have to come up with a more secure way of dealing with them.
I realize, of course, that you would need to see the nakago before drawing any firm conclusions, but is it possible to make an educated guess?
I'll be happy to hear any comments about any of this. Thanks!
Dana P
(4 attachments to this post, more to follow)
PS: In the near future I'm going to be posting the photos of the other swords (currently unidentified, but I'm pretty sure they don't belong on this forum) on the myArmoury.com site as suggested by Gabriel Lebec. As soon as I get them up I will provide a link here for those who are interested.