What is too good to be true?

[diprivanman]

What is the MINIMUM that one would find sword (either katana or wakizashi) that is fully polished, in mountings, and papered (ie NTHK) with no major problems? It seems to me that $2500 to $3000 is the minimum.

I am talking about a shinto, or edo or even koto period sword.

Thanks

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

People get such stuffs for less. Inheriting.

[Brian]

Hi. Remember to sign with your name.

Sounds about right. I think that would be for a reasonable wakizashi. I think a katana would be more.

 

Brian

[diprivanman]

Forgive me, but I thought I was signed in already? You mean sign with my real name? It doesn't appear everyone does that?

[sencho]

... some people don't but it is the rule of the board and accepted by most people. Brian means just sign the bottom of each post with your name or initial and name or name and inital...

 

e.g. in my case

 

Nigel Beatty

N. Beatty

Nigel B.

Nigel

 

.....something like one of these. You can put this in your profile settings so it does it automatically each post.

 

Just to confuse things and be a belligerent twit, I sign in Katakana

 

Cheers

 

Nigel

[Darcy]

Full polish by a qualified polisher on a katana will run you about $2700.

 

Good shirasaya will run you $300-$400.

 

Good habaki will run you $300-$800 depending if you're getting a serviceable silver unit or a high end piece.

 

Papers will run you $150 (NTHK price? I don't know) to $500 (NBTHK), plus certain fees if you send to Japan.

 

So for a Hozon sword, polished with shirasaya and new habaki, you're looking north of $4k before you get to the sword itself.

 

If it's in old polish, or needed only shiage, or got a low class polish from someone those can cut the price.

 

Or people will sell for a loss for whatever reason.

[diprivanman]

Wow, so you are saying about 10,000 for a reasonable katana. So how do people afford all this? Or is this just a rich persons hobby. I mean I do ok, but at 10,000 a pop my collection would be small (ie = 1 or 2 at most!)

Michael

[Stephen]

It can be a rich mans hobby, but the more you learn the more bargins youll find...see Darcys blade for sale....it a good deal...or i have a consignement Emura.....something to look into

 

Darcys

http://militaria.co.za/nihontomessagebo ... php?t=1497

 

a friends sword

http://militaria.co.za/nihontomessagebo ... php?t=1489

[Bungo]

still way cheaper than the Green Car Crash...................

 

milt the ronin

[Darcy]

You can get good items for below that, or focus on wakizashi and get more bang for your buck.

 

Sometimes people acquire full collections, and so can sell off individual items for less than component cost because the previous guy took a loss, or maybe you find a sword for $150 at a garage sale. There are lots of ways.

 

Some good WWII blades will go much cheaper than $10k. I have a sword for sale in the for sale section at $4k and it's a katana.

 

$10k should definitely get you a nice sword though.

[USMC-LCPL]

What is considered a "Nice sword" though? I mean, besides polish ext...

 

Is a nice sword one that was made by a certain individual?

[roninjje]

Now there is a question worth pondering. I picked up a Horikawa Kunitake in WWII mounts for $700 at a gun show. Had the polish touched up for under $500 (by a reputable US polisher) and I can tell you the blade is worth far more than what I have in it. Same show, different date I picked up a killer shin shinto katana out of polish for under $1000. conversely at the Tampa show I picked up a very nice Yamato diajo Yoshimichi in goto mounts for $3k.

 

None of these are papered. Papers mean little to me as I look for what I like. If I resell a piece I usually sell it for what I have in it to purchase another. Collect what you like! Some of my swords are mumei, some gimei, some sho-shin mei. But you can find swords in the full range. Heck, I even have my eye on one at aoi-arts for $8k (not happening anytime soon!)