late koto blade value? tired, but possibly quite cheap

[Cornerst0ne]

I realise there are no pics, and alot more to go on than I'm going to be able to list... But...I could use some advice.

 

What would a good deal be for a tired unsigned koto blade?

 

Looks to have been polished by finger & some compound (large uneven dips in the ji/shinogi/shinogi-ji) some time after ww2.

 

Has signs of 1500 sandpaper and light rust removal.

 

Has seen many polishings, looses about 1/4 of its thickness at kissaki end.

 

Has 2 blisters. One being worse than the other.

 

No boshi visible. Quite pointy tho.

 

The tsuba is early style iron with some simple shapes cut out, shakudo filling on one anchor point. And traces of gold, but no image or discernable design.

 

The habaki is finely made Very graceful rounded and thin copper, once foiled in gold. I also think the wedge in the bottom is shakudo. Very well made.

 

No koshirae

 

Think its worth 250$? Thanks

 

Hank

[Mark]

if it is a katana, not a wak, then it is probably worth that. Some years ago I dealt with a buyer who looked for old swords that were trash to take back to Japan, he said he worked with a polisher who needed old metal to repair swords.

[Cornerst0ne]

Hmm well... It has quite nice flex. Feels great in hand.

 

It has a completely mismatched but in good condition army type 3 koshirae, minus tsuba, seppa, habaki and fuchi and drag.

 

There is a habaki, 1 seppa and an old tsuba. They fit the blade.

 

The catch seems to be he won't take 250-300 for the blade he wants 500 for the whole thing...

 

**how tight are the gunto fittings usually? I

 

If there's a early edo blade mounted in army type 3 gunto mounts, is the saya normally snug to the habaki? What about the tsuka? Would it need big shims to snug on the blade? I'd hope not...these would. The saya is super loose on the habaki...

 

Thanks alot for your help.

 

Hank

[Mark S.]

What is your interest in owning it? I mean, what do you want to 'do' with it?

 

Without pics, can't say the parts are even worth the total amount he wants (or even what you want to spend) and the blade doesn't sound like much to learn from. No point in wasting more $ on any type of resto.

 

I can't see any 'upside' to spending good money that could go for books... or sake... :D

 

Mark S.

[bone]

I'm a freak of saving the dead and dying. If you collect artifacts try offering them a bit less and seeing where that goes. *shrug* I'm not ashamed to collect them since I cant afford museum quality, signed works.

 

You'll never find a "gem" this way though.

[Mark]

$500 for a junk blade with mismatched gunto fittings is too much

[Cornerst0ne]

Thanks, im going to keep looking.

 

@ mark s - i would like to preserve it. My interest is more a practical 'is this a sword I would like to wield' rather than mei. Im going to be getting Into more kenjutsu, and there's nothing like a 'live blade' in the hand. But I will need a healthy blade to maintain.

 

I have a old tanto signed maybe 'munenaga'...maybe..im still working on it. But it was put to the grinding stone after ww2 and has hagiri from something. But my grandfather gave it to me, Initially prompting my nihonto research. I've made it a habaki and wooden saya/tsuka. I'm not done yet but it houses the blade properly.

 

@bone- but you may get to restore a gem..if your really really lucky.

 

Thanks- hank