Fake Type 95 Nco Swords

[Itomagoi]

Yes, unfortunately you can not see the Iijima stamp so well. I know there are different versions of Kokura cannon balls, but I think this one looks completely different.

[Shamsy]

More pictures required. There are quite a number of variations to the Kokura stamp. Also, placement on the habaki doesn't really mean anything. In my folder of mistamped swords, there are stamps in the wrong orientation, wrong place, double struck...

 

What I can see that I don't like is the paint, the very sharply bent locking latch and the screw which looks completely wrong. The fit between the fuchi and tsuka is very poor too.

 

Based on one photo, I'd be cautious. With more photos, it would be obvious whether it is a fake or real 95. 

[Itomagoi]

From the seller I have received only these photos. Unfortunately, details can not be seen well.

[Shamsy]

Looks alright to me, nothing obviously wrong with it. I'd say legit. Not very good photos though. Still can't see the whole sword which is usually important. Iijima tends to be the best examples of repro aged to fake,  but that's neither here nor there.

 

Surprised that so much of the details paint is absent from the handle, so that'd be a bit of an issue to me from a collecting standpoint.

 

Edited to remove question of matching number. 

[Bruce Pennington]

36043 on both.

[Shamsy]

Your eyes are better than mine, Bruce! I completely missed the ending 3 on the saya, somehow! Not a dud then, but the level of paint wear on the tsuka leaves a lot to be desired.

[Mark S.]

Probable fake.  Unfortunately bad photos from seller.  I asked for close-ups of areas that should show serial number and Arsenal stamp.  No response.  From what I could see in the photos, it doesn’t appear to have a serial number and I believe the pointed end of the bohi near the habaki is usual a tip off of fake?  True?  The only reason I’m checking is that it is being sold garage sale style for a ridiculously low price, so figured I better check.

[zook]

Fuzzy … Asking for clear photos of stamps and serial numbers is a reasonable request for a treasonable chance to sell / Dan 

[Harvester]

Can anyone please help me identify this sword as being either a fake or legit? Buyer is not confirming either way as he is not sure. What are they worth?

[Harvester]

4 minutes ago, Harvester said:

Can anyone please help me identify this sword as being either a fake or legit? Buyer is not confirming either way as he is not sure. What are they worth?

 

[Bruce Pennington]

40 minutes ago, Mark S. said:

it doesn’t appear to have a serial number and I believe the pointed end of the bohi near the habaki is usual a tip off of fake?  True?

You are right about the bohi, it's not right, and missing serial number is a red flag (though, some rare ones exist).  The sori looks to large too.

[Bruce Pennington]

Jason,

this one seems to be a replica/fake.  the dimples where the rayskin should be are missing; really far-out Tokyo inspector stamp and the stacked-cannonballs are made with overlapping race-track shaped stamp.  Best Suya imitation I've seen, though.   Bohi at the tip is wrong for a Suay/Kokura blade.  From a distance, it's pretty well made for a fake.  Maybe one of those Polish replicas?

[Harvester]

4 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Jason,

this one seems to be a replica/fake.  the dimples where the rayskin should be are missing; really far-out Tokyo inspector stamp and the stacked-cannonballs are made with overlapping race-track shaped stamp.  Best Suya imitation I've seen, though.   Bohi at the tip is wrong for a Suay/Kokura blade.  From a distance, it's pretty well made for a fake.  Maybe one of those Polish replicas?

 

Thanks for the info. Are they worth much these fakes?

[Bruce Pennington]

"Worth" is a nebulous term.  The honest adds of Chinese "handmade reproductions" usually are asking $150 USD.  Value just depends on who's buying for what reason.  The charlatans make a killing by getting unsuspecting rookies to pay full market price for a fake worth $150.

[Harvester]

9 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

"Worth" is a nebulous term.  The honest adds of Chinese "handmade reproductions" usually are asking $150 USD.  Value just depends on who's buying for what reason.  The charlatans make a killing by getting unsuspecting rookies to pay full market price for a fake worth $150.

Yeah this one is going for $150USD APPROX. so probably on the mark. But it looks very nice so I may just grab it. Thanks again

[Itomagoi]

I just wanted to say thank you to Sham and Bruce before we continue here :-)

[Shamsy]

17 hours ago, Mark S. said:

Probable fake.  Unfortunately bad photos from seller.  I asked for close-ups of areas that should show serial number and Arsenal stamp.  No response.  From what I could see in the photos, it doesn’t appear to have a serial number and I believe the pointed end of the bohi near the habaki is usual a tip off of fake?  True?  The only reason I’m checking is that it is being sold garage sale style for a ridiculously low price, so figured I better check.

 

Absolutely fake. There are a range of bohi styles and none are like that. Clear signs of a fake, though the other details are okay from a fuzzy photo. Skinny habaki and handle.

 

16 hours ago, Harvester said:

Can anyone please help me identify this sword as being either a fake or legit?

 

Fake, but a well made one. Not Polish; they are Iijima. The most obvious sign are the saya serial numbers, but the overall quality of the fuchi stamps and tsuka (suspiciously absent of paint) are also telling. Patina looks artificial. The blade serial numbers are excellent though. Suspension ring is correctly located. Kissaki is a dumpy mess. 

 

Both of these swords are a next step up from the usual rubbish. There are similar examples in this thread. It is becoming a bit of a concern.

[Kolekt-To]

Glad I joined this community and began doing my research before I got too far into this hobby! Looks like it's easy for a novice to get scammed. One of the best comments I read was where advice was given to novices to do a lot of reading and research to build a basic knowledge base before purchasing and investing in Nihonto.

[Bruce Pennington]

This one is at a Affiliated Auction. 

Tells:

Bad Tokyo stamps on blade and fuchi and missing contractor stamp on fuchi
 

Grinder marks inside tsuba cut-out

 

Bad bohi, which even has perpendicular grinder marks in it!

 

Oddly, it appears to have cosmoline on the blade!  That might just be rust, though.  If cosmoline, it means the fakers really went overboard to try to give it some age.

Finally, look at the dimples in the tsuka diamonds (which are painted silver!).  They are punched, i.e. concave.  Real ones are convex little dots.

[BANGBANGSAN]

I’m sure this one can fool many people.

[Bruce Pennington]

Boy, if it weren't for the bad bohi and the metal flaw by the numbers, it would be darn near perfect!

 

This faker sure likes the 30,ooo number series, too.

[vajo]

Hmm, it looks nearly similar to this? 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Yeah, there's that 35XXX number again!

[BANGBANGSAN]

On 11/13/2021 at 5:20 PM, vajo said:

Hmm, it looks nearly similar to this? 

 

 

35974 VS 35479 seems they only flip the numbers a bit.

[zook]

Catching up on posts ... the quality of the fakes are just getting better and better ...   !  Dan

[Pause40k]

Hello,

 

I need help with a Type 95 which is for sale right now. I think it's a fake but would like a second opinion.

 

 

[Lareon]

is that bo-hi bent at the end, might be the light?

also missing the small central inspection stamp next to the tokyo arsenal stamp and gifu stamp, unless i can't see it?

 

the spacing of the text is super tight

[paul griff]

Hello Chris,

                    It’s a fake..100%...

Regards,

             Paul..

[Bruce Pennington]

Good job following your suspicions!  Very obvious fake.

[Pause40k]

Thanks everyone. I was hoping someone would tell me otherwise. I collect Japanese firearms and only recently got into blades.