Ebay Swords, Can Anyone Give Me Advice On Weather Or Not These Are Real?

[Ontario_Archaeology]

I have been burned, I bought a sword from an antique store and it turned out to be fake, now I am very nervous and extremely nervous when looking at others, especially online. I would appreciate any response on the swords that I have found on ebay, every one of of them have one or two things that make me nervous about their authenticity, or they are what the seller says they are. There is a wide range of swords here, I am not looking for one particular type, but more in a price range. the max I want to spend is ~1,000Cdn, Hopefully you guys can help me find my first real sword and I can collect more and more as my knowledge, and my interest grows in this hobby. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINTY-WWII-Japanese-Officers-Samurai-Sword-NIHONTO-WAKIZASHI-Shin-Gunto-TACHI-/222307179363?hash=item33c28a5b63:g:dqkAAOSwXeJYHOPr#shpCntId
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-Japanese-Army-Officer-Samurai-Sword-Scabbard-Nagakuni-Shinto-c-1620/381841631309?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40146%26meid%3D951d9446cdc44c63b145393748a6cf84%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D222307179363

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-WWll-Army-officers-sword-in-mountings-Katsumasa-hot-stamp-tassel/351897426035?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40146%26meid%3Dd7f42fe1b00b43aa9007e387d15b6b5f%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D381841631309

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-17th-century-Japanese-Sword-Samurai-Wakizashi-Katana-in-Edo-Koshirae-/322319246865?hash=item4b0bb96611:g:FdIAAOSwHMJYH0p0

Thanks for your replies,

 

Matt

[Red Sun]

For that sort of money I would suggest something like this - 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wakizashi-Muneyoshi-Aged-Koshirae-Saya-Hiratsukuri-41-1cm-/252611945436?hash=item3ad0d863dc:g:ah8AAOSwXeJYD3Be

 

Its genuine, nice, signed but not guaranteed. You could get it in hand -  get a nosebleed and several headaches learning all the terminology to describe what you are looking at. Read about the alleged swordsmith, compare it to the sword, make up your own mind why or why it not the blade fits the signature. Boom your a nihonto addict! 

Seriously, a cheap way to start with a genuine antique that is not going to depreciate and a chance to find out if this could be a deeper hobby.

If you really want to minimise your risk (or if your are set from buying from USA) then I suggest buying on this forum is your best bet

[Stephen]

Matt they are all real, least your eye is getting better.

Now its up to you to decide the merits if there is any on each sword as you go forward. 

[vajo]

Maybe i'm not correct but i feel always all the blades from showa22 looks like have the same hamon.

 

This one is nice.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-17th-century-Japanese-Sword-Samurai-Wakizashi-Katana-in-Edo-Koshirae-/322319246865?hash=item4b0bb96611:g:FdIAAOSwHMJYH0p0

 

It has also a nice theme.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Matt,

Ebay is a snake pit if you're a beginner.  If you have to count on luck, not knowledge, to make a smart decision, the smart decision is to stay out of the pit.  Sure, there are bargains to be had on ebay but they tend to go to buyers who know what they're up to.  Otherwise, there are too many buyers with too little experience chasing too few desirable swords, which leads to inflated prices.

3 pieces of advise:

Study before you spend serious money on a sword.  Books, information online (like here), memberships in organizations that publish, begging your way into seeing others' collections, and attendance at sword shows will all help to put you into a better position to spend wisely.

Buy from established dealers with good reputations (see the links above) rather than from ebay.  The good dealers want to protect their reputations; they will give you good advise.

And 3rd, while you take time for study you can add more money to your budget.  While you can buy an OK sword for $1,000, you'll be happier if you buy better.

Go slow Grasshopper,  Grey

[Ontario_Archaeology]

Thank-you all for your words of encouragement, I will take all of this into consideration when moving forward with my interest. Any further advice from other members will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[Brian]

Matt,

Get hold of Darcy at http://www.nihonto.ca/ and also Nick at www.nihontoart.com

Both of them deal in far higher level Nihonto, but both are decent guys who will be able to guide you a bit, and maybe know of an entry level item or 2 for your to consider.

Both are members here, and we also have a lot of other members in Canada that will assist. Well done on asking before you buy. I would avoid eBay if possible. Check out our own For Sale section, as there are always some great deals here.

[Peter Bleed]

For heavens sake, "Ontario Archaeology" do NOT start with eBay. Go find the established collectors in your area. Make nice with them, visit them, look at there stuff and pick their brains. Build a network and see real swords. Diving into the eBay pool is not the way to start. Visit the folks you know at  the Royal Ontario and look at their stuff.They may not have stuff to sell, but dealing with real people will give you insights into values. And buy some books.

Peter Bleed

[chogi101]

Hi Matt

there are a few people that deal in swords in Canada in the Toronto Hamilton Windsor triangle if you are interest in learning more about swords there is a Japanese sword club that meets  at the Japanese cultural Center in Toronto. There is an upcoming meeting on Dec 3rd with hands on sword viewing if that helps you

Best Regards

sante

[Jamie]

Everyone here is going to give you similar advice. Get books and look at as many swords as you can before buying. Try to have a focus when you atart buying. I mean like like a school or time period. Something.

 

One additional piece of advice that hasn't been offered yet is to go to one of the sword shows. There are more good swords than you will see in any other place. You'll be able to see and handle many nice swords. These are irreplaceable experiences. And you'll meet a bunch of other like minded folks.

 

 

As far as the links you posted- the last one looks to be in the best polish. So probably is the most studiable. I did not look at their return policy or anything else related. I looked at just the pics.

[Ontario_Archaeology]

Thanks again everyone for the added advice. In the last few days I have purchased some books, and I have learned so much. Not everything is super clear, but that is to be expected. I understand why so many of you want me to stay away from ebay and figure out more of what I want. I find the more I browse ebay and research every sword the more I pick up, it is a good way for me to learn while the other books I ordered arrive. Once again I appreciate all the advice, and will probably post about what I think I value in a sword and ask advice on how to hunt one down. 

 

Thank-you very much,

 

Matt.