Looking for advice on authenticating this sword

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

I have had it apart but do not think I re-assembled it correctly. There are Japanese markings (almost like a red paint pen) on the tang but no imprinted markings that I could see. 

[Kaz S]

I'm far from an expert but it looks like a a very legitimate kai gunto.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Thomas,

Yes; a legitimate sword and it looks like you have it reassembled correctly (unless the seppa (washers) are on in the wrong order, in which case I'm sure someone who knows these swords better than I do will point out). The red paint are likely numbers to help keep the parts together and they will tell you nothing about the sword's history.

Grey

[twoscoops]

I was told the previous owner brought it back from WW2. I was valuing the sword around $600. Does this sound right?

[Bruno]

3 hours ago, twoscoops said:

$600. Does this sound right?

More like $1200 to $1800

[ROKUJURO]

Thomas,

please let us see sharp photos of the NAKAGO (= tang) without HABAKI, always oriented tip-up.

[Bruce Pennington]

Thomas,

I finally had some time to look this over.  I'm not entirely sure what you have here.  The majority of it seems to be a quality, upgraded kaigunto - sharkskin same', fat gold seppa, lacquered rayskin saya.  Yet the fuchi is Army (green arrow) and the koiguchi (blue arrow) is Navy.  Plus, the tassel is army.

 

The inner black seppa (closest to the tsuba) on both sides don't fit well.  This kaigunto has either been re-fitted by a collector (common with some gunto that come to the collectors in bad shape, or missing parts) or it was a late-war job using available parts.  There has been much discussion over the decades of the Navy forces that fought on land along side Army and the swords they carried.  It is certainly possible this one was one of those.  The fuchi fits so well, and the scabbard latch goes through all the seppa and tsuba, that I want to say this was made this way.

 

It's an odd character, for sure! 

 

Pricing these days is all over the place, but I wouldn't sell it under $2,000.  Before COVID, they were selling for $2,400.

[twoscoops]

The seppa defiantly fit better before I took it apart and re-assembled it. The only thing I changed was the bamboo pin. It had a bolt/square nut thru it. I will work on more pictures. 

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[twoscoops]

[lambo35]

Shouldn't the gold thick seppa lie against the two large di-seppa then the black seppa, and lastly the two thin seppa ?

 

 

[twoscoops]

My next question, where should I look if I wanted to sell it?

[Ontario_Archaeology]

you can put it up for sale here on the forum, or facebook groups, ebay is an option. 

[ChrisW]

You're most likely to sell it for a good price here or a facebook group for swords; also people will be more likely to appreciate it properly.

[twoscoops]

1 hour ago, ChrisW said:

You're most likely to sell it for a good price here or a facebook group for swords; also people will be more likely to appreciate it properly.

Thank you ill try posting it here.  

[twoscoops]

On 6/8/2022 at 5:45 PM, ChrisW said:

You're most likely to sell it for a good price here or a facebook group for swords; also people will be more likely to appreciate it properly.

Thank you ill try posting it here.  

 

I believe I am ready to sell. Can one of you guys advise me on how to post it up, I do not wish to be misleading in any way and I am not knowledgeable enough to list it properly. Also, as I am a new seller, do you recommend going thru a moderator?

[Brian]

Just go into the For Sale section, create a new post and list it with a price, and pics.
Very easy, the same as posting it as you did here. Remember you can post multiple pics in one post/reply, just keep adding them.

[twoscoops]

Thank you all for your time and advice. I am going to post it in the for sale section but could someone please help me with the description for the listing. I want to list it as accurately as possible.

Thank you all again.

 

[Bruce Pennington]

That's a tough ask, Thomas!

 

It could be as simple as:

"Type 97 Kaigunto for sale; Description: As is"

 

More elaborate description: "As brought back by original owner from the war.  Mumei, undated blade.  Upgraded fittings with sharkskin saya.  Company grade tassel is Army, as is the fuchi.  Whether original or not, unknown."

[robinalexander]

Bruce can you help me sell my car?

[Bruce Pennington]

1 hour ago, robinalexander said:

Bruce can you help me sell my car?

Yes, but are all the parts original!?!? Ha!

[SteveM]

The number on the tang looks to be 258 (二五八). If the seppa or tsuba have the same number on them, it could be a selling point as it indicates these parts were originally assembled together.