Any way to know if these are authentic?

[hoitomt1]

Hi, is there any way to know if these are authentic? or maybe even to know the age? 

[Bugyotsuji]

They look 'authentic' to me. 

 

Some questions for you.

Does a magnet stick to them?

Can we see the top edge of one black lacquer lame, heads of a row of sane?

Does each lame look solid? Or is each made from a row of upright 'sane', leather or iron or alternating, and covered with lacquer?

[hoitomt1]

Thanks bugyotsuji, these are for sale on a norwegian kind of craigslist for 50 dollars. So i cant show any better pictures. But the lames look like solid strips

[Bugyotsuji]

It depends what you want them for. They seem very cheap, but the condition is not great. Some people like them like that, though, honest and used. Either for use just like that, or for a restoration project. Do you want them to complete a set of armour, or to keep like that, as study pieces perhaps? Or will yu be wearing them? 

[hoitomt1]

I might get them to try to shine them up and display them as decoration

[Bugyotsuji]

Nice. 

Be gentle, using a damp but not wet cloth. (You do not want to get water into the lacquer cracks... )

[Shogun8]

They actually seem to be in decent shape, except for the ieji (fabric backing). Cheap for what they are.

[uwe]

As previous mentioned by Piers and John, authentic!

These are “Tosei-Sode” (generic term) probably dating back to the Edo period. Indeed quite cheap…

[The Blacksmith]

When I had a small collection of armour, I got to know John Anderson who advised me on the restoration process, and he told me to clean laquer with a cotton bud and meths (rød sprit Sten!).  It worked very well, and of course the meths simply evaporated off.