magicx50 Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 Hi, nice to meet you everyone. I'm new here to the board. Over the past couple months, I have been looking through lots of nihonto sites. But there was a site that I found that had items that every collector would probably want. The stuff they were trying to sell were too good to be true. This is the site: http://www.areltron-ltd.com/nihon.htm
Mark Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 I know the owner, a few other members may know him as well. I think he is located near Dayton Ohio maybe 100 miles south of me, I see him occasionally at some local shows.
magicx50 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Posted July 20, 2010 So, if I were to buy a sword from the owner, the blade is 100% made by the sword smith? There are some pictures I couldn't see clearly though.
estcrh Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 So, if I were to buy a sword from the owner, the blade is 100% made by the sword smith?There are some pictures I couldn't see clearly though. There are no prices and no statement on any return policy or inspection period or any guarantee on age or smith stated....before purchasing I would ask some questions and request more pictures of any item you have an interest in...any legitimate seller will be able to provide additional pictures which help you to know that they actually have the item in their possession. Establish what inspection period, return policy and guarantee of authenticity if any the seller is offering. I am sure if you post pictures here of an item you are thinking about buying you will get a few well informed opinions.
magicx50 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Posted July 20, 2010 So, if I were to buy a sword from the owner, the blade is 100% made by the sword smith?There are some pictures I couldn't see clearly though. There are no prices and no statement on any return policy or inspection period or any guarantee on age or smith stated....before purchasing I would ask some questions and request more pictures of any item you have an interest in...any legitimate seller will be able to provide additional pictures which help you to know that they actually have the item in their possession. Establish what inspection period, return policy and guarantee of authenticity if any the seller is offering. I am sure if you post pictures here of an item you are thinking about buying you will get a few well informed opinions. Thanks for the advice!
Curgan Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 In my opinion, I find hard to trust a seller who does not reveal his actual name, has no disclaimer and no prices...
Wickstrom Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 In my opinion, I find hard to trust a seller who does not reveal his actual name, has no disclaimer and no prices... He probably does not list his name for a measure of security....I can't imagine what a reasonable price for a Heian blade that is actually intact would be...
Jamie Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 Hi, I am not sure if the site is legit or not but I do know when dealing with blades at that level, you may have to inquire about them. There are other sites that list Juyo bades without listing the prices openly.
estcrh Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 From the site, "all serious offers will be considered" and "Inquiries Welcome!" Announcement: 50 year collection sale of Japanese swords of historical signifigance with related and other art properties of high value. Areltron Ltd is liquidating all historical Pieces. Keep checking back for photos and listings! All serious offers will be considered This site is under construction, so check back often. Inquiries Welcome! Email Us Here Areltron Ltd P.O. Box 172 Springfield, Ohio 45501 Tel/Fax 937-324-0783
Guido Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 Let's not beat around the bush, Mark. This seller/collector is well known in Nihontô circles, and it's a truly sad case of half-knowledge combined with delusions.
Mark Posted July 20, 2010 Report Posted July 20, 2010 Guido, I try to be diplomatic, maybe a little too much. If you look at the descriptions and ask questions it should be clear. George Welch is near 90 now so is much older than me so my parents taught me to be respectfull of my elders. I think the majority (or maybe all) of his swords were verified or attributed by himself, i do not think he puts much value in "papers" -- so that makes it difficult for me to buy swords at that level as i obviosly do not have the his experiance and confidence. Some are probably very nice swords but hard to pay the price without having a very adavced level of knowledge or the benefit of a paper from an organization i respect.
Curran Posted July 21, 2010 Report Posted July 21, 2010 magicx50, To save the moderator, please sign your name to the extent asked per the forum rules. The website: signed Masamune and a Muromasa on the same page. Be still my beating heart. Also a saya made in woodshop class. No papers anywhere. The irony is I think one of his attributions is correct. I met this guy the other day who offered to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge. He seemed sincere. He also claimed to own 84% of Facebook, but he had a cash emergency where he needed the exact amount I had in my wallet.
David Flynn Posted July 22, 2010 Report Posted July 22, 2010 I believe the Sydney Harbour Bridge is up for sale :D pm me
Guido Posted July 22, 2010 Report Posted July 22, 2010 I think my above post was somewhat misunderstood. I grew up in a very conservative family, and was taught from an early age on to respect my elders. That's one of the reasons I didn't mention his name. But be that as it may, it's all besides the point here. This gentleman truly believes he owns priceless treasures. Everybody else (at least those above a certain level of knowledge) knows he doesn't. There's no way of convincing him that he's wrong. The only thing we can do is to ignore his items for sale and tell newbies the reason why. I'm the first to get down on frauds with fire and brimstone, but he's not a fraud, just delusional. We should show the decency of staying away from ridiculing him.
Curran Posted July 22, 2010 Report Posted July 22, 2010 G- I do not believe I know the gentleman behind the website. Nor am I given to tilting at people and think I can count that I do so less than once a year. I do Don Quijote a windmill considerably more often. With patience and understanding for nihonto newbies, it was best to make humor out of it to jossle his common sense. If he has checked back with this post, he probably gets the idea. If the hypothetical fellow I met the other day truly believes he owns the Brooklyn Bridge, the result is still the same to me if I were to buy it from him. My comments were intended for Magic and I hope he has read your post if it wasn't perfectly clear to him. Not sure where Magic is posting from, but with the Yen through the roof and the US still being the tremendous post wartime repository for Japanese swords; short of jumping headlong into a Juyo pricepoint- he would do best to find an NBTHK or NTHK papered sword stateside/Canada. Relevant cost of papering a sword as a % of its value have risen so much such that it hardly makes sense to buy an unpapered sword unless he really knows what he is doing or gets extremely lucky.
Brian Posted July 22, 2010 Report Posted July 22, 2010 I get what Guido is saying, and I think it is time to put this one to sleep. I do remember seeing that website up a few years ago, so I think this isn't anything new, and those items have been for sale for years. Anyways, time for the 'ol lock Brian
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