When did the fakes start?

[Thylacine]

Hi.

 

This is a local auction and the sword is listed as a 1950's fake, did the fake arsenal type 95 swords start that early?

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ws/eBayISAPI ... TQ:AU:1123

 

The seller purchased it from an estate sale, it had been in the estate for a number of years, so he assumed the provenance made it authentic, however it looks like a fairly modern fake. Could it really have been made back in the 1950's?

 

T

[lbkmd43]

why do you think its fake with arsenal marks?

LKanarekMD

[Brian]

It is fake.

Not sure that they started the fake NCO's that early though. Repros probably in the 70's and outright fakes probably thereafter. Just a guess.

 

Brian

[Thylacine]

why do you think its fake with arsenal marks?

LKanarekMD

 

Just a couple of things, that are different from mine.

 

After looking at the sword in more detail (as much as I can via the net) I believe it is from China. Reasons; The serial number is upside down and wrong for such a low number (end of war swords (different type) had it like that, the font is wrong for the time (pre-1940?), the start and finish of the blood groove is poorly machined and seems too shallow, the Tsuba is a poor casting (made from a cast of a cast of...), the grip should be copper (to match the date range from the serial number), the blade seems bent and a arsenal type 95 blade would not bend like that, the makers mark and arsenal stamp on the ferrule are wrong, there should be an arsenal acceptance stamp between them, also there is no inspection acceptance stamp on the blade, there is something 'just' not right with the arsenal stamp on the ferrule (4 cannon balls) it is too big, the grip looks poorly cast and lacks traces of paint, The fittings (spacers) are poorly made, the sword latch is poorly executed and looks too new, the sword lacks any age and the shape of the blade is just not right (bottom third of sword).