A friend brought this over who said it was supposed to be a genuine Civil War sword. I think he said it was in his father's estate.

Can anyone determine from these pictures whether or not the sword is genuine?

The pictures were too large so I have to link the directory instead: http://chiricahuagunclub.org/sword/

Thank you.

Aaron, your friends Civil War swords is a Japanese cavalry saber from around the time of the Russo-Japanese war. I used to own three of these.

This is a type 32 WW2 Japanese sword: http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_079.htm

Interesting in its own right, but that said the rust is artificial, I don't know how a painted resin handle is suppose to rust like this (let alone the fact that the blade somehow escaped it?). It has an original look but the over the top rust sounds Chinese copy for me (there are thousands on ebay), but I could be wrong.

Allan, Max, thanks for information. Bob will be disappointed but he'll know the truth.

Thanks again.

No problem, your friend told me it was a residue of gold paint and not a rust effect. I bet it can be restored to its original look without too much problem.

how much is a real type 32 worth

Hi Bob,

I think that type 32s can go for "not very much" to perhaps "several hundred" dollars depending on condition, special features, etc. And yes, that's deliberately vague as I don't really follow these items; take this more as an order of magnitude (i.e., they're definitely not worth a thousand plus).

Going on a tangent: any tips on the most reliable dealers for such pieces of late 19th- and early 20th-century Japanese militaria?