[Simon Theman]

I would like to get more info on this sword. Its value, your comments on the making of it, i'm a noob so anything would help

Thanks

Simon
http://imgur.com/a/UpaTk

[R.M. Henson]

I'm definitely no expert, but my thought on it:

You can't see the blade? The only thing we have to look at is the hilt and it's case, all of which look fairly modern, probably factory assembled and recently made. Even if the blade was high quality or even historical there is no way to tell without seeing the steel. Most of how much reproduction/replica swords cost usually depends on the blade, not the furniture.

Maybe someone with more of a trained eye can shed some light on it.

[Simon Theman]

http://i.imgur.com/pmIVG.jpg

you can see some of it here

[Gregory J. Liebau]

Looks like a reproduction katana sold by companies out of China. I reckon the blade is a decent high-carbon blend used these days, and the quality of the sword's fittings seems good. You can find swords like this on Ebay for quite a range of prices, depending on the specifics of the sword's manufacture and quality, which are stated in the auction (although I'd be cautious of the overly expensive pieces, which don't tend to justify the price).

The main give away is the box and kit that comes with the sword. That's how the Chinese companies manufacturing swords typically send them out. As I said, price can vary, but if you have no verification about the sword's quality other than how it looks, I wouldn't imagine you'd be able to get more than a couple of hundred dollars US for it.

-Gregory

(p.s. I'm no reproduction katana expert, but I look at Ebay a lot. So take my insights as you will!)

[Sam Barris]

My guess is that it's made by one the relatively new Chinese companies like Masahiro or Musashi. Entry level prices and varying levels of quality. I didn't look through the lineups of these companies to find the exact model, but I'd bet that's where it'll be.

Here's what I can tell from the pictures: The sword exhibits a hada, which is the wood grain sort of pattern that comes from folding. This in itself means little, as several lower end makers can pull this off with machines and cheap labor, and the heat treatment might still be crap, but at least we can say that it isn't a horrible 440 stainless thing. I can't quite tell if it has a hamon from the picture, but it probably does and the picture is just taken from a bad angle for seeing it. The hamon is the frosty looking area near the edge itself, and results from the differential tempering process (and is often faked on very low end pieces). The habaki (the collar at the base of the blade) looks pretty nasty, like someone has been at it with a file, and not in a good way. Cleaning kit is pretty basic. I'd look up how to use it before you try, or you may regret it.

Overall, I think you probably have a decent enough beginner's sword on your hands, but I hope you do more research on both it and swords in general. And for heaven's sake, seek professional training before you try and cut anything with it.

[William M]

Hey,

Why don't you just post a picture of the entire sword and perhaps some information that you surely must have on it? No need to be so cagey.