EnvoyToTheMolePeople
Sr. Member
- Oct 1, 2018
- 425
- 654
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT Max
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
This one needs a little bit of explanation. About 50 years ago my dad and his parents moved into a new house. After a few years, my grandfather found two Japanese swords and a Japanese flag in a crawlspace. My dad remembers them, but he doesn't remember any details, so they may not have even been Japanese for all I know. Around the early 70s, my grandfather sold the swords for somewhere around $1800 each. My dad doesn't know what happened to the flag. All I know about the previous owner of the house is that he was a veteran, presumably of World War 2. He most likely placed the swords and flag in the crawlspace, though I don't know why he wouldn't retrieve them before selling the house.
My dad first told me this whole story a few years ago, and earlier this week I resolved to investigate this crawlspace myself. I figured that if somebody had hidden 2 swords, they might have hidden more. That brings me to this sword here. I found this under some garbage in a different crawlspace in the same basement. Now, I don't know a whole lot about swords, but this thing doesn't seem like any $1800 piece of history. The blade is dull and the craftsmanship doesn't seem to be anything special. I think the handle is wood with rope wrapped around it. The hole near the tip suggests it is meant for display. The cross guard has visible hammer marks, but it looks like it was made in somebody's backyard rather than by a professional blacksmith. I don't see any distinguishing marks on the blade, but it is scratched and dented in some places. Considering the nature of the other items from the crawlspace, I would guess that this is also from Japan, but I haven't been able to find anything else like it online. My dad says he has never seen this sword before, so it probably also belonged to the previous owner of the house.
So, what is it? Where is it from? Is it worth anything?
My dad first told me this whole story a few years ago, and earlier this week I resolved to investigate this crawlspace myself. I figured that if somebody had hidden 2 swords, they might have hidden more. That brings me to this sword here. I found this under some garbage in a different crawlspace in the same basement. Now, I don't know a whole lot about swords, but this thing doesn't seem like any $1800 piece of history. The blade is dull and the craftsmanship doesn't seem to be anything special. I think the handle is wood with rope wrapped around it. The hole near the tip suggests it is meant for display. The cross guard has visible hammer marks, but it looks like it was made in somebody's backyard rather than by a professional blacksmith. I don't see any distinguishing marks on the blade, but it is scratched and dented in some places. Considering the nature of the other items from the crawlspace, I would guess that this is also from Japan, but I haven't been able to find anything else like it online. My dad says he has never seen this sword before, so it probably also belonged to the previous owner of the house.
So, what is it? Where is it from? Is it worth anything?
