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Post by Upasaka on Mar 22, 2017 16:15:12 GMT
Hi everyone!
I just came across this Willow Leaf dou1. Wondering what you guys think in terms of authenticity, age, material, value, and any other comments.
Thanks!
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Post by Upasaka on Mar 22, 2017 16:16:00 GMT
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Post by Jayhawk on Mar 22, 2017 16:42:16 GMT
I think I want it myself! It's peened. So hard to tell since there is so much faked aging going on in China these days, but the peen makes me wonder if it's not a super modern piece.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Mar 22, 2017 20:33:08 GMT
Can't really say anything about material with the blade in that condition, and a modern wrap hiding the grip. A window polished in the blade would say something about the steel. How thick is the blade? Near the base, mid-blade, where the fuller terminates, and close to the tip? Do the fullers terminate at the same points on both sides of the blade (especially the tip end of the fuller)? How long is it? How heavy is it? Is the guard loose? So hard to tell since there is so much faked aging going on in China these days, but the peen makes me wonder if it's not a super modern piece. With widespread fakes, I'd say it (mostly) looks authentic. I've not seen an old pommel of this style with the corner filed/ground like this one. Perhaps the pommel is new (and aged), electrowelded and filed/ground to hide that. Unwrapping the grip should show whether the grip has been replaced recently. but the peen makes me wonder if it's not a super modern piece. Just because it's peened, or because the peen looks modern? Peened would be normal for an antique. |
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Post by Jayhawk on Mar 22, 2017 20:39:56 GMT
Sorry, I meant to say the peen makes me think it may be an antique.
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Post by Upasaka on Mar 22, 2017 22:02:23 GMT
Timo,
Here are the approximate specs:
weight 535 g (approximately 1.2 lbs or 19 oz)
length blade 27 3/4"
length overall 34"
blade width 1 1/16" pretty much throughout
thickness
at hilt 3 mm
middle of blade 2 mm
end of fuller 1 mm
near tip 1/2 mm
Fullers start at the same point hilt-side, but end near the tip approximately 3/4" apart.
Yes, the guard is a bit loose.
Thanks for your input!
Kamil
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Post by Croccifixio on Mar 23, 2017 1:04:47 GMT
That's a bit thin for a fighting blade. Probably just a display piece. I saw a similar sword being identified as an early 1900s republican blade.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Mar 23, 2017 1:04:42 GMT
That's a very thin blade.
Probably an antique, rather than a modern fake. Most likely to be late Qing (because they're much more common than older swords), but could be older, possibly remounted more recently. Other than the pommel (which might be modern), there's nothing suspicious. If it's a fake, it's a really good fake.
Loose guards are normal. Usually, either part of the wood of the grip would have extended to between the guard and blade, or separate wooden shims would have been used.
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Post by Upasaka on Mar 24, 2017 23:43:10 GMT
That's great! It looks like I have my first historical sword to join my lonely spearhead! I would also like a gim3, but the ones I have seen are $1K and up. A little much for my graduate school pocket...
So now I am thinking about the blade. Is it a good idea to clean it up or just leave the way it is now? Would you use graduated sandpaper? What is the best procedure?
Thanks!
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Mar 25, 2017 1:22:49 GMT
Unless you want to sharpen it, I'd leave it. It's already very thin, and pitted enough so that polishing it to a clean finish will make it even thinner.
By the way, it doesn't look like a military sword. The blade might be recycled from one. But the pommel isn't military style. (But it could be a local militia sword.) I have a late Qing officer's dao that's lighter, and a Western military sabre that's about 560g. The weight of yours doesn't rule it out as a military sword.
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