zaghnol for comment

[kronckew]

could not pass this up. been wanting one for a while now. looks more substantial at the eye/blade join that a number of them that look like they'd break 1st strike on a real target. 32.5 in. LOA

[estcrh]

could not pass this up. been wanting one for a while now. looks more substantial at the eye/blade join that a number of them that look like they'd break 1st strike on a real target. 32.5 in. LOA
That is a lot longer than any I can remember seeing, and the grip is not one I have seen before, any chance of getting some better images?

[kronckew]

That is a lot longer than any I can remember seeing, and the grip is not one I have seen before, any chance of getting some better images?

will post some when it arrives.

[kronckew]

ah, well. it arrived. appears to be a modern wall hanger reproduction. the grip pommel and bolster thingy are spot welded on, grind marks are fresh as if yesterday. shaft is bright steel, hed is welded onto it & bevel is fairly well polished at the join, more so than the grip, which is wound with a faux leather strip. head looks like it was cast from an original tho lacking some detail.

on the bright side it came with a velvet covered scabbard. i think the innards are cardboard.

win some, lose some...

[Tim Simmons]

You have to gamble and take risks on some things, bad pictures and the unknown. Yes you can loose small amounts of money, which is always disappointing. Gambles for small sums of money do work out very well sometimes. What I find extremely upsetting, is paying good money only to find when you want to sell it, you have paid 3 times what you get back. Also if you only buy what is illustrated in the most popular of books, you will not gain. :shrug:

[kronckew]

true. i overlooked the warning description word 'decorative'. i had my doubts even as i pulled the trigger on the payment. funny thing is i found a very similar but more honestly described one from an antiques dealer in india for just about 1/3 the cost of the decorator. the vendor describes it as an antique head showing good signs of age re-hafted some time later with a lacquered wood haft 54 cm. (21 in). it also may be a repo, but it looks a lot more functional & old than the UK decorator one, which will be locked away in rm. 101.

[DaveA]

It is very unlikely that anything bought directly from India will be antique. As I understand it, the law there prohibits export of genuine antiquities. If you are buying from a bona fide dealer or collector outside India, you have a bettter chance of obtaining an antique. On the other hand, there are some very nice reproductions available.

I agree, that word "decorative" is a red flag!

:shrug:

Dave

[drac2k]

Anyone who states that he hasn't made a mistake, is like the gambler who goes to the casinos in Vegas and upon being ask how he fared, always answers that he won or broke even .We all have rooms 101 ; heck I've got an "area 54."
I will say that some of my best deals have been mislabeled ;that is part of the fun!

[DaveA]

Mislabeled items are great fun. If I already own a better example of the mislabeled item, then sometimes I'll send a message to the seller with the correct information. Most sellers are grateful for this. One seller the other day immediately took down the listing and apologized profusely. Some sellers are surprisingly, strident in their objections ("I've been selling these for twenty years!"). In those cases, the information is truly deceptive and (on EB) I file a complaint. On the other hand, I'm not incapable of taking advantage if I see a great deal that is mislabeled. I will bid and hope other collectors (like YOU) will not stumble across it too! Later, win or lose, I provide the correct information to the seller.

[drac2k]

I agree.One of the nicest pieces I got was from an owner who told me it was a fake.I told the gentleman that I didn't think so, that it was the real deal.He insisted, that an expert told him so;I persisted and advised him that, while I was no expert, I was sure that it was real. He answered, yes that I was right, that I wasn't an expert; after that and $150.00 dollars later I walked off with the item.
Sometimes the stars and the planets align up correctly.