This is one of mine, it's a 1660 Wakizashi made by Monju Shigesada in a shirasaya with NTHK certificate. Sadly I decided to let it her go so chances are she won't be mine much longer (putting together a high end Remington 700 and I need $$ for a good scope). I also have a Bugei Dragonfly Katana and a really nice Bastard sword from Valiant Armoury.
Horseclover - Great historical collection. Swordmaster0813 - Now I have to investigate Zombie Swords. Glad to hear they're rugged. Long Knife - If you want a survival sword, somewhat machete-like but stiff enough for thrusting, you might want to look into the Roman Gladius.
Here is a grosse messer I did a while back. 80CrV2, O1, and 15N20 (hardened in canola). All the fittings are 15N20 and 1084. Notice how the layers of the nagle are bent and follow the curves. thanks for looking. kc
Second from the left... I think I used to own that very sword. I can't even remember who made it. Hrisoulas? Kick myself for trading that thing off. Dumbass college-me... EDIT: HAH! Found it. Probably changed hands a few times since I owned it in ~2008.
David, what is that sword with the pale blue handle and the curved blade, with the eagle head pommel?
This messer made it into Knives 2016! This is the first time one of my pieces was published. That made me very happy.
Hi Kimball1 welcome aboard, Such a sword with familial history certainly has value on a few different levels. Pictures showing the condition of the sword and scabbard can help determine how to care for it. I would do nothing to it until true condition can be judged. If the sword has no apparent crusty rust and has always been stored in the scabbard, leave it in the scabbard. Basic dusting is all it needs at this time. If the scabbard is leather, always have the scabbard flat on a table when removing and inserting the sword. Again, do nothing until condition can be evaluated. The timeline is about right and these non-regulation swords marked to Horstmann do turn up with some frequency. Does the blade have any other foliate or militaristic etching? Some do, some don't. If the scabbard is leather, that is a real bonus and will need to be cared for with some tenderness. I can't stress enough that less is more, as far as conservation goes. Pictures can be uploaded and shared to discussion boards by using a photo hosting service. I often use tinypic.com but there are several options. Imgur.com another popular option. Photobucket, etc. Alternately, feel free to send them to me in email [email protected] and I will get them up for you. Just put Horstmann Sword in the email subject line. Here are the blade marks on mine. I just tried Imgur and it is fairly painless. Cheers GC