[SES1066]

If it has lasted 60 years before being proved false then one has to say that it is a ‘good’ fake! So many times a ‘discovery’ turns into a broken heart but those stories of documents & paintings from attics & closets turning into windfalls keeps the optimist going!

I once turned down a low price on a 14th Century Samurai Sword because it was too good to be true. I will never know but even if it had been true, where would I store it or who would I donate it to?

Still, thanks for this post, I’ve known about this controversy for years / decades and it is interesting to see it ‘resolved’!

[genghis]

Me too but I am shocked it is a fake

[OldGoatCPO]

I took a risk and bought on the cheap a wakizashi. It was really nice, looked old but I reckoned it was a fake. Turned out to be the real thing! Valued at around $2000. Made towards the end of the Edo period. Great, right? Well not exactly. The blade was rusty, no pitting, but a lot of surface corrosion. Estimated cost, $100 dollars per inch to polish, plus replace/repair to the furniture total cost around $2500. The seller was honest and sold it for a fair price knowing the cost to rehabilitate the sword. That was an exception to the rule. People who make fakes prey on our inability to know the difference. If they can fool the experts for decades, they can fool anyone.