oxtails for sale
 

Here are two oxtails for sale. The big one is $350 the small one is $450.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation358.jpg

The top one is the "typical" oxtail design though larger than most. The blade has nice patina and little or no edge damage, which is unusual in oxtail dao due to the thin tip region. The tip has a bit of a wobble when sighted down the back so it was probably straightened once. The fittings are an original iron guard and pommel with some very slight movement at the guard due to shrinking of the original wood.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation359.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation357.jpg

The bottom one is what is known as a "Northern dao" which I view as a subset of oxtail dao. You can see one almost exactly like it in "Swords and Hilt Weapons" erroneously called a dadao and attributed to the 18th century. This one is a late 19th century dao used by northern border militia. The fittings, wrap and scabbard are all original, the guard is brass and is loose. The saber handles very well and is much quicker than the larger oxtail while also having the two handed option. The dragon is an original engraving, the characters are a later, though not modern, addition. There are a few very small cracks at the edge. They are too small to photograph well, but I have tried to take closeups of the blade region so you can judge for yourself. I do not think they seriously jeopardise the blade as a whole. The steel in general is very good.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation365.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation364.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation363.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation362.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation360.jpg

The largest crack can be seen in this picture.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation361.jpg

Josh