Persian shamshir destroyed by USPS!!!

[estcrh]

The picture says it all. You can never over pack.

[David]

Did they have an elephant step on the box or something!!!
Should be insured though, yes?

[Battara]

HOLY CRAP!!

[russel]

Sue the BASTARDS!

[ariel]

My condolences.
It is awful......

[Rick]

That's a crime; and now someone has to go through the insurance process.

Not a single FRAGILE sticker?
That's also a crime.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by David

Did they have an elephant step on the box or something!!!
Should be insured though, yes?

The seller should have insured it, I have asked for a refund of course. I think only a wood box or gun case would have prevented this type of neglectful shipping.

[shayde78]

Argh...that is infuriating! Regardless of your financial loss, it is one more lost piece of history.

[estcrh]

Well the seller has asked me to return the sword, he is working on the USPS insurance end of things. It hurts my eyes just looking at the sword!!!

The plastic tube works well, I have had spears as long as 9ft shipped in them, the problem with these is that anything that has a significant curve will not fit. My naginata was over 6 ft, the shaft fit but the blade had to much curve.

I do not ship very much but in the future I think I will line my cardboard boxes with some plywood, I recently had a sword shipped to me that way, the seller drilled two holes in the plywood and zip tied the sword to the plywood, no way it could be crushed like the shamshir was.

[ausjulius]

Originally Posted by estcrh

The seller should have insured it, I have asked for a refund of course. I think only a wood box or gun case would have prevented this type of neglectful shipping.

looks like the forklift hit it full force i think a gun case would have failed. must have been 1000snd kgs slammed instantly on it

[Will M]

The amount of bend and the flattened scabbard suggests a fork lift was used, one of the forks pressed down onto the box to intentionally destroy its contents.
If the blade is not cracked it could be straightened and the scabbard reshaped, nothing is impossible.

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Will M

If the blade is not cracked it could be straightened and the scabbard reshaped, nothing is impossible.

Yes, but emphasis should be put on the word "could", with the unspoken caveat that nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes. As a restorer, I have encountered blades bent in varying degrees, in different locations along their length, and in odd ways as well (twisted, and even distorted edge-to-back rather than side-to-side). Most cases do turn out well, fortunately. On the more severe ones I consult with colleagues who are sword MAKERS, such as Vincent Evans (pattern welding and differential heat treat), and Ric Furrer (he makes wootz in the traditional manner).

Blades bent at the forte CAN be less risky than those distorted nearer the tip. I once fixed a katana blade that was tweaked about 5 degrees from true just ahead of the habaki, and managed to do it "cold". Like most Far Eastern blades, the steel is hard only along the edge, and in many cases, the "hamon" or crystallized zone is narrower at the root. Fortunately, this made the job quite doable. I've also straightened a few Moro swords that were bent in the same region, on those blades the hardening really doesn't start until a few inches further towards the business end, so the metal is less brittle there.

Wootz can be another matter. The material has a higher carbon content than the range for "tool steels" which most sword blades fall into, and is inherently more brittle as a result. I am surprised that this shamshir could have been bent that much without snapping outright. But my years of polishing these blades has shown that some of them ARE differentially hardened (after a full polish and an etch, a "hamon" does appear along the edge on many Indian and Persian wootz blades). This crystalline edge zone, on Islamic sabers, tends to begin somewhat ahead of the hilt. And when skilfully etched, you can see at the forte a gradation in steel color corresponding to oblique bands or zones, which tell me that the smith treated the metal in stages to optimize the degree of hardness and resiliency as required in different areas. This is confirmed empirically when polishing, the forte area does not "resist" the abrasive action of the stone nearly as much as the fully hardened cutting edge. In such case, the steel at the forte would be more ductile and thus pose less of a risk of breakage than with one of those that was uniformly heat treated so that it it is just hard (therefore, likely to be brittle) throughout its length.

In the case of a severe bend or with wootz that is quenched to uniform hardness, the risk lies with whether or not the steel has been stressed sufficiently to have created internal faults that will develop into a real problem (hairline crack, or a crack spreading to complete breakage) when the metal is moved back the other way. This is where consultation with my swordsmith buddies, and a frank exposition of the risks with the customer, are in order before formulating a POA.

[rickystl]

OH NO !!!! Estcrh, I am so sorry this happened. That is a beautiful sword!!!
It seems like this always happens to the valuable items. I would be flaming angry. @#$%^&* As mentioned above, it looks like someone either lowered the forks from a forklift unto it, or backed over it.
Historically, I've had good success with USPS. I had only one incident with a Balkan made pistol with a silver stock. It arrived with the grip area severly bent and a small crack in the bend area. But the damage was primarily due to the worst boxing and packing I've ever seen. Especially for an item like this. And this from a gun dealer, who should know better. I decided to keep the pistol - but - with 70% of what I paid for it refunded to me. Fortunately, between my old gunsmith and his Fater in Law, who was a genuine old time Silversmith, it was repaired masterfully. Cannot detect the repair.
Generally, double-wall boxes with lots of bubble wrap will work. But I use everything from PVC pipe to pine wood crates, depending on what I'm shipping.
Again, so sorry this happened to you. I hope you at least get a full reimbersement.

Rick

[Will M]

Philip you do have good points. I too straighten blades occasionally. Always a risk to some degree and taking into account what you mentioned.
The blade is worthless in its current condition so I see no alternative but to attempt a repair.

[A. G. Maisey]

This sword is out of my area of study, however, I do have a background in knife & sword making and I have straightened badly bent blades. My work has always been forge work, not stock removal.

In my opinion this blade should be dismounted and given to a competent and appropriate sword-smith to repair.