Condition- What is acceptable???

[G. McCormack]

A question for all collectors. When you are buying swords, what condition problems do you consider 'ok'? Is it ok to have slight bends? What about, for example, a tulwar that has been put back in its hilt a little crooked? How do these things effect what you pay? Even if a sword looks great on the wall....when you sight down the blade it might look off....is this a problem for most collectors, or are these things considered alright?

[not2sharp]

Originally Posted by G. McCormack

A question for all collectors. When you are buying swords, what condition problems do you consider 'ok'? Is it ok to have slight bends? What about, for example, a tulwar that has been put back in its hilt a little crooked? How do these things effect what you pay? Even if a sword looks great on the wall....when you sight down the blade it might look off....is this a problem for most collectors, or are these things considered alright?

I prefer having the specimen in original condition; worn, damaged, bent, , what-have-you, but, indicative of how the thing originally was made rather then of some later attempt to restore its asthetic qualities.

These are historical artifacts which should be preserved, but, otherwise left alone.

n2s

[FenrisWolf]

Originally Posted by not2sharp

I prefer having the specimen in original condition; worn, damaged, bent, , what-have-you, but, indicative of how the thing originally was made rather then of some later attempt to restore its asthetic qualities.

These are historical artifacts which should be preserved, but, otherwise left alone.

n2s

As a general rule of thumb I'd agree with you, so long as allowance is made for the unfortunately numerous exceptions to the rule. For example, I have two jambiyas with wootz blades, but the only way I discovered that was by etching them myself. Previous owners had polished them so heavily the wootz pattern was completely missing. In the second case the jambiya had been broken and shabbily repaired, so in order to preserve the dagger for future generations I had to separate the blade from the hilt, repair the hilt, and re-polish and etch the blade before reassembly. So, is correcting a shoddy, non-historical repair job tampering, or is it preserving an otherwise neglected piece?

I believe the majority of collectible pieces that come into our hands can be left alone, but there will always be those victims of neglect that need restoration in addition to preservation. After all, look at the difference between the photos taken at the opening of Tutenkhamen's tomb, and the items now on display in the museums. If the archaeologists who found King Tut can restore items to their former glory, why can't we?

[Bill M]

A highly personal question.

I have overcleaned and later felt badly.

I have tried to restore to what I thought the native culture would have wanted.

Now I lean toward stopping any active rust with some fine steel wool and WD-40, then a little more oil to stop rust from occuring again.

If the blade is slightly bent or warped I try to gently straighten it, but am concerned that if I might break something, I leave it alone.

Artifacts, I never change except a little glue if something is about to fall off.

[G. McCormack]

It does seem to be a very personal matter.
So what do you do if you buy a piece online, only to receive it and discover some flaw, like a bend in the blade, where do you draw the line as to, "Well, its a few hundred years old, so I'm ok with the fact that its a little warped/nicked/damaged" and "Uh oh, the seller didnt disclose this, and I dont like pieces that aren't more or less in their original state, plus patina"?

[Rick]

Originally Posted by G. McCormack

It does seem to be a very personal matter.
So what do you do if you buy a piece online, only to receive it and discover some flaw, like a bend in the blade, where do you draw the line as to, "Well, its a few hundred years old, so I'm ok with the fact that its a little warped/nicked/damaged" and "Uh oh, the seller didnt disclose this, and I dont like pieces that aren't more or less in their original state, plus patina"?

Well, there's online as in 'ebay' and there's online as in 'reputable dealer'.
Granted there are some reputable dealers on ebay; but aside from them the place is a crapshoot.
Most reputable dealers will take returns provided the complaint is not ridiculous or unless their country has restrictions on the import of edged weapons.
The best defense is to ask lots of questions and request more detailed or close up pictures of features you are doubtful about.

Where one 'draws the line' is a completely subjective area; there are no hard and fast rules.