Chinese sword...Jian ? on Ebay
 

Followed this item, stated as 19th C but certainly looks 20thC. The blade does look to have quality, with lamination showing...certainly does not look acid etched. If I am correct I think it went relatively cheaply, and wouldn't have minded it in my collection.
I wondered what others thought.




http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...6439&rd=1&rd=1

Added some pics of the blade tried to enhance them alittle, best I can do with the small listing pictures....

I would love to have an expert opinion on this one, but I am about 90% sure it is a fake. The fittings seem fanciful, and certainly do not match what I am used to. Also I do not see signs of heat treatment on the blade, which should be visible with this degree of polish.

I am quite suspicious.
Josh

Well I am 100% sure it is repro/fake. Why waste money on this sort of thing when you can get something real for the same price or less. How many times has this advice been said here. :shrug:

It Screams repro to me!


Lew

Thanks, I was 100% sure, and even went so far as to warn the first bidder, but then as I looked more I became a bit less certain. There are so many aspects of Chinese swords that I do not know.

I am glad to have had my initial suspicion confirmed, and I am glad I gave a warning to at least one bidder.
Josh

There are a number of manufacturers (some in China, US etc) producing quality, functional Chinese swords with folded blades with heat treatment. Many of these quality repo's sell for $500- $1800, I thought it could be one of these examples. But there was something about the blade that worried me....and I couldn't put 'my finger on it'. Josh's comment on there being no signs of heat treatment ...made me realise 'that's why it didn't look right'.

http://www.angelsword.com/chinese/chinese_home.php

I would like to have a few examples of Chinese swords in my collection....but with so many fakes etc. I had resided myself to the fact a quality functional repo. may have been the way to go :shrug: