Bebut sword

[Marc]

Ok, coming from someone not familiar at all with this particular model, but with some experience in fakes... yes, ageing metals is easy, which, coupled with less than ideal pics gets the job done.
Given the quality of the actual pictures and my level of familiarity with the model I don't dare to pass a judgement about the finer features or the lack of the usual brass fitting around the "guard", but I would like to point out a detail from my experience with other pieces: using a sharp instrument (knife, cutter, etc...) to add some wear to a leather or wood scabbard is a common practise. Usually it's done hitting it in a semi-random way. Overdoing it it's also fairly common, and tends to be a hint for a closer look. In this case, the scabbard is covered by marks from a sharp instrument, quite extensively, and quite homogenously, included the side that would be worn facing the body (see pic).
Again, let me be clear, I'm not passing any judgement. I can't: I haven't enough data. But, again, except in the most blissful cases, the signs that make us decide if an object is genuine or not are anything but clear and evident. More often than not, it's the accumulation of small details what makes us decide against a piece's authenticity. When there's enough lights in the board which are blinking red, we take a decision and call it "instinct", "nose" or "experience". It's normally well-applied accumulated knowledge, but it's sometimes hard to define or verbalize.
I just wanted to raise a flag that I feel deserves to be up, a call for, maybe, a pause and a deeper thought, that 's all.
Happy new year to all