1486 JAPANESE KATANA & TANTO WITH WWII SHIPPING CRATES

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This item SOLD at 2023 Nov 03 @ 17:18UTC-4 : AST/EDT
Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 850.00 USD
Estimated at 1,700.00 - 2,500.00 USD
& CAPTURE DOCUMENTS. 1) KATANA. Overall length: 40 1/4". Blade length: 25”. Blade has a straight hamon and a silvered brass habaki. There are 4 seppa above & below the tsuba. Tsuba is standard gilded brass design with 4 cherry blossoms above & below. Nakago has a 7-character signature above the mekugi-ana, and a single small character below the mekugi-ana. The other side of the nakago has 3 Japanese characters in white paint. There is a single mekugi-ana. The tsuka has matching fuchi & kabuto-gane with yellow/brown tsuka-ito over white same. The menuki are standard cherry blossom design. The saya is brown/green painted metal with standard gunto. CONDITION: blade has a very fine polish. Tsuka shows light wear overall. Saya has a few very minor scuffs to the painted finish. 2) TANTO. Overall length: 18”. Blade length: 11 1/2". Blade has an irregular hamon and is housed in wooden storage mounts. The nakago is unsigned and has a single mekugi-ana. The blade appears to be mid-18th century. CONDITION: blade has a good polish with no major flaws. A few minor forging marks may be seen. Storage mounts are undamaged. 3) BOXES. Both the katana & the tanto come with their original WWII shipping boxes from Staff Seargent George L. Springman of the 75th Military Government Company. Both plywood shipping boxes are addressed to a Frederick Springman of Alton, Illinois. Both weapons have their original signed capture documents from WWII. There is even the original WWII era newspaper used for packing the weapons in the boxes. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: the original capture certificates for both the katana & the tanto. CONDITION: boxes show normal handling wear but no notable damage. PROVENANCE: From the Lifelong Collection of Glen E. Mattox. (02-18432/BF). $1,700-2,500.