SHOP

1 Japanese WWII Army Officer’s sword available.  This World War 2 Japanese sword would make an important acquisition for any collection.    

This WWII katana is signed ‘Noshu Seki ju Takeyama Yoshinao’.  There is a showa stamp on the nakago.
The blade measures 26 3/16″ (66.5 cm) from the blade tip to the bottom of the notch in the habaki.  

This sword has a beautiful hamon/temper line.  The hamon is sanbonsugi (three cedars).  The hamon has one high peak, then two short peaks, one high peak, then two short peaks, etc.  

1 Japanese WWII Army Officer’s gendaito sword available.  This World War 2 Japanese sword would make an important acquisition for any collection.    

This WWII katana has a wood surrender tag.  Surrender tags gave the Japanese Officer’s name and address in hopes the U.S. would give his sword back after the War. 
The blade measures 26 1/16″ (66.3 cm) from the blade tip to the bottom of the notch in the habaki.  This gendai sword is not signed. 
This sword has a fine cherry blossom sarute.  The saya has a higher grade spatter lacquer finish.  The seppa and tsuba have matching assembly numbers.  

This sword has an undulating hamon/temper line.  This is a traditionally-made sword. 

St. Croix Blades buys collections of 19th Century Bowie knives and folding dirks.  Contact Us using the link above or call us at 715-557-1688 to sell your collection of 19th Century knives.  St. Croix Blades also buys individual pieces from this time period.  

1 fine & rare antique 19th Century Folding Dirk with exceptionally rare 2 piece CAST German silver scales by G. Ibberson, Sheffield available.  This knife would make an important addition to any collection.

This 19th Century Folding Dirk is in exceptional condition.  It was well cared for.

This Sheffield folding dirk with a 3 dimensional, very desirable Federal Eagle with a shield on it’s chest was intended for a wealthy Patriotic American gentleman in the burgeoning American Market to use as a primary or back up self defense weapon. 

The Ibberson name was first associated with cutlery in 1666, the year of the Great London Fire; and their cutlery business was founded in 1700. They were active in the 1700s, and were located at Gibraltar street from 1805 to 1842. They moved to Mary street in 1842, to the Exchange Gateway Works in 1861, to West Street in 1911, and then to Rockingham street. 

Gentlemen during this time period would typically carry a brace of single shot percussion pistols which were prone to misfiring. Gentlemen would also typically carry a folding knife in their pocket or vest; or sometimes a less expensive fixed blade dirk or Bowie knife as a side arm on their belt as a back up weapon. Folding dirks were expensive at the time, and are many times rarer than their fixed blade counterparts. These folding dirk knives were made only as a self-defense weapon for personal protection, and fall into the romantic era of weapons.

This Dirk overall is about 9 1/4″ long open, with a single edged 1830’s style triangular shaped dirk blade about 4 1/8″ long.  The blade top has a grind of about 1/4″ at the ricasso that tapers and ends at the blade tip. The liners are brass.  The scales are very unusual two pieces of CAST German silver which makes this dirk extremely unusual and rare; as well as hefty for it’s size at 4.1 ounces or 118 grams.  The fancy ribbed hilt borders with leaf motif is a very unusual pattern.

A knife like this sold in August, 2018 on eBay for $4,595. 

1 exceptionally large antique 19th Century folding knife available.  This antique 1800’s A.D. Store Trade Stimulator knife would make a premium addition to any collection.

This large folding is either a 19th Century Store Display, a Trade Stimulator, an Exhibition Knife, or a knifemaker’s showpiece.

The blade has a marking of some kind on the front ricasso.  The handle is made of a fine hardwood like walnut or mahogany.  

This is a very hard to find 1800’s A.D. Display knife.  This large knife measures 24 1/4″ when opened!  The blade itself measures 11 9/16″.  

1 antique World War II Japanese Samurai army officer’s Muratato shin-gunto sword available.  This sword would make an important addition to any collection.

Murata Tsuneyoshi developed the “new Japanese-European combined sword system”.  

All military fittings are of excellent quality.  The seppa, tsuba, etc. all have the matching assembly numbers ‘140’.  The blade measures 25 1/2″ from blade tip to notch in the blade spine.  This fine sword has deep red patina’d fittings.  

This Muratato has a pierced tsuba.  The handle/tsuka has a tachi curvature to it. 

1 Japanese WWII Army Officer’s sword available.  This sword was made by the 1 Million Yen smith, Kanehisa.  This World War 2 Japanese sword would make an important acquisition for any collection.    

This WWII sword is signed.  This sword also has Kanehisa’s hot stamp (kokuin).  
The blade measures 23 9/16″ (60 cm) from the blade tip to the bottom of the notch in the habaki.  

The seppa and tsuba have the matching assembly number ‘0255’.  This sword has a pierced tsuba.  All fittings have a deep red patina.  The clasped hands sarute is very fine.   

This sword has a fine blue/brown Company Grade tassel (Captain, Lieutenant).  

The kabutogane (pommel fitting) has a Silver Samurai family mon.  This Tachibana orange blossom mon is identified to the Obayashi Samurai clan.  In the Nara period (708) Emperor Shomu decreed that the name tachibana be reserved for the exclusive use by the Imperial descendants of Emperor Bitatsu.

1 antique Japanese Samurai sword available.  This sword is papered, and was made during the Eisho period 1504 A.D.-1521 A.D.  This antique Japanese art sword would make an important acquisition for any collection. 

This sword is in full polish, and has exceptional condition koshirae (mounts).  The blade measures 19 3/4″ (50.1 cm) from blade tip to notch in the blade spine.    

The sword is mumei/unsigned.  The Fujishiro group papered this sword to a swordsmith in the Bungo Takada group who worked during the Eisho period–as mentioned above 1504 to 1521 A.D.  Harumori was a Bungo Takada chujo saku smith who worked during that time, so that is the likely swordsmith who made this sword.  

The gold foil habaki is very fine–it was made by Brian Chernega.  Brian’s habaki like this cost a minimum of $1000 I am told.  He is the tosogu craftsman who did all of the collector’s tosogu work, and he is the best tosogu craftsman in the U.S.  The blade spine is marumune (rounded blade spine).  This sword has a fine two-headed dragon iron tsuba.

Have a collection of military knives to sell?  St. Croix Blades BUYS KNIFE COLLECTIONS.  Call 715-557-1688 or email info@stcroixblades.com.  

1 unissued U.S. WW2 UTICA guard-marked M3 trench fighting knife available.  This U.S. WW2 edged weapon would make an important addition to any collection.  

This M3 trench knife measures 11 5/8” overall.  The blade measures 6 3/4”.  

The U.S. M8 sheath has its leather leg tie-down thong intact still.  The pommel has a small flaming bomb mark. 

1 vintage Koa Isshin Mantetsu WW2 Japanese Army Officer’s sword available.  This Japanese Mantetsu sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This sword is signed ‘KOA ISSHIN  MANTETSU SAKU’–meaning ‘Develop Asia by One Mind   Mantetsu respectfully made this’.  The reverse side of the nakago is dated.  The spine of the nakago is also marked.  This fine sword measures 26 1/4″ (66.7 cm) (measured properly from the blade tip to the notch in the blade spine). 

1 vintage Mantetsu WW2 Japanese Army Officer’s sword available.  This Japanese Mantetsu sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This sword is signed ‘Mantetsu kitau tsukuru kore’–meaning ‘Mantetsu (Co.) made this by forging’.  The ‘Ren’ (Dairen Railroad) stamp is above the signature.  The reverse side of the nakago is dated.  The spine of the nakago is also marked.  This fine sword measures 26 5/8″ (67.6 cm) (measured properly from the blade tip to the notch in the blade spine). 

1 antique Japanese samurai arrow point available.  This desirable large Japanese rope cutter arrowhead would make a fine addition to any collection.
 

The ancient 16th-18th century Japanese yajiri/arrowpoint was used by true Samurai.  This large arrowpoint measures 12 3/4″ (32.4 cm), including the tang.  The point itself measures 3 5/16″ (8.4 cm) by 2 5/32″ wide (5.5 cm).

1 exceptional antique 1660’s-1670’s A.D. Japanese Samurai katana available.  This desirable Japanese antique Samurai weapon would make an important addition to any collection.

This katana has beautiful Satsuma mounts.  The saya/scabbard is red in color with black horn and scrolled mounts.  

The tang/nakago on this sword is signed.  My reading is 関善定兼__  (Seki Zenjō Kane__). The top of Kane is visible. This may possibly be Kaneyoshi (兼吉), Kanekado (兼門) or Kanetsugu (兼次).

This sword has remounted at least 4 different times from its original mounting.  There are 5 mekugi-ana in the nakago–including one hole that was partially filled.  

The blade measures 26 1/16″ (66.2 cm) from blade tip to the habaki.  The habaki is beautiful, and is covered in Silver foil.  The menuki are mixed metal.  

The hamon on this sword is exceptional.  The hamon is extreme tadpole choji–very unusual, and very desirable among collectors.