Whats the screwiest thing you collect?

From: Mike Ford <mikeford_at_socal.rr.com>
Date: Mon Nov 29 16:24:01 1999

>>>
>>> >Wow. My collection of sharp objects are strictly modern
>>>reproductions. To
>>> >the point where I took them to the vet and had 'em xrayed to see if
>>>they were
>>> >correctly made. Some were, come weren't. Sold the ones that weren't.
>>> >
>>> >> Swords can be neat, I have a friend who recently sold a japanese
>>>sword for
>>> >> $40k to one of those roving sword buyers. Some local yard sale had a box
>>>
>>> This one was 650 years old, made by one of the best, and used in some major
>>> ceremony. My friend estimated it will sell for 4 times as much in Japan.
>>
>>One wonders where your friend got the thing. I was under the impression
>>they're
>>illegal to export from Japan. (not sure where I got that impression though)
>
>Apparently a lot of swords were lost in WWII and found thier way to the US.
>The Japanese families that lost these swords are willing to pay big bucks
>for them if they can be found.

Japanese I believe sometimes would "surrender" their swords as a formal
gesture. GIs would also rob bodies, etc. Getting them back to Japan is a
fair sized industry.
Received on Mon Nov 29 1999 - 16:24:01 GMT